Galveston hikes downtown parking
The Galveston City Council on Thursday night voted to increase parking fees in the downtown district in order to fund a five-person beautification crew.
The measure passed with unanimous approval. The amended ordinance raises the parking fee from $1.75 to $2.25 per hour in the island’s downtown district and UTMB parking area. People must pay for parking on Sunday under the new law, too.
Councilman David Collins said shortly before the vote that the new revenue stream will help clean up and beautify downtown. He called it an “economic development move.”
“This is the heart of the city — and I think we owe it to the people and the businesses down there to do that,” he said.
The downtown paid parking district stretches from 20th Street to 25th Street and from Harborside Drive to Church Street, according to the ordinance. The UTMB parking, which is marked by signs, is located between 14th Street and Holiday Drive and from Harborside to Broadway Boulevard.
The measure has no impact on parking rates along the Seawall.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, one business owner spoke in support of the rate hike while two people expressed opposition to the measure and requested that city council table the issue until gathering more public input.
William Newman, who said he owns several businesses in the Historic Strand District, expressed concern that higher parking fees will impact business for local merchants like him.
“I think you’re going to scare even more people off,” he said.
Collins said during the meeting that he reached out to the business community to ensure there was a general consensus of support for the pay increase and benefits that should follow.
Alan Flores, another business owner on the Strand, also called for a public hearing and said merchants like him were “blindsided” by the measure.
“I think the fees are fine the way they are,” he said.
Many locals and residents visit the Strand on Sunday after church, Flores said. He urged the council to consider keeping free parking for that day.
“One of the reasons they come down is because it’s free,” he said.