MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A month after a downtown Morgantown parking rate change, the driving forces behind it are encouraged.
“We thought this would work. This has been done all over the country. But, it was really a pleasant surprise to see it work so quickly,” said Charlie McEwuen, downtown businessman and Morgantown Parking Authority Chairman.
After unanimous approval from Morgantown City Council, the Morgantown Parking Authority introduced a downtown Green Zone.
Of the more than 2,202 parking spaces downtown, 138 prime spaces on portions of High, Fayette, Court, Foundary Chestnut and Walnut Streets are part of the new zone.
Rates went to $1.00 an hour in August on the spaces with green topped meters. Patrons can opt to pay for smaller increments of time.
“They’re primary concern is finding a parking space not how much their going to have to pay. With a lot of my customers that might be dropping off shoe repair or something, they’re only in there five minutes. They can put a nickel or a dime or a quarter in the meter and they’re good,” McEwuen said.
Citations are higher also. A first violation would cost $20. Subsequent citations the same year would be $100. No Green Zone tickets have been issued since the rate change according to Morgantown Parking Authority Executive Director Tom Arnold.
He said the proposal has always been about turnover, not MPA revenue.
“Each space produces about $400 to $450 a day in commerce to the downtown and is still only $.75 to $1.00 an hour to the parking authority. But, the commerce of the turnover is what’s critical.”
At that estimate, meter feeders who left cars parked for 8 hours at a time were costing businesses more than $3,000 in potential commerce.
McEwuen has operated Tanner’s Alley in Morgantown for more than 4 decades.
“To a lot of people, if they don’t see a parking space on High Street, then there is no parking downtown even though there may be spaces in the garages and the lots off of High Street,” McEwuen observed. “So, that’s extremely important that we get those spaces freed up.”
No citations have been given. Arnold said only 4 warnings have been issued.
“When this program started a month ago, immediately, people started disappearing off the street that were there all day long and not providing commerce downtown.”
The previous rate for parking in the Green Zone was $.50 an hour.