The Monroe City Council approved a resolution on Tuesday, July 7, to implement new parking restrictions in the downtown Monroe area.
The parking situation in Monroe's downtown core has been a topic of discussion within the city and the Monroe Chamber of Commerce dating back to the 1960s. Last December, after learning that business owners were unhappy with the two-hour time maximum, Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Una Wirkebau initiated a pilot program which temporarily transitioned the two-hour restriction to a 24-hour maximum time limit.
Business owners said that they felt the two-hour maximum was not enough time for a customer to come downtown, eat in a restaurant and then go shopping afterwards.
But other business owners were dissatisfied with the 24-hour time limit because they felt that it was not conducive to facilitating expedient customer service. That, coupled with a lack of parking enforcement, led to cars being left for longer periods of time.
In February, when the temporary parking restrictions were lifted, it was decided to not pursue a 24-hour maximum time limit.
The resulting parking plan combines ADA parking, 15-minute parking, two-hour parking and four-hour parking. The majority of parking along East and West Main Street will allow for a four-hour maximum time allotment, with several 15-minute slots to accommodate in-and-out type businesses.
To review the new parking plan in its entirety, please visit the city website at: http://wa-monroe.civicplus.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/2528?fileID=3162.
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