Uniform parking validation for downtown shoppers is just months away, say city leaders and economic planners.
The plan would give shoppers discounted parking at downtown pay lots and may eventually allow merchants to give customers TRAX vouchers and parking-meter tokens.
The perception that parking in downtown Salt Lake City is either expensive or hard to find has worn on city and economic leaders for years. Mayor Rocky Anderson says affordable parking is "essential" to revitalizing Salt Lake's slumping downtown and a "major priority of this administration."
To prove he's serious, Anderson announced this week that 125 free parking stalls would be placed in the middle of 300 South.
City and business leaders say the uniform-validation plan is even better. Validation would be accepted at several lots and distributed by stores that choose to participate. While the validation wouldn't offer free parking, it would knock $1, possibly $2, off the price paid to park.
The Downtown Alliance, in cooperation with the Downtown Merchants Association and Anderson's office, hopes to have the unified validation ready to go in a month or two.
David Baird, economic development director for the alliance, is busy rounding up businesses and parking lots to participate in the program.
"We're hoping to have it up and running by the start of summer," he said.
Baird has already distributed questionnaires to local businesses asking if they want in. The replies have been positive, he said, although fewer than 100 businesses have expressed interest so far.
Still, from those humble beginnings the alliance is pushing the program.
In essence the system would allow a customer to park in a participating downtown pay parking lot, go shop at a participating store, get a validation and leave downtown with a small or nonexistent parking bill.
As the system catches on, more and more stores and lots will join, Baird predicted.
Helping feed the system will be unified signs on parking lots and businesses that direct patrons toward lots and stores that subscribe to the system.
Initially, businesses will have to buy a set number of validations and could buy more as needed, Baird said.
A similar system in Pittsburgh, where downtown visitors validate parking with "Berg Bucks," has worked well, and Salt Lake City will be looking to mirror the Steel City's success, he said.
Richard Wirick, of the downtown merchants, said the validation could be expanded to give mass-transit riders credit toward TRAX light-rail fares.
"It is kind of a big deal in a way because it really unites downtown together," he said.
Wirick agrees that the idea, which has been floating around for about a year and a half, is near implementation.
"It's just hard to get the cooperation of everybody, but finally I think we have it," he said.
Wirick said it would be nice if downtown parking meters could be retrofitted so that the validations — possibly in coin form — could be slipped into meters.
Also, the city needs more signs directing people to lots, especially lots that would be under the system, he said.
Anderson likes the idea and is touting it as a component to downtown revitalization.
"We need a uniform parking validation for all of downtown," he said.
The mayor hasn't promised any city money for the project, but Baird is holding out hope that the city coffers could help the program take hold. With or without city money, the bulk of the program would be supported by downtown merchants.
E-mail: bsnyder@desnews.com