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Articles
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| Wells introduces stadium ‘performance parking’ legislation |
VOICE writes, "By Julie Westfall
Ward 6 Council member Tommy Wells introduced legislation Tuesday to create a three-year pilot “performance parking” zone around the Nationals baseball stadium and Capitol Hill retail corridors in an effort to head off what many fear will be a parking crisis when the baseball team opens its season the end of March.
The legislation would authorize Wells to work with the District Department of Transportation to use “performance pricing” in zones around the park by charging adjustable rates based on time of day, location, game days and other events.
A public hearing on the legislation before the Committee on Public Works and the Environment, chaired by Ward 1 Council member Jim Graham, had not been scheduled by yesterday.
Wells’ spokesperson Charles Allen said yesterday that he expects the hearing will be scheduled in the evening late this month or early February.
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Wells will host public meetings on the parking plan on Jan. 22 and 23. The meetings are scheduled for Jan. 22 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 400 I St. SW and Jan. 23 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Brent Elementary School, 301 North Carolina Ave. SE.
Wells has sought to assure Ward 6 residents that they will see little change in how they park their cars. His plan calls for non-Ward 6 sticker-holders to pay a small fee to park for two hours on certain residential streets in order to encourage turnover of non-resident cars. Currently, two hours of free parking are allowed on weekdays, and there are no restrictions on weekends.
“But with better management, they should find that visitors stick to the retail streets and the residents become the priority for the residential streets,” Wells said in a news release.
If the pilot program is approved, solar-powered, multi-spaced meters similar to those that the city has installed in various congested areas around the city would be placed throughout the stadium parking zone, including on commercial and residential streets.
Some community leaders have expressed excitement about the plan, while skeptics say they are waiting for more information. Allen said Wells is planning to meet with the Capitol Hill Association of Merchants and Professionals and Barracks Row Main Street to discuss business owners’ concerns.
The lack of specifics in the complex plan is of concern to some community leaders. Under the legislation, the Department of Transportation will determine how prices will vary throughout the zone.
“The prices will be developed by DDOT. You could say on a ballpark day that the rate is such and such, and when there’s not a game or an event taking place at the stadium, you probably don’t need to charge for curbside parking what you would on a game day. And let’s say there’s a rainout or they reschedule. Because it’s centralized, we can change the prices easily,” Allen said.
Street-by-street explanations and pricing plans should be available by the community meetings later this month.
“By the 22nd or the 23rd, there will be a specific outline of everything presented to them for their consideration,” Allen said.
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Posted on Jan 19, 2008 08:44am.
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