Parking in downtown Duluth just got a little trickier for some and easier for others.
City Council passed an ordinance during a Monday meeting that sets three-hour limits for parking in some lots between the hours of 6 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Friday. The change comes after city officials noticed non-customers hogging parking spaces in the downtown area for long hours.
“It seemed as though these folks were leaving the downtown area entirely,” said Kaitlyn Redish, economic development and marketing specialist for the Gwinnett city. “They weren’t coming and staying in downtown. They were parking and leaving for sometimes eight and nine hours at a time.”
The ordinance also sets a 15-minute limit enforced at all times for some spaces in front of businesses. The parking lots affected by the three-hour limit include many along Main Street, West Lawrenceville Street and to the rear of Parsons Alley.
Credit: City of Duluth
Credit: City of Duluth
Duluth Police Department and the city’s Department of Planning and Development will enforce the time limits. Anyone who remains parked in a space past the time limit can face tickets between $50-$100.
Employees and other people who need to park downtown for longer than three hours can use the parking lot behind City Hall or the public portion of the Courtyard by Marriott garage.
“People will be able to access the restaurants in a more timely fashion,” Redish said. “They’re able to come in on their lunch break and not spend 10 minutes of their time walking ... If patrons can’t park, patrons won’t come. And if patrons don’t come, the restaurants can’t survive.”
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