To save the dwindling parking fund, Concord administrators have suggested spiking the hourly rate on Main Street from 75 cents per hour to $1.75 per hour.
That’s a 130 percent increase.
Side streets would go up to $1.25 per hour; garages would be cheaper at 75 cents an hour. Enforcement would be longer, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
But how do those on-street rates stack up to other cities in New England? Concord’s Main Street would be on the high end for meter fees, but they are not unprecedented in the region.
As the members of Concord’s parking committee processed the recommended increase for the first time last week, at-large Councilor Mark Coen recalled a visit to Portland, Maine, a few weeks ago. There, the hourly rate for on-street parking is $1 an hour, Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Most garages are $2 an hour. But no one seemed bothered, he said.
“There was no hesitating,” he said.
Currently, Concord charges 75 cents per hour for an on-street space. That’s also the rate in Manchester, though the Queen City patrols for longer hours. Parking is paid Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., while Saturdays are enforced 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Nashua has a tiered system for on-street parking. Rates vary from 50 cents per hour to $1 per hour, depending on the space. Enforcement also extends to six days a week – Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Across the border, Burlington, Vt., charges $1.50 an hour Monday through Saturday. The hours of enforcement are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The highest rates in the state right now are in Portsmouth. There, a high-demand space could cost $1.75 per hour; others cost $1.25 per hour. The recommendations from Concord staff mirror that system, which would tie the capital with the Seacoast city.
That price comparison is included in the data to be reviewed by the parking committee.
“There are vibrant communities that are well valued,” Ward 4 Councilor Byron Champlin said. “I think we sometimes don’t see the value proposition in downtown. I think that’s changing with all the development we’re seeing.”
Concord’s parking fund was designed to sustain itself on meter fees, fines and leases. But that fund is projected to end in fiscal year 2017 with $130,000 in the red. The city administration called in a consultant to help, and the result is a package of sweeping changes to the parking system. The recommendations include rate increases, longer hours of enforcement, residential parking permits, more meters and paid spaces on Saturdays.
The proposed changes are subject to review and comment by the parking committee, and then they will need final approval from the Concord City Council. That process will likely take months and will involve public input.
The entire package of changes is available on the parking department’s webpage on the city website. For more information, visit concordnh.gov.
(Megan Doyle can be reached at 369-3321, mdoyle@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @megan_e_doyle.)