ZEELAND, MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Oct. 16, 2023) – Addressing parking in the downtown district will be discussed by the Zeeland City Council on Monday evening.
Although no final decision is scheduled for the business meeting afterward, one of the topics before the governing panel in the 6 PM study session is enforcing parking limits on downtown streets and in municipal parking lots. City Marketing Director Abby DeRoo believes that the current two-hour on-street limit from 7 AM to 5 PM on Mondays through Saturdays be enforced, something that she says hasn’t been done “for decades.” DeRoo also believes a four-hour parking limit for municipal lots should be established in an effort to prevent employees from hogging all of the available spaces. Such long-term parking would be directed to shared parking lots a short distance away from the downtown retail district.
Two issues that the Marketing Director believes need some consideration from Council members are how to treat apartment tenant vehicles in the municipal lots that are owned by those working second or third shifts, and whether a $10 parking fine would be a sufficient deterrent. That levy, which was approved this past July 1st, has yet to be enforced, as Zeeland Police wanted to use up its allocation of $5 tickets first.
The study session discussion would serve as a guide in making changes to a proposed parking ordinance that Council would vote upon at a future meeting.
Among the items that will be voted on during this evening’s 7 PM business meeting in Chambers at Zeeland City Hall (21 S. Elm St.) are a water meter purchase recommendation, contacts for the design of Hoogland Park and for plowing snow this coming winter, and to approve Halloween Trick-or-Treat hours on October 31st from 3-5 PM for downtown businesses and 5-7 PM for neighborhoods. An online link to the agenda and supporting documents is here.
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