Downtown Tacoma Parking
We noticed a little note in last week’s City Manager update to the City Council:
To help promote downtown merchants during the holiday season, the City’s Parking Management Advisory Task Force co-chair’s have proposed that the City adjust the hourly parking rate from $2.50 to $1.50 in its garages during the month of December.
Ignoring the misused apostrophe, no matter how distracting it may be, who can name or locate the City-owned garages?
Would that dollar make all the difference? Would it make any difference?
Filed under: Parking
6 comments
C Christine November 28, 2011
I had trouble getting through the apostrophe, but no, I can’t name or find the city parking garages. A dollar won’t matter one bit. My two cents. (Or is it two cent’s?)
J Janine November 28, 2011
I am cheap. I hate paying for parking and when I do I drive around until I find the best rate, so yes, $1 can make a difference. As it is I try to avoid downtown until 6pm when the parking is free again, so you downtown merchants – stay open later if you want a customer.
C Chris November 28, 2011
I’m skeptical that higher levels of parking subsidization will significantly affect the viability of retail in Downtown.
Downtown doesn’t have a parking cost problem, it has an access problem. Wasn’t there just a presentation on how the parking enterprise fund is going to require direct subsidy from the general fund now?
J Jesse November 28, 2011
Where the hell are people supposed to shop downtown?
Unless you want antiques, there are maybe 10 stores.
A Argentius November 29, 2011
I didn’t think one had to pay to park at the mall!
Oh, wait. Downtown. This Hilltop resident would love to be able to simply march down the hill to get some shopping done.
But, a wrap on the light rail and Spaceworks projects do not create a dense shopping district on their own.
When I visit family in Portland, I am pleasantly impressed with the ability to walk down the streets and find dozens of successful independent merchants. I hope we can get the same for Tacoma, but am not sure what policy changes would help effect this.
T talus November 29, 2011
I can get most of my holiday shopping done at Kings Books, the University Bookstore, Amocat, and maybe that new kitchen store next to STINK (I’m a simple person with simple gift ideas), but on the rare case I drive rather than walk, I would never park in a garage. Boycott garages and force the city to redevelop them or convert them into vertical parks or something…