Once again, the TenHaken administration thinks the short cut to solving issues in Sioux Falls is to financially penalize residents, and this time, visitors to the Downtown area. How utterly tone deaf they are.
Reality is that parking is tight in downtown, no doubt about it. However charging for metered parking never solves the dilemma of people competing for parking. It does, however discourage people from visiting the down town area and this penalizes the down town merchants. They are already struggling and here comes a giant pound sand from the city.
With all of the restaurants opening on the west side of Sioux Falls, and hotels there, why would a tourist even bother coming to the Downtown area knowing the city will fleece them for parking AND ticket them if the meter runs out?
Sioux Falls could invest into renting parking space from businesses that are closed on the weekend within the area and running free shuttles to and from the Downtown area. It doesn't seem that this administration is prone to thinking about impactful solutions that benefit the down town area. They'd rather slap an expensive bandaid on it and hope the property managers can consistently refill the vacancies caused by a down turn in business.
Additionally, this fee does punish residents of dtsf, as they park near their residences in the metered parking areas after hours. They should not have to trek 3 blocks with groceries and incur greater risk of having their remotely-parked vehicles broken into because of this ludicrous initiative.
I'm not sure this is a good idea. I am downtown in Sioux Falls in the evenings twice a week and having returned to Sioux Falls after being away for many years, I am always impressed and pleased to see so many people walking around on the streets of downtown in the evenings, enjoying the shops and restaurants, etc. that are available to them. I am sure that the number of people enjoying walking around downtown those evenings would diminish to a significant degree if the parking meters were not free and would be monitored for ticketing. This seems like the old saying of being "penny wise and pound foolish". I hope this unwise proposal will be abandoned.
I don't really understand how this helps the problem of people parking long term--for days?? Wouldn't they still be paying for daily parking fee-and if so, what difference does that make then? If they aren't paying the meter, they are getting a ticket-which will generate revenue for the city. The argument of the businesses doesn't make sense to me.
Pay attention to the resolution implemented in S.D.C.L 9-51-1 the move all along since 1961 has been to remove all vehicles from "Downtown Business Centers". This began to see a steady progression from on-street parking in the 60's to of-street parking on through the 70's and 80's, while Municipalities have built up their lavish, trust enterprise funds under the name "Public Parking" to invest parking fees, bonds, taxes in what are called "Parking Garages".
S.D.C.L 9-51
It is hereby declared that the free circulation of traffic through the streets of any municipality is necessary to the health, safety, and general welfare of the public; that the greatly increased use by the public of motor vehicles and the parking of such vehicles in the streets and the lack of adequate off-street parking facilities creates congestion, obstructs the free circulation of traffic, diminishes property values and endangers the health, safety, and general welfare of the public; that the provision of conveniently located automobile parking facilities is therefore necessary to the exercise of the police power in the regulation and control of traffic and to alleviate such conditions, and the establishment of automobile parking facilities including off-street parking facilities is deemed to be a proper public or municipal purpose.
Every municipality shall have power to create an appointive board of not more than seven and not less than three members in first class municipalities for the purpose of managing public parking facilities and automobile parking facilities including on-street parking facilities and to provide by ordinance the qualifications, mode of appointment, tenure of office, compensation, powers, duties of and rules and regulations governing such board.
A municipality shall be required to accumulate at least fifty percent of the revenues derived from parking meters in a special fund to be known as the "parking lot and area fund"; provided that a majority of the voters of the municipality voting at any regular or special election called for that purpose, shall have first determined that fifty percent of the revenues so derived shall be deposited and used. Fifty percent of the revenue shall mean one-half of the revenues remaining after payments on purchase price and the actual cost of repairing said meters.
Any election previously held in any municipality under the provisions of § 9-51-2 may be disregarded upon the determination of any municipality to issue bonds under the provisions of §§ 9-51-9 to 9-51-34, inclusive.
Moneys in the parking lot and area fund referred to in § 9-51-2 shall be disbursed only for the purpose of acquiring parking lots and areas, and for surfacing or otherwise improving said lots or areas making them suitable for public parking, provided that the retirement of revenue bonds or general obligation bonds issued for the financing of the purchase of parking lots and areas shall be considered as an acquisition of such properties within the meaning of this section.
When funds have accumulated in the parking lot and area fund, under the provisions of § 9-51-2, and it shall be determined by a majority vote of the voters of the municipality, voting at any regular or special election, called for the purpose by the governing body, that such funds, or any portion thereof, are no longer needed for the purposes declared in this section, the governing body of such municipality may then use such funds for the construction or maintenance of the city streets.
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The steady stream of parking fees has graduated to the point in Sioux Falls, where it now feels it has enough revenues to build parking ramps, garages, thus force the removal of vehicles of public streets, raising fees is now that last step in transitioning people to the "Ramps" and "Garages".
Since the addition of the new 10th Street Public Ramp, there are new private ramps going up at the Steel District, Cherapa District, a Proposed ramp at the Riverline District, and of course the Regional Airport Ramp to open soon. And all these new skyrises, apartments, condos Downtown have installed "Indoor-Parking Garages.
