PRESCOTT, Wis. — Prescott is growing in popularity. On any given summer weekend, you'll find a large number of boaters, and motorcyclists in town. The City of Prescott says to balance the demand for parking, they want people to start paying for it.
"By implementing paid parking, cities can effectively address a range of issues, from traffic congestion to environmental sustainability, while simultaneously ensuring equitable access to parking spaces for all," The City of Prescott wrote in a release.
The proposal suggests charging $1.50 an hour, offering residents a no-cost permit, and giving businesses the option to pay $10 a month for employees.
"Majority of the businesses are against this. Yeah, one hundred percent," Andy Laskowski said.
Laskowski lives in town and says people think the city is prioritizing money over people.
The city wasn't available for an interview with KARE 11 on Friday but says in a release:
"Our downtown area measures 1/10th of a square mile in size, this inhibits the ability to invest in surface lots and parking ramps that occupy a great amount of space. Paid Parking can be used to manage the current parking space inventory."
Business owners are encouraging the city to find other solutions, saying they don't want to drive away summer tourism.
"There is a reason why we live in a small town. We don't want Hudson. We don't want Stillwater. We want it this way," Laskowski said.
More details about the proposal:
The City is collaborating with IPS Group and ParkMobile to bring both multi-space pay stations and mobile app payments for parking downtown. The proposed hourly rate is $1.50/hour. Residents can self-register for a no cost annual parking permit (2 vehicle limit per address) for parking anywhere downtown. Businesses can register their employees for $10/mo. for a parking permit where they can park anywhere northeast of Broad Street (this includes Cherry Street Parking Lot, Orange Street Parking Lot, and Mercord Mill Parking Lot). There is no on-street overnight parking. There are currently six 15-minute parking spots that will remain free parking with a 15-minute time limit. For all permits your license plate is the permit there are no hard permits issued. A proposed map of the parking plan can be found here.
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