GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Parking in Grand Rapids could suddenly become much more expensive as city leaders discuss tripling the cost of on-street parking spots.
The proposal is part of an ongoing discussion on a new parking investment strategy to reduce curb parking.
"I don't know if we could raise rates and say, Guess what? We're going to raise the parking rates downtown from two bucks an hour to six bucks an hour, and half of that increase is going to go to public safety," Grand Rapids Mayor David LaGrand said at the city's Mobile GR Commission.
LaGrand made the comments at this month's Mobile GR Commission meeting.
"I wonder if we should be crafting a plan to really, really jack up the price of street parking, but really, really point out the revenue value of that, and if that helps us push people into our ramps. Hallelujah," LaGrand said.
At the first meeting of the year for Mobile GR Commission, Flywheel, a contractor for Grand Rapids, gave a presentation about parking in the city.
Flywheel is described on its website as an "all-inclusive neighborhood design firm."
"So shifting cars into decks, long story short, reduces the pressure on limited curb space. Right now, we have a little bit of a mismatch," Flywheel Director of Operations Arielle Leipham Ellis said at the meeting.
Current parking rates in Grand Rapids include:
- Street parking spots range from $1 to $2.25 an hour
- City-owned ramps start at $2 every half hour, with a maximum daily rate capped at $24
- Event parking in ramps starts as low as $10 and goes up to $25
"Current pricing and convenience patterns push parking demand to the curb, leaving the paid-for capacity underused at certain times of the day. Those empty spaces don't generate any return on investment, but so your current pricing patterns suppress deck use," Ellis said.
The city could also offer discounts to drivers parking in city-owned ramps through a revised 1995 program. A recent report by Mobile GR highlighted the parking incentive, which halves the parking rate for certain people.
Those most likely to get the discount are downtown employees and business owners in tiers one and two. Tier three opens up to practically anyone when there's not enough demand from the higher tiers.
"Everybody who's going to apply has applied right, and say, you still have a ton of spaces available, you have the option of awarding that incentive," Ellis said.
Mobile GR plans to unveil a new parking investment strategy in late February or early March. Its next meeting is Feb. 5.
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