[Vision2020] the Donovan effect on downtown

Fri Sep 15 11:29:46 PDT 2006

I am far from an expert on municipal parking codes, and I'm definitely not 
an expert on handling Donovan, but a few things seem reasonable to me:

One, the businesses downtown are in what is codified in Moscow's 
comprehensive plan as the Central Business District.  A feature of the CBD 
is that stores are linked side-by-side over a few city blocks; they are not 
stand-alone structures that build on property with an eye toward finding the 
balance between physical structure and required parking.  The businesses 
downtown share their parking with one another.

Two, this situation seems to have worked fairly well prior to a few years 
ago; there might never have been all the parking consumers and business 
owners want, but there was enough to keep them going and the burden was 
shared equally among tax-paying businesses.

Three, I have never met anyone who didn't think that a walkable downtown 
with a vibrant retail, arts, and restaurant scene wasn't one of the joys of 
small-town living.  I grew up in Tucson, Arizona, in the 60s and 70s.  When 
I was very young, downtown was pulsing with small shops and cafes that 
prospered well even under the shade of larger, national stores.  By the 70s, 
however, city planners abandoned downtown, as did nearly everyone else, and 
it sunk into a state of economic and social depression which it only emerged 
within the last 20 years -- when the city renewed its committment to 
fostering a pedestrian-friendly, safe, vital and varied downtown.  In 
Moscow, "pedestrian-friendly" doesn't mean that I walk to downtown from my 
home east of the cemetery; it means that once I'm there, I have a couple of 
hours to enjoy my coffee, pick up my book at Bookpeople, check out Goodwill, 
and measure the half-moon cabinet at the import store once again.  It means 
that with a place to leave my car, I can walk to the Co-Op, head over to 
Keeney Bros. for drum equipment my son HAS to have, and order more printed 
shirts from my husband at Shirt Shack.  By any social, economic and 
municipal standard, this is healthy for Moscow, better for the environment, 
and a great way for me to lose the 10 lbs. that prevent me from being 
described as svelte and willowy.

Four, none of the social and retail bliss described above can happen if, 
upon driving to downtown, I can't find a place to park.  Now, the bagel shop 
might wish I took my coffee there rather than at the One World, but all 
parties acknowledge that both pay taxes, and both get the fairest benefit 
from the city's investment in on-street parking.

Five, it would be better if I walked TO downtown.  Point granted, but as yet 
unacknowledged by my chronically stiff neck, shoulders, and lower back, and 
knees that swell and ache after long walks.

Finally, I remain amazed at Donovan's inability to grasp the two obvious 
factors in this debate:  that parking downtown is symbolic of what ought to 
be a cooperative agreement between the municipality and the retail sector to 
preserve a jewel in the crown of our community, and that a behemoth, 
arrogant, and non-taxpaying institution that moves in to where it clearly is 
neither permitted nor welcomed is hurting its neighborhood, much as its 
backers have wreaked havoc in the larger community.  I affirm Donovan's 
right to not shop at any place that benefits from city-provided parking, but 
if downtown Moscow can somehow survive NSA, I'm betting it'll gain victory 
of DJA as well.

keely

From: Donovan Arnold <donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com>
To: robertandjill at verizon.net, vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: [Vision2020] RRe:Parking,Businesses are not owed one City parking 
space, NOT ONE,Quite your complaining.
Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 07:26:42 -0700 (PDT)

"Many downtown merchants view the downtown Moscow parking situation as
serious and threatening to their businesses. Without attempting to
assign blame, here are some suggestions:"--Robert

Here is my suggestions to businesses that think they are losing business
because of the city not providing them enough parking downtown.

1) Buy your own damn parking like every other business.

2) Buy your own damn parking like every other business.

3) Buy your own damn parking like every other business.

The taxpayers pay for the maintains and enforcement of Free
parking downtown. Business owners downtown don't pay taxes on
the parking lots downtown. Therefore, they don't have any right to
complain.

Every time I hear a business owner complain that, I the taxpayer am
not giving them enough tax free parking for their business, I write
the business name down and stop shopping there.

Parking is not downtown for the financial gain of private business
owners. It is there for the convenience of the residents of Moscow that
pay taxes for the parking. It is not the city taxpayers obligation to
purchase and maintain real estate downtown for private investors.

IF adding parking spaces results in more cash for the business owner,
would it not be in their best interest to purchase some parking?

This is so disrespectful to all business owners elsewhere in town from
that have to buy parking, not get free parking, and having to pay no taxes 
on
that parking space, How dare they demand that we shell out more for their 
personal
financial gain? How insulting. Go screw yourself, I will go to a business
that cares enough to invest in providing convenience and comfort for their 
customs.
Down with businesses that blame everyone else for their problems and expect 
the
government to solve their problems for them.

To the businesses that complain about parking; The city don't own you one
damn parking spot, not one.

Best,

_DJA

robertandjill at verizon.net wrote:  I tried to post this yesterday, didn't 
seem to go through.  Here are some good thoughts on alleviating the parking 
situation.

