November 30, 2023 3:40 a.m.
The Roseburg City Council will hold a special meeting to discuss parking in downtown and Laurelwood on Wednesday, December 6th.
The meeting will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the council chambers and is open to the public. A City release said the council is seeking public comments about the parking program and possible changes from those interested.
City Manager Nikki Messenger said, “Downtown parking is an important component to a thriving downtown. Unfortunately, free parking isn’t free and we are working with the City Council to identify and implement options for sustainable funding”.
The council gathered background information and had a preliminary discussion about the parking program during a work study session on November 1st. The council expressed support for a hybrid model to finance the parking program, which supports enforcement plus maintenance and security of parking meters, lots and the Downtown Parking Garage.
Councilors asked city staff to return with more information about options that could include changes to time-limited free parking, fees paid by property/or business owners, and parking fees for vehicle owners.
The Release said parking enforcement resumed downtown and in the Laurelwood neighborhood in the spring of 2022 after extensive community input on a new parking plan. The program is meant to be financed by the Off-Street Parking Fund, an enterprise fund intended to operate independently without City general fund support. However, the fund has been operating at a deficit since the COVID-19 pandemic, so the City has used American Rescue Plan Act funds to supplement the program.
The program’s goal is to benefit residents and businesses by freeing up more on-street parking spaces for short-term customer parking downtown, while also enforcing permitted parking in Laurelwood to prevent overflow parking from nearby Roseburg High School. Downtown now has a mix of free, time-limited on- and off- street parking, metered parking; and monthly permits for parking lots and the Downtown Parking Garage.
Comments can be made in-person at the upcoming meeting, by emailing: info@cityofroseburg.org or dropping off comments at city hall by 12:00 p.m. on December 6th.