Special meeting on parking Dec. 6

ROSEBURG, Ore. – The Roseburg City Council will hold a special meeting to discuss downtown and Laurelwood parking on Wednesday, Dec. 6.

The meeting, which will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. at City Hall, 900 SE Douglas Ave., is open to the public. The Council is seeking public comments about the parking program and possible changes from those interested.

“Downtown parking is an important component to a thriving downtown. Unfortunately, free parking isn’t free and we are working with the City Council to identify and implement options for sustainable funding,” said City Manager Nikki Messenger.

Comments can be made in person at the meeting, by emailing info@cityofroseburg.org or dropping comments off at City Hall by 12 p.m. Dec. 6; or via Zoom by contacting 541-492-6866 or info@cityofroseburg.org by 12 p.m. Dec. 6. Comments must include the sender’s full name, address and phone number.

The Council gathered background information and had a preliminary discussion about the parking program during a work study session Wednesday, Nov. 1. The Council expressed support for a hybrid model to finance the parking program, which supports enforcement plus maintenance and security of parking meters, lots and the Downtown Parking Garage.

Councilors asked City staff to return with more information about options that could include changes to time-limited free parking, fees paid by property and/or business owners, and parking fees for car owners. Watch the meeting: bit.ly/3vPEoN7

Parking enforcement resumed downtown and in the Laurelwood neighborhood in spring 2022 after extensive community input on a new parking plan. The program is meant to be financed by the Off-Street Parking Fund, an enterprise fund intended to operate independently without City general fund support. However, the fund has been operating at a deficit since the COVID-19 pandemic, so the City has used American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to supplement the program.

The program’s goal is to benefit residents and businesses by freeing up more on-street parking spaces for short-term customer parking downtown, while also enforcing permitted parking in Laurelwood to prevent overflow parking from nearby Roseburg High School. Downtown now has a mix of free, time-limited on- and off-street parking; metered parking; and monthly permits for parking lots and the Downtown Parking Garage.

The return to parking enforcement was called for in the Downtown Parking Assessment and Plan developed by the City, a consultant and a Roseburg Parking Stakeholder Advisory Committee, which met four times from September 2020 through February 2021. The committee reviewed on-street time limits and paid parking zones, off-street free and permit parking, enforcement hours and residential permit parking, among other issues.

A public survey about parking needs was filled out by more than 300 residents, including 55 downtown business owners or workers. Two virtual public hearings also were held to gather community input. Previously, parking enforcement had been managed by the now-defunct Downtown Roseburg Association, operating as ParkSmart.