Some Valparaiso City Council members want residents of the Linc apartments to pay more to use the new Lincoln Highway Garage. Under new parking regulations adopted last week, the city will charge the managers of the Linc $250 per year for each parking space.
That's in line with what the city charges at Uptown East and University Promenade, but it's a lot less than what some other apartment complexes charge their tenants, according to council member Barbara Domer. "I think we could charge more, and I feel like it would be reasonable to charge an increase — and keeping in line with the fact that other apartment complexes within the city are charging their residents more," Domer said.
It's up to the managers of the Linc to decide how to pass along that cost to residents. They could choose build that cost into the rent or presumably charge a much higher parking fee.
But Development Director George Douglas said the city's fee is just designed to pay for maintenance and parking enforcement, not the garage's construction. "In terms of the funding of the funding of how do we pay for the garage, that's already been set and established," Douglas noted. "They will pay property taxes, and they were going to pay a big portion of the cost of the garage."
Still, Council President Robert Cotton was uncomfortable with the idea of letting the Linc's managers make a profit on parking within the city's garage. "The mayor suggested that it's an amenity and it's — what does he call it — vibrancy, but, you know, that all has a cost. And being frugal with the taxpayer dollar, I think, matters," Cotton said.
Cotton and Domer ultimately voted against the new parking ordinance. It also includes the first increase to parking fines since 2010 and allows the city to start charging electric vehicle owners to use city-owned charging stations. They had been free to use until now, under the conditions of a grant received by the city.
Some of the language of the ordinance was adjusted before final approval. Seven of the garage's 15 accessible parking spaces will be dedicated to Linc residents at all times, and not made available to the public during the day, as originally proposed.
Douglas said a provision was also added letting the Linc management handle some of the enforcement in its dedicated spaces. "We would envision this would have the ability, then, for the Linc to be able to call a towing company and have a vehicle removed from a parking spot for that resident to be able to park there," Douglas explained.
Douglas hopes the Lincoln Highway Garage will be ready to open by the end of the month.