DRAFT
A MODEST PROPOSAL TO IMPROVE
DOWNTOWN MOSCOW PARKING
Bill Parks
September 14, 2006

Many  downtown merchants view the downtown Moscow parking situation as  
serious and threatening to their businesses. Without attempting to  assign 
blame, here are some suggestions:

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Limit all downtown on-street parking to two hours.

Although  making parallel parking spots one hour and angle parking two hour 
has  many advantages, it might be too confusing for visitors. Two hour  
parking provides plenty of time for many downtown patrons. Those that  need 
more time could park in the three-hour Jackson Street lot.

2. Increase enforcement by penalizing drivers for removing or altering chalk 
marks.

Here is a quote from the Eugene, Oregon city code:

5.275  Authority to Mark Vehicles. A police officer parking control officer 
or  community service specialist may mark motor vehicles that are parked,  
standing, or stopped to aid in the enforcement of parking regulations.  Such 
mark shall be made by chalk upon the tires of the vehicle or by  some other 
convenient method that will not injure or damage the  vehicle. Marks so 
placed shall not be interfered with, concealed or  obliterated or erased by 
any person other than a police officer,  parking control officer, or 
community service specialist while the  vehicle remains parked, standing or 
stopped at the place where the  vehicle is marked.
(Section 5.276 added by Ordinance No. 19621, enacted June 12, 1989)

Such  a change, particularly if it carried with it a citation more severe  
than an overtime violation might help in reducing the incidence of  downtown 
scofflaws.

3. Make it a violation to park on the same street for more than two hours.

This  proposed ordinance or code would keep a driver from re-starting the  
time by moving the car up and down the street, but would allow the car  to 
be moved to another street to re-start the parking limits. Although  
speaking of blocks instead of streets, the Eugene Code addresses the  issue.

5.265 Parking Time Limit. Maximum parking time limits  designated by sign 
for a block shall apply to parking in the block not  merely to parking in 
one or more particular parking spaces in the  block. No person in charge of 
a vehicle may extend the permissible time  for parking the vehicle in the 
block by causing the vehicle to be moved  from one parking space to another 
in the block without being removed  from the block. The operator of the 
vehicle or its registered owner  shall be regarded as prima facie in charge 
of it.
(Section 5.265 amended by ordinance No. 16387. enacted February 14, 1972)
It  is important that downtown parking be reserved for local business  
patrons, and not become a “backdoor” route for providing employee  parking. 
Forcing those that work downtown to park outside the downtown  area will 
benefit the entire city by improving downtown business  health. A healthy 
downtown business district needs parking regulations  that cause citizens to 
obey both the letter and the spirit of the  regulations.

4. Accommodate downtown residents and others by allowing overnight angled 
parking.

There  are about 130 downtown residents (about the same as New Saint Andrews 
  Students) yet their needs are seldom considered. In addition to  
residents, there may, from time to time, be downtown revelers that  should 
not drive their cars until the next morning. The city street  department may 
complain that it needs to have no overnight parking to  facilitate snow 
removal. Since there will be no overnight parallel  parking, angle parking 
can be signed for snow removal and the two-hour  parking allowance insures 
that by 10:00 AM all angle parking cars will  be moved. It is time to do 
something good for downtown residents. The  street department could work out 
an accommodation with downtown  residents’ needs.

5. Rent reserved parking spaces for  businesses that need to have a delivery 
vehicle or realtors that might  need to have a vehicle ready to transport 
clients to a property.

The  city should make some accommodation for businesses that do not have  
their own parking spaces but need immediate access to a vehicle in the  
normal course of their business. The number of spaces available for  each 
business should probably be limited to some fraction of those  employed in 
the business. For instance, a rented space might be made  available for 
every five employees or fraction thereof. The rented  spaces can be flagged 
for certain vehicles and others parking in the  space would be subject to 
penalties. License plate numbers could be  used to validate authorized 
users. (See below).

6. Purchase optical character recognition (OCR) equipment for parking 
enforcement.

OCR  software and hand held computers speed up parking enforcement and  
drastically reduce errors. They will also eliminate many other traffic  
problems. Stolen cars, offenders, etc. can all be easily identified and  
appropriate actions taken. Revenues from parking tickets should  increase 
until those parking in downtown are convinced to obey  regulations.

7. Increase peripheral parking opportunities by adding parking lots.

Revenue  from downtown parking and rented spaces may not be enough to 
provide  sufficient revenue to purchase and maintain more parking lots. The  
University of Idaho now requires permits in formerly free university  lots 
and also has been allowed to rent parking on city streets to  fraternity and 
sorority residents. As a result, frugal students, staff  and faculty who 
formerly could park around campus are more likely to be  parking on 
residential streets between campus and downtown. Moscow  should request that 
all or most of the university’s purple permit  revenue be turned over to 
Moscow for purchase of additional parking  lots between downtown and the 
university. Some would consider it  unfortunate that the university has 
removed parking for Moscow citizens  that pay local taxes and instead 
reserved the parking for students that  pay no local taxes. This imbalance 
needs to be redressed. Additional  revenues from parking violations, 
reserved spaces, and U of I purple
  parking permits and other sources should be earmarked for parking lots  
and enforcement costs.

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