Parking enforcement to resume in March

ROSEBURG – Parking enforcement will resume downtown and in the Laurelwood neighborhood in March.

Changes are being put into place following extensive community input on a new parking plan.

City officials expect the changes to benefit residents and businesses by freeing up more on-street parking spaces for short-term customer parking in the heart of Roseburg. A public education period began in December and kicked into high gear in February to give drivers time to learn and adjust before parking tickets are given out.

Now, drivers will see new signs for free but time-limited parking on streets in the downtown core – Jackson Street, Main Street and several cross streets. While the same number of free, on-street customer parking spots remain, most spaces in the downtown core are now limited to two or three hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Metered parking will remain on outlying downtown streets. Free parking also is available at a parking lot at S.E. Cass Avenue and S.E. Rose Street, and on the first floor of the recently cleaned Downtown Parking Garage at S.E. Washington Avenue and S.E. Rose Street.

A parking services contractor, ACE Parking, will begin more active enforcement after conducting community outreach and education since early February. ACE will electronically chalk cars in time-limited zones and check license plates and parking permits with license plate recognition cameras and software using GPS coordinates.

Drivers who’d like to get parking permits, ask questions or appeal a ticket should contact ACE’s Roseburg Program Administrator Michelle Anderson at 541-900-1102 or roseburgenforcement@aceparking.com, or ACE’s Roseburg Enforcement Manager James English at (O) 541-900-1106 or (C) 541-315-0366 or jenglish@aceparking.com.

City staff will refer all questions to ACE.

Monthly parking permits will return to the same rates that were in place before the City temporarily performed parking enforcement between contracts. Garage rates are $17 for level 3 and $22 for level 2. Parking lot rates range from $22 for the Court Street lot to $35 for the Armory lot, said ACE Parking Regional Director Brandon Johnson.

ACE can also issue one-day parking meter exemption permits for new store owners, moving vehicles, construction, etc.

Parking tickets will range from $12 for such things as parking in an alley or tow-away zone, to $27 for being an hour over time, $28 for an expired meter and $210 for parking in a handicapped zone.

Drivers will have 10 days from the date of a ticket to pay the fine to ACE online at www.aceparking.com/roseburg or at the ACE office at 612 S.E. Jackson St., Suite 5, in Roseburg, OR 97470. After 10 days, $10 will be added to the ticket. After 30 days, another $30 will be added to the ticket. After 50 days, another $50 will be tacked on and the ticket will be sent to collections, Johnson said.

Drivers who want to contest a ticket must start with an “administrative appeal” in writing with an online or hard copy appeal form. To start an appeal, call 541-900-1102 or go to the ACE office at 612 S.E. Jackson St., Suite 5.

ACE will soon make the appeal form available online at www.aceparking.com/roseburg.

Drivers who want to appeal a ticket must pay the fine to avoid the above late fees. The fee will be returned if the appeal is granted, Johnson said.

If the administrative appeal is not granted, drivers will have a second appeal option to go before a Municipal Court judge.

The return to parking enforcement and other changes were called for in the Downtown Parking Assessment and Plan developed by the City, a consultant and the Roseburg Parking Stakeholder Advisory Committee, which met four times from September 2020 through February 2021, said Roseburg Community Development Department Director Stuart Cowie.

The committee included owners of a downtown restaurant, retail business, personal service and professional service; downtown workers; and residents of downtown and Laurelwood. The committee reviewed on-street time limits, on-street paid parking zones, public off-street free and permit parking, enforcement hours and residential permit parking, among other issues.

To develop the plan, a public outreach campaign was launched to get input from residents and other stakeholders, and to understand and prioritize key challenges and potential improvements for parking downtown and in Laurelwood. Two virtual public hearings were held. A public survey about parking needs was filled out by more than 300 residents, including 55 downtown business owners or workers, said Cowie.

In January, the Roseburg Public Works Department cleaned the downtown garage and elevator, removed or painted over graffiti, painted the elevator’s interior and exterior, and made repairs to the brick alleyway and courtyard surface, which the City owns. However, the City does not own the buildings that form the courtyard walls, which must be maintained by property owners. Public Works will perform regular maintenance of the garage, elevator, and brick alleyway and courtyard surface.

Permits are available for the downtown garage levels 2 and 3 and for downtown parking lots including the Armory Parking Lot (Kane Street and Washington Avenue), Court Street Parking Lot (600 block of Court Street), Phillips Parking Lot (800 block of S.E. Stephens Street) and Shalimar Parking Lot (700 block of S.E. Stephens Street).

For more information, contact ACE Program Administrator Michelle Anderson at 541-900-1102 or roseburgenforcement@aceparking.com, or Enforcement Manager James English at (O) 541-900-1106 or (C) 541-315-0366 or jenglish@aceparking.com.