Parking meters in Grand Center (and elsewhere)

hugh ferriss · PostMar 31, 2010#12010-03-31T18:01+00:00

Yesterday, I received the latest e-mail news release from the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. It included the following item which will be of interest to anyone who uses parking meters in the evenings:

Parking Changes in Grand Center

A citywide program that will affect parking in the Central West End, the University City Loop, South Grand, Downtown and Grand Center goes into effect April 1. Metered-parking operation will be extended from 7pm to 10pm. Also, most city parking meters already have been changed from 30-minute to 20-minute intervals. Meters will remain free on Sundays. There will be a 30-day grace period through April, with no tickets being issued until May 1. The Grand Center district will retain 75 percent of the incremental income from meter increases in the district. Those funds are to be used to improve the district (sidewalk repairs, addition of benches, additional security, etc.).

zink · PostMar 31, 2010#22010-03-31T20:30+00:00

How long will the meters last if you fill it up with change? Standard 2 hours? Or less now a days?

Alex Ihnen · PostMar 31, 2010#32010-03-31T20:34+00:00

^ meters in the CWE are 2hr limit. My only suggestion would be that if meters run until 10pm you should have a 3 or 4hr maximum.

mill204 · PostMar 31, 2010#42010-03-31T21:45+00:00

Still doesn't help that you're not allowed to park at meters on Grand Ave from 6pm to 6am.

framer · PostApr 01, 2010#52010-04-01T04:19+00:00

The evening parking ban on Grand makes sense to me. When the crowds arrive/depart for events, grid lock can get pretty serious. There are relatively few meters on Grand anyway, so I think the trade-off is worth it.

misty1711 · PostApr 01, 2010#62010-04-01T21:02+00:00

Is this an April fools joke? I'm trying to find something about this is writing somewhere. Admittedly, I haven't been looking too hard... stltoday.com.

?

hugh ferriss · PostApr 02, 2010#72010-04-02T02:00+00:00

I don't think STLToday has covered the story yet, but I found the following article (with accompanying video) on the KSDK site:

http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.as ... yid=198028

Note that the KSDK report is over two weeks old and only discusses the revised parking arrangements in Grand Center - there's no reference to similar policies being implemented in the CWE and other areas as mentioned in the more recent SLSO release.

lukethedrifter · PostApr 02, 2010#82010-04-02T06:18+00:00

I passed this one this earlier and we got a denial from the mayor via innov8ion.

KSDK -- Starting May 1, street side parking meters in St. Louis' Grand Center district will no longer be free after 7 p.m. Grand Center officials say they worked out a plan with the Board of Aldermen and the city treasurer's office to extend parking meter operations until 10 p.m.

Grand Center officials say the plan provides street side parking for diners in Grand Center restaurants. They hope patrons of the arts venues there will find parking in area surface lots, since extended meter operation will then subject them to ten dollar parking tickets. That will then make more short-term, metered parking available for restaurant customers.

Grand Center President Vince Schoemehl, Jr., said the plan is a couple years in the making, and something they arrived at after studying similar plans in other cities. Schoemehl also said part of the proceeds will go to the Grand Center district.

Mark Miller is a Grand Center board member and chair of the organization's parking strategy committee.

Regarding the shared revenues, Miller said, "We will eventually. The city will retain the base revenue if you will, plus an increase every year. Any incremental revenue this generated the city, the treasurer's office, and Grand Center will participate in that. And then those funds will be used exclusively in the district to offer additional security, cleanliness, that sort of thing."

Schoemehl said he hopes that funding will eventually go toward a Grand Center parking garage. Schoemehl said eventually, the shared plan will work out so the Grand Center district will get 75 percent of the parking meter proceeds, and the city will get 25 percent.

The extended metered parking plan will begin April 1. But Miller said violators will get notices, not tickets, until May 1.

hugh ferriss · PostApr 26, 2010#92010-04-26T21:16+00:00

An update on the Grand Center parking meters:

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/busine ... 0F00116BB6

Contrary to earlier reports (notably the letter sent out by the SLSO), there are currently no plans to extend meters to 10 pm in other areas of the city. The article also includes some interesting info on Grand Center's finances:

Schoemehl, a former three-term mayor of St. Louis, has led the nonprofit group since 2001. His salary was $247,563 in 2008, according to the most recent available IRS filing. In that document, Grand Center reported 2008 net assets of $7.7 million.

Personally, the changes don't really affect me as I normally walk or ride the bus to Grand Center when going to an event there, and I'm not convinced there will be much impact on attendance at Powell Hall and the Fox. However, when combined with significantly increased rates for the surface lots, I could see the new policy resulting in people with no option but to drive staying away from some of the less expensive venues.

chaifetz10 · PostApr 27, 2010#102010-04-27T01:05+00:00

The meters on Olive all the way down to Compton are affected...I almost got a warning yesterday from the meter person, but i moved my car in time.

framer · PostApr 27, 2010#112010-04-27T04:46+00:00

As the article points out, the change is an effort to help the restaurants in Grand Center. When the meters are filled with concert-goers, that leaves nowhere for diners to park. Makes sense to me.