CLEVELAND — Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb has made no secret about his desire to modernize the city's parking system, including plans for a smart parking system.
However, in legislation that was introduced at Monday night's Cleveland City Council meeting, changes could be coming to how long you are able to park for free on downtown streets, plus how much it will cost you to park for special events. That includes a potential hefty increase to park at the Muni Lot to tailgate before Cleveland Browns games.
Here are the key provisions of the ordinance:
- Parking meter enforcement would cease downtown between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., meaning it will cost you to park on the street for an extra four hours in the evening. The legislation would give the city's director of public works power to set parking regulations for days of the week and hours of the day, potentially charging drivers to park on the weekends.
- Parking will be free downtown on the following holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving), Christmas Day, and the day after Christmas.
- Hourly rates to park at the Willard Park Garage on Lakeside Avenue would increase from $3.25 to up to $5. The daily maximum rate would increase to $20. Special events could balloon from $30 to $60.
- The daily rate at the Canal Basin Lot in the Flats would increase from $3 to up to $10. Special events, weeknights, and weekends at the lot could increase from $10 to up to $60.
- The North Coast Municipal Parking Lot (Muni Lot) could see its daily rate go from $5 to up to $10. For special events, including Cleveland Browns games, the cost could go from $30 to $70.
On Monday, legislation was also introduced in Cleveland City Council that would authorize the Bibb administration to negotiate contracts with a pair of smart parking vendors, Flowbird and Parkmobile.
Flowbird's smart parking meters would replace the city's current coin-operated meters, while a mobile parking payment service from Parkmobile will allow customers to pay for their parking via an app, text message, or scanning a QR code.
There will be an estimated 600 multi-space meters and 100 single-space meters installed across downtown and in neighborhoods on both the east and west sides of the city. The total estimated cost of the project will be just over $5 million including the cost of equipment, software, and tools for monitoring.
Once the legislation is passed, the contracts will also require administrative approval from the Consultant Review Committee and the Board of Control. Upon the time approval is given and the agreements are signed, the city estimates that the new software and equipment will be ready for public use within six months.