By Tim Pallesen
Delray Beach city commissioners and downtown merchants both appear to be split over whether the city should charge for downtown parking at night.
The city’s Parking Management Advisory Board wants parking meters that charge $2 an hour starting at 5 p.m. on the streets closest to the city’s Atlantic Avenue shopping and entertainment district.
The same parking fee would be charged at city parking garages. Rates would be $1.50 an hour on streets and garages farther away from the main avenue. A daily maximum rate of $5 would be charged in parking garages.
City Manager Louie Chapman Jr. and Mayor Cary Glickstein both told city commissioners at a Jan. 14 workshop that parking fees are necessary because the city needs the revenue to help pay its operating costs.
“We have few sources beyond property taxes for revenue,” Glickstein said. “We need to move forward with this and the time is now.”
But commissioners Adam Frankel and Al Jacquet strongly opposed the fees.
“We need to show that Delray is open for business,” Frankel said. “There’s no bigger disincentive for people coming downtown than parking meters.”
Three downtown merchants shared that fear at the workshop. “We want to keep people happy and not chase business away,” said Rick Robinson, owner of the Ginger boutique.
Other merchants on the Parking Advisory Board said the parking fees are only a part of their plan to manage downtown parking. The board also wants to move employee parking away from Atlantic Avenue and manage taxi cabs.
“My fear is that you might not do anything,” said Bruce Gimmy, owner of the Trouser Shop.
Commissioner Angeleta Gray sided with Glickstein to support the parking fees, leaving Commissioner Shelly Petrolia as the apparent swing vote when the issue comes before commissioners for a final decision.
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