HAVERHILL — Aggressive ticketing or paid parking.
Those are the options for the streets and lots around the downtown train station when the $11 million parking garage opens in about a year and half, Mayor James Fiorentini said.
Fiorentini has arranged for a series of meetings for people with ideas and strong opinions about the downtown parking plan that he intends to pitch to the City Council this fall.
The mayor has said the plan might include street meters and kiosks in lots but that he is not tied to that approach.
The city's parking consultant, Nelson-Nygaard, has been hosting public meetings this month to identify issues and answer questions as the firm prepares recommendations that the mayor intends to use to put together his proposal, which is expected to cover most of downtown.
There have been several parking meetings this month for specific groups of people, including restaurant owners, merchants, customers and downtown residents.
A broader forum is scheduled for Monday at 6 p.m. in the community room of the Pentucket Bank on Merrimack Street.
Six more meetings are scheduled in September — three focus groups at 6 p.m. at the Tap Restaurant on Sept. 7, 15 and 22, and three meetings for merchants and people who work downtown on Sept. 10, 15 and 16. The times and locations of those meetings have not been announced yet.
"We've had a handful of people at the first four meetings, but the one on the 30th (Monday) is when we're hoping to get a big turnout," the mayor's aide, Andrew Herlihy, said.
The Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority will operate and maintain the parking complex, primarily with parking revenue. The city is concerned people won't pay to park in the garage if there's free parking all around it.
"On the one hand, they free up spaces on the street, but on the other hand, these are tough times and people don't want to pay," Fiorentini said of meters. "The number one thing I want is for people to shop and dine downtown and have a place to park."
The garage is to include between 315 and 350 spaces.
Parking downtown has been a problem. At least four previous pay-to-park proposals have been rejected by either the mayor or council. There is general agreement that the main reason for the lack of spaces for people visiting downtown is that those who pick up the train at the downtown station park in prime spots and leave their vehicles there all day.
Another problem is that the area is a maze of different parking rules, with streets and lots offering various time limits that, until recently, were rarely enforced. Strict enforcement of time limits is another option the city is considering as an alternative to paid parking with street meters, the mayor said.
"I get a slew of complaints every year from downtown residents who say they don't have a place to park and calls from commuters who say they don't have a place to park," Fiorentini said. "We want streets for short-term parking, and I want to come up with a plan that does that. But it won't be easy to come up with a consensus."
Earlier this month, the city permanently closed the busy 47-space public lot in Railroad Square, where the new garage is being built. With spaces difficult to find in the popular Washington Street restaurant district, especially at night, the city has arranged parking in a private lot on nearby Locust Street.
The five-story parking garage is expected to open in late 2011. It is being built by Colantonio Construction. A mix of federal, state and private money is paying for the project.
Three large housing developments in the shadow of the train station have made agreements with the city to lease spots in the parking garage for tenants.
Those involved in the parking study have been interviewing downtown business owners about their parking concerns and studying zoning, as different areas of downtown have different parking requirements. They are looking at how and when spaces are used, how often cars come and go, and which spaces are filled or available and for how long.
Nelson-Nygaard, which is based in San Francisco and has an office in Boston, is charging $24,000 for the study. Private groups are footing the bill, the mayor said.
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