Simplified: The City of Sioux Falls is looking to extend the hours for paid parking on downtown streets in an effort to keep more spots open for diners, shoppers and visitors. But even if those changes occur, it'll still be free to park on nights and weekends in all of the city-owned downtown parking ramps.
Why it matters
- Downtown Sioux Falls has more than 2,000 off-street parking spaces between various ramps and surface lots, according to DTSF, Inc. Compare that to only about 100 on-street parking on Phillips Avenue between 9th and 12th Streets.
- Right now, folks only have to pay to park in those spots from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The city is looking at expanding hours for paid on-street parking to include at least 7 p.m. weekdays and on Saturdays.
- It's an effort to encourage more vehicle turnover, Public Parking Facilities Manager Matt Nelson said. That way, spots will be open for those coming downtown to eat, shop and spend money – rather than have spots filled by downtown residents or workers.
"You'll have an employee who maybe works a night shift," Nelson said. "Their vehicle will sit all night, and that is lost dollars for retailers. Then you have residents – they park on a Friday night, and they may not move their vehicle until Monday morning."
Tell me more
The goal of these extended paid parking hours isn't necessarily to push people into ramps, Nelson said. Rather, it's to ensure that when people do park in an on-street parking spot, they don't stay for long.
- That's because the more often cars pull into an empty parking space, the more often the people in those cars get out and shop at the locally owned small businesses downtown.
DTSF, Inc. President Joe Batcheller shared data from economist and author David Shoup who estimates that if a parking space turns over 12 to 15 times per day, it can generate up to $300,000 annually for businesses.
"We are talking about a hundred premium parking spaces versus a thousand free spaces available in the ramps," Batcheller said. "Parking turnover would help ease congestion on Phillips, provide better on-street parking access, ensure more efficient use of the parking ramps, and the additional revenue would be reinvested in downtown."
Extending the paid parking hours also isn't a "tax grab," Nelson said.
- Instead, additional revenue for the parking fund would be used to pay workers for the extended enforcement hours. It'd also likely be invested in more wayfinding – like digital signage telling people where to park and where to find parking ramps, Nelson added.
"The additional revenue is not a driving factor," City Finance Director Shawn Pritchett said. "This is really about helping people have available spaces downtown."
What happens next?
Nelson said it's likely the extended enforcement of parking meters would start early next year. Ideally that'd give folks time to get used to it before the busy summer months.
There's not a plan to increase the hourly rate for parking at this time, though Nelson said it'll likely be part of ongoing conversations.
"The rates need to be high enough to incentivize people to go into the ramps – where does that fall?" he said.
