The Hood River City Council will look at ways to optimize the available number of downtown parking spaces on Monday.
Consultant Rick Williams of Portland will be present in the municipal courtroom at 6 p.m. to provide elected officials with the results of this summer’s parking study. He was hired at a cost of $35,000 to scout for options to alleviate space challenges — especially during the tourist season.
During the special meeting, he will make recommendations for both short- and long-term remedies to the ongoing problem.
In his draft report, Williams believes that reducing the number of on-street employee permits would provide an immediate fix.
He said 25-30 employees out of the 48 granted permits should be encouraged to park at two city lots that are about 64 percent occupied during peak working hours.
Williams said the lots at Fifth and Columbia streets and Fourth Street and Cascade Avenue have space available during peak working hours. And both locations are within walking distance to the business district.
Williams suggests in his report that the city solve its long-term needs by moving forward with construction of a new parking facility to add 100 new parking stalls.
Another option would be to acquire land from Mt. Hood Railroad to create a new lot that can be used by downtown employees and visitors during special events.
Williams also believes that city officials need to make policy changes that require developers to expand the parking supply with new construction.
Another idea is to establish a special fund from a combination of revenue sources — including business license fees — that cover the cost of periodic parking upgrades.
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