City addresses St. Armands parking questions

How’s paid parking going on St. Armands Circle, two weeks in? Depends on whom you ask.

Scott Macdonald, owner of Crab & Fin restaurant, thinks people are adjusting to a new reality. He acknowledged some confusion and consternation among both residents and businesses when the on-street paid parking program began earlier this month, but he thinks the city has been receptive to feedback.

He said many of his customers are OK with paid parking, particularly with a new parking garage increasing the number of spaces on the barrier island.

“From the first week to where we are right now, it’s certainly subsided a lot,” Macdonald said.

Loring Holtz, owner of Stadium Gallery, described a bleaker situation on the Circle.

“It’s like a horror zone,” Holtz said. “People hate it; they really do.”

Where Macdonald described a mixed reaction, Holtz said he’s heard nothing but complaints — and he suggested Circle stakeholders should try to go over the city’s head to complain.

“I think we should call the governor,” Holtz said. “It’s not right.”

City officials are trying to navigate between these two perspectives, downplaying the most ardent critics while remaining responsive to questions and concerns that inevitably arise with such a change. Despite some complaints, Parking Manager Mark Lyons said the city has generally received positive feedback.

“It’s moving along — knock on wood — kind of nicely,” Lyons said. “But we’re continuing to monitor it every day.”

Some St. Armands businesses have focused on one element of the paid parking program as particularly troubling: employee parking. The city charges a monthly fee of $10 for employee parking permits, which are tied to different locations throughout the Circle.

Diana Corrigan, executive director of the St. Armands Circle Association, is worried the city underestimated the number of employees who work in the area when designing the program. Some employees have expressed frustration with being assigned to parking spaces that aren’t in close proximity to where they work. Others said the city denied their permit application altogether.

Lyons said the city has issued about 650 employee permits for St. Armands. Countering Corrigan’s accounts, he said the city has not hit a cap on the number of permits that could be issued or issued a flat denial of an employee permit application. Lyons believes the system is functioning well.

Macdonald, whose business has more than 100 employees, said he has been able to get permits for everyone who works in his restaurant. He’s heard complaints from others, but he believes there’s some misinformation going around in the area. For now, he’s staying positive.

“We’ve kind of taken the stance that it is here, and we have no choice in it, so it’s better to embrace it and work out the kinks with the city,” Macdonald said.

Still, Corrigan expressed concern about the possibility of a shortage of employee permits. Although there remain nearly 200 free spaces within the parking district, Corrigan said those spots fill quickly, and there are few alternatives for employees if they don’t have a permit.

“We’re on an island here, so there’s no place for anyone to go,” Corrigan said.

This week, Corrigan met with Planning Director Steve Cover to discuss employee parking. The St. Armands Circle Association is scheduled to revisit the topic March 5 at a board meeting. Despite any merchant dismay about the employee permit arrangement, Corrigan said the city was open to working on mutually agreeable solutions. She expressed confidence any issues could be worked out.

Both she and Lyons offered an optimistic outlook on the future of paid parking within St. Armands Circle.

“The equipment is working well,” Lyons said. “Volunteers are reporting positive responses.”

“I think once everybody gets used to it, it’s going to be a good thing — I really do,” Corrigan said. “It’s just, everybody’s learning right now.”