CLEVELAND — Payment is now required to park on a busy street in a popular Cleveland neighborhood.
Residents and workers in Ohio City told 3News that the city gave them no warning of the change.
“I hope they’re not just giving tickets right away because I feel like there are a lot of people who are going to miss seeing those signs,” said Beth Keenan, owner of Funktini off Church Avenue.
Keenan said that for the past two years, she’s parked her car on Church Avenue for free, but as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.
“One of our employees drove by last night and noticed, so he sent the group a message that the parking signs had gone up,” Keenan added.
On Tuesday, City of Cleveland workers were out marking the sidewalk on Church Avenue between West 28th St. and West 29th St., preparing to place "Pay to Park" signs that will require people to pay for parking.
“It’s a complete shock to me; I had no idea that they were doing that,” said Jeff Zelmer, co-owner of Urban Orchid.
Zelmer, who has operated his floral business on Church Avenue for more than a decade, said this added payment could have people thinking twice about driving through the city.
“We have a lot of obstacles we have to overcome; sometimes there’s a stigma with coming into the city, a lot of it has to do with parking,” said Zelmer.
It will cost people $1.35 to park for two hours along parts of Church Avenue. Payment can be made using a mobile app, by scanning a QR code, or by calling a number.
The added cost has some business owners concerned about their bottom line.
“I do think it will hurt us and our ability to make profits because people aren’t going to be able to find the free parking they really need,” said Keenan.
People around the area had their own thoughts about the sudden change.
“This has turned into a very popular area, and I’m sure they are going to make a lot of money with people paying to park,” said Zelmer.
A statement sent to 3News from Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb’s office, it reads:
"Initial installation work of our new ParkMobile system has begun in some areas of the Ohio City (OHC) neighborhood, which is why residents may have started noticing new signage. It's important to note that in areas where single space meters already exist, individuals have the option to still pay using that meter or via the new ParkMobile system. If they do not, they will be subject to citations.
"In new areas designated for parking where single space meters previously did NOT exist, individuals will have to pay via the new ParkMobile system. Those individuals will not be ticketed at this time. They will receive a notice that will be treated as a warning, as enforcement in these areas will be temporarily paused during this transition period to allow time for residents to get acclimated to the change.
"The City encourages everyone to start paying now to familiarize themselves with the system and alleviate any confusion. More information will be forthcoming from the City as we get closer to implementation of the new parking system in the OHC neighborhood.
"We are currently working through the permanent design phase of the Open Street Program in the West 29th corridor. There will be a temporary closure for a few streets in that area from August 24th – September 8th, which will serve as a testing phase and allow us to gather initial feedback from residents that will further inform the permanent design process. We have communicated these plans to the community development corporation in that neighborhood and will continue to meet with them and residents leading up to this testing phase. More information from the City will be forthcoming."
3News has since learned that as of Aug. 15, the city has started issuing warnings.