Eliot Parking Permit Update- July 2023
We are still working on an event parking permit program for the Eliot neighborhood, here’s a status update.
Permit Proposal Open House and Feedback
PBOT staff and the Eliot Parking Task Force held an open house in May. We had about 50 people attend the in-person open house on May 16 where we had some great conversations. We also hosted an online open house and survey that was open from May 12-29. We received 75 survey responses, mostly from Eliot residents. Staff also received some emails and phone calls with comments and questions. It was helpful to hear directly from residents about the proposed permit program's potential impacts.
There is no clear consensus on the permit program from the open house and survey feedback. 72% of survey respondents agreed with the program goals but only 52% of the respondents said they would vote for the permit program as proposed on their block. Most people agreed with general permit program details like a 2-hour limit for vehicles without permits from 5-10 p.m. The biggest concerns were about the following:
- Guests – residents will need to plan ahead and get permits for guests visiting for more than two hours at night.
- Cost – especially for low-income residents. The proposed tiered price structure was too high to some.
- Voting – uncertainty about voting and the ballot process.
- Moving the problem – If the permit program was implemented on one street but not around the corner, event-goers may want to park in the area without a permit program.
The entire summary of feedback that we received can be found here.
Read the parking permit proposal here.
Eliot Neighborhood Association requests that Rip City Management pay for permits
In June, members of the Eliot Parking Task Force agreed to support a request to the operators of the Moda Center (Rip City Management) to pay for the costs of the permits. The Eliot Neighborhood Association had brought up this idea to the PBOT project team before and they agreed with the plan to submit a request. This type of arrangement exists in other cities. For example, Seattle Children’s Hospital pays for area resident's parking permits. This is to deter hospital employees from parking in the adjacent neighborhood. The University of Oregon also pays for the permits near the Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene. This is to deter eventgoers from parking on nearby neighborhood streets. PBOT staff agrees that this parking issue is only caused by the large events at the Moda Center so asking them to mitigate their impacts makes sense. The submitted request is for the permits to be free for all residents regardless of income, for the first few years.
Project timeline changes
The Eliot Neighborhood Association submitted a letter to the Rip City Management in June about the request. We are awaiting a response for a meeting and discussion. This pushes back the entire timeline. Until those conversations conclude, the ballot for the permit is on hold until the final program details can be determined. The letter was sent at the end of June and we expect a ballot could potentially be sent in October or November. If, or when there is approval for a program, implementation may begin in February or March 2024.
Updated DRAFT Timeline
- October/November – Ballots mailed to potentially impacted residents
- January – City Council presentation
- February/March – Staff begins to implement the permit program, including processing permit applications, installing signs, etc.
The Eliot Task Force will continue to meet. The next meeting is Aug. 9 at 5:30 p.m. Task Force meetings are always open to the public. Meeting recordings are posted to the meeting webpage a few days after the meeting. Click here to see past meeting information.