Park(ing) Place For downtown Cd'A visitors, options abound to rest your rig

COEUR d’ALENE — Tourist season is sneaking up on the bustling, visitor-friendly city of Coeur d’Alene, which is finally prepared to offer ample places for drivers to park downtown.

In addition to having more parking spaces than ever, the city also offers different ways to pay.

Salina Simpson, Coeur d’Alene area manager for Diamond Parking, said around 20 percent of its payments in November and December came through the Call to Park option. Haven’t heard of that? It’s actually been in use since 2009, she said.

“The Call to Park App is convenient as it only takes a few minutes to set up and the information is stored for future use,” she said. “Users are able to add multiple license plate numbers for easy access. This app can be used in any state that has Diamond Parking and allows customers to bypass any lines or wait time at the pay station(s).”

Sandpoint, Spokane, Billings and Boise are a few of the other regional locations where drivers can use the Call to Park option. Call to Park extends to several other states, including California and Texas.

The Call to Park app is available for free download on both Google Play and iTunes. If drivers don’t want to use the app, they can instead call the number posted on the sign at their parking location. Drivers should take note of the lot number, which is posted on the sign, and their license plate number. Automated instructions will lead them to payment.

Diamond Parking also manages the parking pay stations in Coeur d’Alene. Simpson said there are 12 such kiosks, or pay stations, in the city: three at McEuen Park, two at Independence Point, two at the Museum of North Idaho, four at Memorial Field, and one at STCU/Crickets.

“Approximately 80 percent of payments are via the pay stations,” she said.

According to the city, there are 699 on-street parking spaces and five public parking lots available downtown.

Drivers can park along many city streets for free for up to two hours. Some parking spots are restricted to 15 or 30 minutes. Don’t go past the designated time limits or you’ll get a ticket.

Parking rates at each of the city’s five parking lots vary by location and by occasion.

The city’s newest parking facility is the four-story parking garage at 318 E. Coeur d’Alene Ave. The $7.6 million parking structure was paid for by taxpayers via the city’s urban renewal agency, ignite cda. The garage’s roughly 350 parking spaces rectified a 221-parking space deficit identified by the city in a 2016 study.

“Thanks to ignite, great planning and visionary past and present leaders, the city is able to provide economical, publicly controlled parking options,” City Administrator Troy Tymesen said Friday.

There’s no charge for parking up to two hours at the parking garage. Beyond that, the rate is $1 per hour.

Secured parking costs $75 per month with a minimum six-month lease. A $50 deposit for a key fob is required. Monthly parking permits are available for $20 for a five-day pass, $15 for a prepaid five-day pass, and $35 for a seven-day pass.

There’s no charge for regular-sized vehicles to park at the McEuen parking structure, located at 420 East Front Ave., for up to two hours. After that, those vehicles pay $3 per parking space for up to three hours, with fees rising by $1 with each additional hour. Oversized vehicles of 21 feet or longer, and those with trailers, will pay twice the normal fee.

Parking at Independence Point, located at 101 Northwest Blvd., costs $1 per hour from the start. The same is true for parking at the Museum of North Idaho, 115 Northwest Blvd., and Memorial Field, 501 W. Fort Grounds Drive.

On special occasions that draw large crowds downtown such as the Fourth of July and Art on the Green, parking at most of the city parking lots costs $7 per day. At the parking garage, it will cost $10 per day.

For a full list of parking fees in downtown Coeur d’Alene, go to: http://bit.ly/2ROfIkT

For more information on Call to Park, go to: calltopark.com