Street parking was full along N. 2nd Street in Harrisburg on Tuesday night.
Free evening parking has been a boon to downtown Harrisburg and should be continued, several downtown stakeholders told City Council members tonight.
At a council work session, representatives from a downtown restaurant, a theater and two nonprofits presented their case to extend an agreement that provides free street parking after 5 p.m. in most of downtown Harrisburg.
“Everything we’ve heard has been positive, positive, positive about the ‘Free Parking After 5’ program,” said Todd Vander Woude, executive director of the Harrisburg Downtown Improvement District (HDID).
Vander Woude cited a “car count” conducted by HDID to support his position. He said that 531 cars were parked in the free parking zone on a “random Wednesday” in October 2018. That contrasted with just 254 cars parked in the same zone during a count in September 2015, before the free parking program began.
Moreover, Vander Woude said that restaurants have reported much greater business over the past year. He cited an average increase in sales of 16 percent over the prior year, with some restaurants reporting much higher increases.
If approved, the resolution would allow the city to enter into an agreement with Dauphin County and HDID to split the $270,000 annual price tag. The city’s share would be $110,000, with Dauphin County, which has already approved the agreement, also kicking in $110,000. HDID would cover the remaining $50,000.
That money would be paid to Trimont Real Estate Advisors, the asset manager for the parking system. Trimont, along with operator SP+ (locally, Park Harrisburg), took control of the city’s municipal parking system as part of a debt-restructuring plan in 2014. The $270,000 sum represents the total revenue that SP+ had collected from meters and enforcement fines between 5 and 7 p.m. in prior years in the HDID district, which ranges roughly from State Street to just past Chestnut Street.
The current, one-year agreement actually expired on April 1, but the parties involved agreed to extend it through the month, until it could be renewed.
Restaurateur Steve Weinstock cited much greater sales at his restaurants since the free parking program started, saying that his dinner business at Stock’s on 2nd had increased by 34 percent and at Carley’s Ristorante by 29 percent.
“These are huge numbers,” Weinstock said. “They’re still not what they were a few years ago, but they’re headed in the right direction.”
Several council members echoed their enthusiasm for the renewal, advocating for a three-year agreement, not just one.
“Before, it was dead downtown,” said council President Wanda Williams. “Now, you can’t find a place to park. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
While most council members seemed happy to renew the agreement, they were less pleased about Trimont’s other request—compensation for use of the LUV HBG code on the ParkMobile mobile app, which provides four hours of free parking on Saturdays. Trimont is asking for $90,000 compensation for use of the code over the next year.
Council members said they wanted additional data from Trimont before entering into a negotiation over continuing the mobile code. Until now, Trimont had attached no cost to use of the LUV HBG code.
“We like the LUV HBG program. We would like it to continue,” said Councilman Ben Allatt. “But we want it open to negotiation.”
Melissa Nicholson, executive director of Gamut Theatre Group, advocated for the continuation of the code.
“LUV HGB has been an enormous help to us,” she said, explaining that Gamut has many Saturday activities at its theater on N. 4th Street.
In another matter, the administration asked council to ratify the submission of a grant application to the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for construction of a “chutes and ladders” playground in Reservoir Park.
If received, the $250,000 grant would substantially offset the $600,000 cost of the project, the construction of a play area that mimics the features of the classic children’s game. The city plans to apply for other grants to pay for much of the balance.
Council is expected to take action on these issues at its legislative session next week.
