Midtown parking puzzle might have a solution

COEUR d’ALENE — Responding to residents who were unable to park in front of their homes because of spillover from the commercial district, the Coeur d’Alene City Council designated portions of three residential streets in midtown as permit-only parking.

The project includes permit parking for parts of Montana, Reid and Roosevelt avenues to the west and east of Fourth Street in the core midtown area.

That means homeowners there will purchase $30 passes, two per household, to hang on their cars’ rearview mirrors. Enforcement officers will ticket and possibly tow vehicles parked in the zones without permits.

Coeur d’Alene police will enforce the one-year parking rules based on calls from homeowners, and the effectiveness of the program will determine if it is adopted by the city next year.

“It’s just in that core area and on three blocks,” Planning Director Hilary Anderson said. “We had some input from Midtown residents on those streets and they are interested in participating.”

The enforcement will be done by police because most of the parking-related issues in Midtown are after hours, Anderson said, when Diamond Parking — the city’s parking vendor — isn’t on duty. Other options were too expensive.

Although the push for permit parking came from homeowners — who said visitors attracted to Midtown restaurants and retail shops often blocked their driveways or jammed their streets with parked cars — business owners voiced their concerns.

“They are concerned because there is a lack of parking in Midtown,” Anderson said.

Other property owners not part of the program also voiced concerns that the permitted parking will force motorists to park on unpermitted residential streets. Parking has been an issue in Midtown for years despite two public parking lots between Fourth and Third streets. Motorists don’t use the lots either because they’re unaware of them or because they’re unlighted — or both.

Signs will be placed on the streets within two weeks to notify visitors of the new parking rules. The signs will be paid for from the city’s parking funds and permits, while other street and parking improvements at Midtown, including lights for public parking lots and traffic beacons, will be paid by ignitecda, the city’s urban renewal agency.

Midtown resident Suzy Sindelar, a long-time advocate for residents who lost their parking to Midtown visitors, said she’s pleased with the latest proposal and how quickly the city took action.

“I was concerned there would be more delay, but that didn’t happen,” Sindelar said. “The mayor stayed true to his word and Hilary has been great to work with.”