October 2, 2009

Agenda
  1. Call to Order and Minutes;
  2. Update on US Bank Ramp;
  3. Update on 1st and NP Avenues Corridor Study;
  4. Discuss Reparking Ordinance Changes;
  5. Discuss Saturday Enforcement;
  6. Operator's Report;
  7. Other Issues.
Minutes

Item 1: Call to Order and Minutes
Mr. Engen called the meeting to order. Ms. Luchau, Ms. Audette, Ms. Larson-Frobig, Mr. Strand, Ms. Berger, and Ms. Tilock introduced themselves to the Commission. Ms. Walvatne moved to approve the minutes of the September 4, 2009 meeting and Ms. Bailly seconded the motion. All members present voted aye and the motion was declared carried.

Item 2: Update on US Bank Parking Ramp
Mr. Stein stated that the demolition work on the parking ramp had begun in earnest on September 30, 2009. He stated that the completion date for demolition, compaction, and resurfacing was set for November 15, 2009. He noted that the skyway section that would be demolished would be replaced, subject to a right-of-way agreement with the bank and a finalized design, with a completion target of early 2010. He noted that the lot to be built would have approximately 40 spaces that would belong to the City of Fargo.

Item 3: Update on the 1st Avenue and NP Avenue Study
Mr. Stein reviewed the September 29, 2009 public meeting and noted that there had been a good turnout for that meeting. He stated that traffic operations and one-way reorganization had been discussed and noted that any change would affect parking. He noted that truck loading would be a consideration for any proposal, as the current one-way streets allowed for much flexibility in blocking lanes. Mr. Anderson stated that he felt that the meeting had been very positive and Commissioner Williams expressed his hope that such robust public input would continue.

Item 4: Discuss Re-Parking Ordinance Changes
Mr. Stein distributed and reviewed examples of parking signs that he, Ms. Citrowske, and Jeremy Gordon had developed to clarify the short-move rules. He noted that the Community Service Officers had had positive things to say about the program and the proposed signs. The Commission discussed adding the four-hour rule to the ordinance. They considered which sign would best serve the needs of the officers and the public. Mr. Anderson stated that he had received much feedback about the excessive length of the ordinance as it was written and that these changes were essential. Ms. Bailly moved to proceed with the ordinance change to accommodate the re-wording with the four-hour time limit. Ms. Walvatne seconded the motion. Mr. Williams suggested that the re-parking terminology be made consistent and Ms. Bailly amended the motion to include addressing that change. All members present voted aye and the motion was declared carried.

Item 5: Discuss Saturday Enforcement
Commissioner Williams reminded the Commission and audience of the reasons behind expanding parking enforcement to include Saturdays and of the evolution of downtown Fargo. He recalled the continuing education program that let people know of the 1,800 parking spots downtown and that the lots were available for longer-term parking. Ms. Tilock stated that she had a petition with over 600 signatures protesting the Saturday enforcement. Ms. Bailly stated that she believed that the move was in the best interests of the retail spaces downtown. She pointed out that Saturday enforcement took place only on Broadway and that parking on the avenues was without time limit. Ms. Tilock stated that, from her observation, the enforcement was fixing a problem that did not exist and that she felt that the enforcement did not project a friendly image for downtown. She suggested that the Commission do a better study of the restrictions and enforcement. Mr. Strand noted that he was a resident of downtown and that he had also not seen the problem that this enforcement was intended to address and agreed that the image projected was counterproductive. He objected to what he felt was a very
uneven survey on which the Commission had acted.

The Commission and the audience discussed the reasons behind the expansion of enforcement and the public’s perception of it. Mr. Engen observed that the requests for feedback had not been specific to Broadway, which was the only place where parking laws were enforced on Saturdays. Ms. Audette stated that she had also received a lot of negative feedback from Swanson’s customers about parking. She stated that she agreed that the parking issues during the week were due to employees who would not pay to park in a lot. She agreed with Mr. Strand that the time limits made customers uncomfortable when shopping and less likely to spend time and thus money downtown. The Commission and audience discussed options for a different solution. Mr. Robinson reviewed a meeting that had taken place in November, 2008 to discuss parking downtown. He stated that the downtown residents had known that they were moving into a business community and that members of the Downtown Neighborhood Association had told him that the enforcement had been helping them. He noted that there was a wide-spread misunderstanding about where enforcement took place that the petition did not address. He requested more information on the enforcement statistics. Ms. Larson-Frobig observed that people were finding alternatives to parking on Broadway and the Saturday enforcement had helped her business a great deal. She noted that Fargo residents were simply not yet accustomed to paying for parking the way that people were used to doing in larger cities.

Mr. Engen and Mr. Strand discussed ways to solicit information on the specific problem and the Commission discussed the audience members’ requests to suspend the enforcement. Mr. Anderson reported the Downtown Community Partnership’s discussion about overnight issues and weekend enforcement. He pointed out that some of the enforcement reasons were put in place because of snow removal and street cleaning requirements. He stated that he felt that extending the weekend enforcement from ninety minutes to perhaps three or four hours may resolve many of the issues. Ms. Luchau noted that she was in favor of the 90-minute enforcement and that she had seen many people adapt to finding parking alternatives to continue their leisurely shopping habits on weekends. She suggested that the program had not been in place long enough for evaluation.

Commissioner Williams thanked the audience for their input, both in person and via the petition and comments that they had brought. Mr. Stein stated that an average of ten tickets had been issued each of the six weeks of enforcement, and that the number had been decreasing each week. He noted that one officer was available for enforcement on Saturdays so that there could be no guarantee of her availability for specifically addressing parking. Mr. Gilmour stated that the intention was to address people who park for several hours. He suggested that the Commission discuss changing the ordinance to reflect a three- or four-hour limit as enforced. Ms. Tilock suggested that the overnight parkers were causing the issues, and that enforcing the law that already existed, including towing cars left overnight in the winter rather than ticketing them, and doing more education about options for overnight parking may solve the problem that the Commission meant to address with the Saturday enforcement. Mr. Stein noted that educational brochures had been distributed to downtown business and property owners that included information about parking availability and enforcement. Ms. Tilock suggested stronger enforcement of the downtown resident parking permits as well. Mr. Engen suggested that the conversation be tabled and continued at the Commission’s next meeting. The Commission thanked the audience to coming to share their perspectives on the issue and creating a dialog where both sides could feel heard. Ms. Bailly suggested that the weekend enforcement was meant to be proactive and that a longer-term experience was necessary before judging a program.

Item 6: Operator’s Report
Mr. Rogne distributed the Operator’s Report and reviewed the results with the Commission. He noted that 75 renters would be moving into the GTC ramp in October, 2009 and would essentially fill that lot. Mr. Stein reviewed the improvements to that ramp, both completed and projected. He noted that the loss of the US Bank ramp had revitalized discussion of adding a level or two to the Radisson ramp.

Item 7: Other Issues
Mr. Gilmour reviewed the most recent figures for transit ridership between downtown and NDSU main campus. He noted that NDSU had been provided a park-and-ride program from the Fargodome lot for faculty and staff at the downtown buildings, as well. Mr. Stein shared his recent visit with a writer for the Lonely Planet guides and Ms. Bailly agreed that it had been a very positive experience. There being no further business to come before the Commission, the meeting was adjourned.