IDAHO FALLS — The Idaho Falls Downtown Development Corporation (IFDDC) said in a recent press release that it has decided not to move forward with the app-based parking system that had been proposed.
“The Idaho Falls Downtown Development Corporation (IFDDC) announced today that while they will be moving forward with elements of the Downtown Parking Improvement Plan, other aspects have been reevaluated, specifically the proposed app-based on-street paid parking initiative. This decision comes after a period of productive dialogue and valuable feedback from downtown property owners and businesses,” IFDDC stated in the press release.
This development comes after IFDDC met with downtown business owners last week to discuss the concerns and frustrations of business owners regarding the parking system that had been previously proposed.
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The press release states that instead of moving forward with the app-based system, IFDDC will upgrade signage for the current paid parking lots and work to refine the paid parking lot permit process. In addition, “They will also continue to engage in communication and collaborative problem-solving with downtown property owners and businesses to explore additional options to improve the parking experience,” according to the press release.
The new effort will focus on increasing on-street parking for customers by increasing enforcement and educating downtown employees on the importance of parking in both paid and free lots instead of taking the on-street parking.
“We have heard the feedback and have been meeting with many of our downtown community members to better understand their current unique needs,” Kerry Hammon, Executive Director of the IFDDC, said in the press release. “Downtown parking is a very complex issue dating back to 1971, and the businesses within our district are just as unique. We’ve come to a consensus not to move forward with the proposed app-based on-street paid parking element at this time. As we cannot speak for future growth demands and needs, this option may be reevaluated later.”
From the press release, it is unclear what future plans may entail. The press release states that IFDDC will continue to research and communicate with the downtown community and the City of Idaho Falls to explore future solutions and find common ground between all parties.
“There is no timeline for the reevaluation process which is intended to lead to a solution that better serves the needs of all downtown stakeholders,” said the press release.
According to Hammon, downtown Idaho Falls will keep the current system for on-street parking for now. Customers and visitors can park for free downtown for up to two hours.
The previous proposed app-based parking system that IFDDC chose not to move forward with would have changed the on-street parking downtown from its current free two-hour limit, to paid parking spots that increased in price the longer customers took the spot. The proposed system would have charged $1 for the first hour, $2 each for hours two and three and hour four would cost $10. Under that proposed plan, if customers stayed longer than four hours, they would have been issued a $20 citation.
Business owners had concerns about having an app-based system and how that would affect customers coming from out of town, especially tourists and those that did not speak english as their first language. Additionally, there were concerns about how local shoppers would react to the paid parking requirement, and how that might affect their businesses.
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