Hamilton city officials have been talking about parking for a few years with business and property owners in the historic retail district ― Main Street from B Street to Eaton Avenue ― about parking. A survey showed around 70% of property owners and businesses supported increased parking enforcement. Additionally, the city conducted a door-to-door survey about the enforcement and best times for the respective businesses’ customers.
This is not about making money for the city, said Scott Hoover, Hamilton’s traffic operations manager, adding the city does not make money from parking enforcement. The cost per hour and ticket fines are intentionally kept very low, he said.
“In fact, the city spends more on staff and maintenance costs than it collects in parking revenue,” Hoover said. “It’s done to help the small businesses in the area. These businesses rely on regular turnover and convenient parking for their customers.”
It costs a motorist $0.50 per hour to park, and if a parking ticket is paid within the first 48 hours, it’s $10. But the fines do increase after that. But there are free parking areas near Main Street, such as at Armstead Park at Main and D streets.
The new meters installed allow several payment options, such as with coins, a credit card, or the Passport parking app. This isn’t the city’s only area with metered parking as they are in several areas of the city, and in 2021 the city activated its parking meter kiosks around Marcum Park on parts of High and Dayton streets and Riverfront Plaza.
Historic business districts are always trying to find a balance of customer convenience and their experience, available parking, and having to pay to park, said Mallory Greenham, Hamilton’s assistant to the City Manager.
“The historic areas of Hamilton may not have big parking lots like suburban shopping centers, but they offer an authentic experience with unique shops and restaurants in our increasingly lively urban core,” she said. “This experience would be lost if more historic buildings were replaced with larger parking lots.”
Hamilton officials said there will still be seven free 10-minute spaces on Main Street for quick curbside pickup.
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