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Things to think about regarding city's parking

| February 4, 2025 1:00 AM

I appreciate the work of the planning and zoning committee in relationship to the parking situation in the city of Sandpoint. There is a very complete analysis and presentation of parking ideas for Sandpoint on the city's website.

Here are my thoughts I ask the city to consider:

1. Parking permits for City Beach for two hours is awfully short. Perhaps that can be changed to four hours. I imagine a family loading up all their toys and food and only being able to stay there for two hours. Perhaps four hours would be a better time limit. Would kiosks and using numbered spaces be the way people without a permit pay for parking?

2. I recently read in one of Sandpoint's many Facebook pages that downtown Sandpoint used to have parking meters for on street parking. I don't remember those from when I first moved to Sandpoint in 1983, but I think parking meters/paid parking using a kiosk are a great idea — city residents could use their parking pass, visitors could pay at a kiosk much like large cities (Seattle, Spokane) have. A ticket is produced to put inside on the driver's side window.

3. I appreciated the data about parking shared on the city website but the many of those maps on Item No. 2 were a bit confusing. Numbering covered part of several map titles.

4. I really think patrons of the marina and City Beach slips need a steeper fee than $100 yearly fee if it is unlimited parking all day, yet City Beach patrons only get two hours for a $20 fee.

I realize these are proposals. Just something to think about.


ANN GIANTVALLEY

Sandpoint