Melbourne considers paid parking, tickets to ease congestion downtown

Melbourne considers paid parking to ease congestion

City officials in Melbourne are considering a new parking plan that could bring paid parking to parts of downtown, where visitors often struggle to find open spaces due to long-term parking by downtown employees.

MELBOURNE, Fla. - City officials in Melbourne are considering a new parking plan that could bring paid parking to parts of downtown, where visitors often struggle to find open spaces due to long-term parking by downtown employees.

What we know:

The City of Melbourne is considering a proposal from THA Consulting, Inc. to improve parking in Melbourne’s downtown core. Officials have been investigating the concerns since 2017. 

What studies show is that the city has enough parking, but prime spots are being used by long-term parkers, like people who live, work and own businesses in the area. Officials are recommending a phased-in approach, starting with enforcing time limits downtown and then adding in paid parking in high desired locations like New Haven Avenue.

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If fees are implemented, the city is considering $1 per hour. They would use pay-by-phone systems. For time limit enforcement, the city is considering $30 tickets for drivers who overstay in the spot. 

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City officials will brief city council on the proposal in July. Nothing has been solidified so far. The parking plan would be implemented by a parking management company and not Melbourne police.

What we don't know:

There's no set timeline for when the phased-in approach would start. It’s also unclear how city council members feel about the proposal so far and what they'll suggest to the city.

What they're saying:

The community is split on how the proposal could impact the area.

"I think a couple of bucks, not anything exorbitant, would rally help the area out especially when you go other places like Orlando and much more metropolitan areas where it’s much more expensive," said Jennifer Grazer who’s not opposed to the paid parking model since fees were so low.

"I think that will hurt downtown businesses to charge for parking,"  said Angel Davis who works downtown and has reservations asking customers to pay when they visit the area.

"There is a perception to the public that there’s not a lot of parking downtown, but that perception is usually caused by a lot of our long-term parkers," said Cindy Dittmer who’s the Community Development Director for the City of Melbourne.

Dittmer emphasizes a majority of spots in the downtown core will stay free to park.