Free Parking In Hinsdale?

HINSDALE, IL — Hinsdale Village Board members are considering offering free three-hour parking in the typically crowded downtown. But they are debating whether to offer this perk just for residents or to include nonresidents, who are the bulk of shoppers. This discussion comes as the city expects to finish construction of a downtown parking deck by August, increasing available parking by 40 percent.

If free parking happens, the long-dreaded parking meters would be pulled out. But the village wants to find other sources of income to offset the loss in meter money, which amounts to nearly $200,000 a year. To do that, the administration proposes to increase the annual commuter parking permit to $750, up from $620, the rate since 2006. This is estimated to bring in an extra $45,000 a year.

The permit increase would still be lower than the rise in the cost of living. If the permit fee tracked inflation since 2006, it would now be about $780, according to the federal government's inflation calculator. Village officials believe commuters would accept the price increase, given the waiting list for permits numbers 170.

Under the administration's plan, the village would increase the annual vehicle sticker fee to $48, from $40 now, which is expected to bring in $67,000 more a year.

To enforce the three-hour limit, parking tickets would jump to $25, from $8, generating $10,000 more a year. The village is also proposing to increase the hourly paybox fee at the Washington and Garfield lots to $1, from 25 cents currently, generating $50,000 a year.

The parking deck will increase downtown parking by 189 more spaces, a big increase from the current 476. Like many towns, Hinsdale struggles to persuade merchants and their employees to park farther away. Instead, officials said, they continually feed meters and shuffle their cars to different spots.

To solve this problem, the village proposes to let merchants and their workers get special permits, allowing them to park for free in the parking deck for as long as they want. According to the administration's plan, the village would designate the deck's lower level for free parking for six hours. That limit, officials said, would be long enough for downtown visitors to conduct their business but short enough to prevent commuters from taking advantage.

At the board's meeting Tuesday, Village President Tom Cauley supported the administration's proposal, but some trustees questioned giving free three-hour parking to everyone.

Trustee Matt Posthuma said he believed the village should give residents something in return for paying more for vehicle stickers. And he said he was nervous making on-street parking entirely free, given the problems with merchants and employees.

Cauley said the main goal would be to move merchants and their workers away from on-street parking, freeing up to 30 percent of spots. He advised against treating residents and nonresidents differently.

"It will be extremely confusing if we have different rules for different people," Cauley said.

Others noted the improved parking situation could attract more people to downtown. "I've driven downtown and couldn't find a space and left," Trustee Luke Stifflear said.

Trustee Jerry Hughes said he was confident in the administration's proposal, but not certain, which he said was a big difference. He suggested phasing in the changes.

"I don't want to prematurely declare victory and do away with the pricing tool," he said. "We're talking about human behavior and giving people incentives. We should always be wary of being overly confident in a plan that makes sense on paper."

Currently, Hinsdale residents use about 20 percent of the parking spaces downtown, while nonresidents and merchants and their employees occupy 80 percent, according to a village analysis. It was noted that most of the merchants and workers live out of town.

The village board did not make a decision Tuesday. Cauley said the board would discuss the issue at later meetings. The administration's parking plan is including in the village board's agenda packet.