SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane City Council voted unanimously Monday to create a demand-based parking rate structure in downtown Spokane.
Prices for parking spots will be based on demand. If a parking spot is more popular, the cost will be higher. Some areas could see a 25% increase, city council members said. Prices will range from between 50 cents and $3 an hour.
The demand used to set parking prices will be assess every six months. Rates will not increase by more than 50 cents at a time.
Council President Breean Beggs said the public will use market demand to determine rates. The money gained from the price increase will be used for new parking meters and kiosks, along with license plate readers to make sure people are actually paying for parking.
The goal of the new ordinance is to get downtown parking spot occupancy to 85 percent.
The city’s original proposal would have raised the highest parking rate at $5 an hour from the current $1.20 an hour. The council and administration agreed to a $3 and hour cap.
The new rates are based on a 2019 parking study that found the city charges too little for parking.
The plan recommended converting two-hour spaces to four-hour spaces. Then, all-day metered spaces could be converted to four-hour spaces.
Finally, the plan recommended adding an extra hour to all existing three-hour spaces, making them four-hour spots. The plan also suggested setting a minimum and maximum parking rate and implementing a new on-street rate structure using "premium" and "value" zones. Analysts also pointed out that the existing citation rates are too low.