NORTHAMPTON — It will be a wee bit more expensive to park on Main Street downtown starting next month, though people can keep their spots for twice as long.
City councilors voted unanimously in first reading Thursday to increase parking fees along Main Street, as well as designate upcoming rate-free holidays.
Based on recommendations from Mayor David Narkewicz, the hourly rate for paid parking spaces along Main Street from 75 cents to $1 per hour. Councilors also approved a measure that extends the allowable time for spaces along Main Street and South Street from one hour to two hours.
Narkewicz proposed the ordinance changes based on recommendations made by Walker Parking Consultants in an April 2015 study. The amendments received positive recommendations from both the Transportation and Parking Commission and the Committee on Legislative Affairs.
The proposed changes, approved in first reading, are part of a broader parking plan in the works, which includes retrofitting existing kiosks to allow consumers to pay with credit cards as well as a downloadable mobile phone application, Narkewicz said.
“These are the first of several changes I’ll be submitting over the next several months,” Narkewicz said during the meeting. “We are making these ones first primarily because I want these in place for the holiday season.”
Narkewicz said the estimated annual revenue increase would be approximately $56,000 and has emphasized the proposal is not driven by increasing parking revenues.
No members of the public spoke to the issue during public comment, but councilors summarized responses to the proposed changes on social media.
Council President William Dwight said he informed some commenters that fees would only increase along Main Street, and that the increase is intended to inspire more downtown visitors to park on side streets and in public lots, thereby generating more turnover along the Main stretch of downtown.
“It’s social engineering in some ways,” he said. “It’s trying to condition people based on economic decisions.”
Narkewicz said the extension of allowable time from one to two hours came in response to business owners, who argued one hour is barely enough to finish a meal or go to a hair appointment.
Ward 4 Councilor Gina-Louise Sciarra said she responded to some commenters worried the rate increases were insensitive to handicapped drivers who need to park closer to their destinations. Sciarra said the point is moot because such drivers are permitted to park in any city parking space free of charge.
The council also voted in first reading to designate four rate-free holidays: Nov. 25, Nov. 26, Dec. 24 and Dec. 31. Narkewicz said he proposed the dates based on input from business owners.
The parking changes will go to a final vote during a City Council meeting on Nov. 3.
Amanda Drane can be contacted at adrane@gazettenet.com.