Once again, the TenHaken administration thinks the short cut to solving issues in Sioux Falls is to financially penalize residents, and this time, visitors to the Downtown area. How utterly tone deaf they are.
Reality is that parking is tight in downtown, no doubt about it. However charging for metered parking never solves the dilemma of people competing for parking. It does, however discourage people from visiting the down town area and this penalizes the down town merchants. They are already struggling and here comes a giant pound sand from the city.
With all of the restaurants opening on the west side of Sioux Falls, and hotels there, why would a tourist even bother coming to the Downtown area knowing the city will fleece them for parking AND ticket them if the meter runs out?
Sioux Falls could invest into renting parking space from businesses that are closed on the weekend within the area and running free shuttles to and from the Downtown area. It doesn't seem that this administration is prone to thinking about impactful solutions that benefit the down town area. They'd rather slap an expensive bandaid on it and hope the property managers can consistently refill the vacancies caused by a down turn in business.
Additionally, this fee does punish residents of dtsf, as they park near their residences in the metered parking areas after hours. They should not have to trek 3 blocks with groceries and incur greater risk of having their remotely-parked vehicles broken into because of this ludicrous initiative.
Stop going downtown.
Good. The local retail and food/entertainment community need those spots to keep their business open and thriving.
This makes simple sense.
I'm not sure this is a good idea. I am downtown in Sioux Falls in the evenings twice a week and having returned to Sioux Falls after being away for many years, I am always impressed and pleased to see so many people walking around on the streets of downtown in the evenings, enjoying the shops and restaurants, etc. that are available to them. I am sure that the number of people enjoying walking around downtown those evenings would diminish to a significant degree if the parking meters were not free and would be monitored for ticketing. This seems like the old saying of being "penny wise and pound foolish". I hope this unwise proposal will be abandoned.
I don't really understand how this helps the problem of people parking long term--for days?? Wouldn't they still be paying for daily parking fee-and if so, what difference does that make then? If they aren't paying the meter, they are getting a ticket-which will generate revenue for the city. The argument of the businesses doesn't make sense to me.
Pay attention to the resolution implemented in S.D.C.L 9-51-1 the move all along since 1961 has been to remove all vehicles from "Downtown Business Centers". This began to see a steady progression from on-street parking in the 60's to of-street parking on through the 70's and 80's, while Municipalities have built up their lavish, trust enterprise funds under the name "Public Parking" to invest parking fees, bonds, taxes in what are called "Parking Garages".
S.D.C.L 9-51
It is hereby declared that the free circulation of traffic through the streets of any municipality is necessary to the health, safety, and general welfare of the public; that the greatly increased use by the public of motor vehicles and the parking of such vehicles in the streets and the lack of adequate off-street parking facilities creates congestion, obstructs the free circulation of traffic, diminishes property values and endangers the health, safety, and general welfare of the public; that the provision of conveniently located automobile parking facilities is therefore necessary to the exercise of the police power in the regulation and control of traffic and to alleviate such conditions, and the establishment of automobile parking facilities including off-street parking facilities is deemed to be a proper public or municipal purpose.
Every municipality shall have power to create an appointive board of not more than seven and not less than three members in first class municipalities for the purpose of managing public parking facilities and automobile parking facilities including on-street parking facilities and to provide by ordinance the qualifications, mode of appointment, tenure of office, compensation, powers, duties of and rules and regulations governing such board.
A municipality shall be required to accumulate at least fifty percent of the revenues derived from parking meters in a special fund to be known as the "parking lot and area fund"; provided that a majority of the voters of the municipality voting at any regular or special election called for that purpose, shall have first determined that fifty percent of the revenues so derived shall be deposited and used. Fifty percent of the revenue shall mean one-half of the revenues remaining after payments on purchase price and the actual cost of repairing said meters.
Any election previously held in any municipality under the provisions of § 9-51-2 may be disregarded upon the determination of any municipality to issue bonds under the provisions of §§ 9-51-9 to 9-51-34, inclusive.
Moneys in the parking lot and area fund referred to in § 9-51-2 shall be disbursed only for the purpose of acquiring parking lots and areas, and for surfacing or otherwise improving said lots or areas making them suitable for public parking, provided that the retirement of revenue bonds or general obligation bonds issued for the financing of the purchase of parking lots and areas shall be considered as an acquisition of such properties within the meaning of this section.
When funds have accumulated in the parking lot and area fund, under the provisions of § 9-51-2, and it shall be determined by a majority vote of the voters of the municipality, voting at any regular or special election, called for the purpose by the governing body, that such funds, or any portion thereof, are no longer needed for the purposes declared in this section, the governing body of such municipality may then use such funds for the construction or maintenance of the city streets.
###
The steady stream of parking fees has graduated to the point in Sioux Falls, where it now feels it has enough revenues to build parking ramps, garages, thus force the removal of vehicles of public streets, raising fees is now that last step in transitioning people to the "Ramps" and "Garages".
Since the addition of the new 10th Street Public Ramp, there are new private ramps going up at the Steel District, Cherapa District, a Proposed ramp at the Riverline District, and of course the Regional Airport Ramp to open soon. And all these new skyrises, apartments, condos Downtown have installed "Indoor-Parking Garages.
They want vehicles off the street, period.