The City of Wichita will be taking steps to implement a plan for a downtown parking system.
The City Council has approved ordinances to put the Downtown Parking and Mobility Plan in to effect. The plan was developed in 2009 with goals of being a self-supporting enterprise fund, promoting a “park once” strategy to emphasize connections to other forms of transportation, and adopting technology to enhance parking information and options for downtown visitors.
The plan could include adding more meters to public parking spaces, finding a new purpose for underused lots and encouraging more infill downtown. The city has identified 12,788 parking spots downtown, and during the week only 39 percent of those spots are being used. That usage drops to 27 percent on weekends. Empty lots could be used for infill projects like housing, retail or other uses.
The plan will have the city hiring independent contractors to enforce the city’s parking ordinances. The traffic engineer will establish no-parking and restricted parking meter zones, and determine appropriate fees for parking. The traffic engineer will also have modern technology installed that would include pay stations for a group of parking spaces, access gates and computerized monitoring. The city would expand the operation of parking meters to include options for credit or debit cards, paper money, or smartphone payments in addition to or as an alternative to coins.
The minimum fines for overtime parking and meter violations will be increased from $10.00 to $35.00, and fines for other parking violations will go up from $35.00 to $50.00. The changes are expected to generate over $2.7 million a year beginning in 2025, allowing the city to fund maintenance and parking projects that have been delayed.
Jeff Fluhr, president of Downtown Wichita and the Greater Wichita Partnership, told the Council that the plan puts together a system that will benefit downtown visitors as well as businesses that need parking for their employees.
Council member Bryan Frye said the key will be making sure the city has a flexible system, and communication will be critical to tell people what’s happening, how they will be affected, and where parking is available.
The ordinances to implement the parking plan were approved on a 5-2 vote, with Vice Mayor Mike Hoheisel and Council member Jeff Blubaugh voting no.
