Beaufort parking rates, time limits to change Monday
Shoppers heading to downtown Beaufort stores should plan on arriving slightly later and on moving the car more often after new parking changes take effect next week.
And they'll pay more to park in some areas, but less in others.
The city announced Tuesday a host of changes to its metered parking that will begin Monday -- chief among them, a later enforcement period, which will begin at 11 a.m. and end at 7 p.m. The current enforcement period is 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
In addition to the time change, metered spaces on Bay Street and side streets between Bay and Port Republic streets will have a uniform two-hour time limit. Some spaces in that section currently have three- or four-hour limits.
Meter rates for Port Republic Street will also increase from 75 cents per hour to $1. On West and Scott streets, north of Port Republic Street, rates will drop from 75 cents per hour to 50 cents.
The changes are nearly identical to recommendations made in June by the city's parking task force. The change to time limits was one of the few differences. At a June 30 worksession, task force members recommended against altering the time limit so as not to pile on the changes at once.
However, most merchants are onboard with the new time limits, as they hope it will open more spaces and make the business area function more smoothly, Realtor and task force member Edward Dukes said.
Officials expect the enforcement-time change to encourage residents to shop downtown during slower morning hours, and the shorter time limit should increase turnover of parking spaces, a city news release said.
"We believe these changes reflect the strongest recommendations from the parking task force as well as what's best for our downtown merchants and the vitality of our downtown commercial district," city manager Bill Prokop said in the release.
The new rules will also increase some fines.
The boot fee for those with multiple unpaid parking tickets will rise to $100 from $60.
And a $500 fine for illegally parking in a handicapped space was added to conform with state law, Prokop said.
Beaufort City Council gave final approval to the changes Dec. 8.
The task force's primary recommendations urged the city to create a dedicated lot for downtown workers, and it said 500 more parking spaces would eventually be needed downtown.
Council may have taken its first large chunk out of that future parking-space number by approving the purchase of a Carteret Street parking lot and office building Dec. 22. The lot could add 90 spaces, a short-term solution while the city works toward adding a parking garage. The garage, however, may require a sales-tax referendum.
Dukes said Tuesday he would also like to see the city find space for a dedicated employee lot. Freeing spaces by urging employees and owners to not park in front of stores has already gone a long way toward alleviating the city's parking problems, he said, as the task force study found many of the closest spots were already taken by store employees.
Follow reporter Matt McNab on Twitter at twitter.com/IPBG_Matt.
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This story was originally published December 29, 2015 at 5:14 PM with the headline "Beaufort parking rates, time limits to change Monday."