The City of Bloomington is changing two downtown parking lots from single space metered to multi-space metered by pay station as part of a pilot program according to a press release.
The press release says starting in early march the parking lot 1 at 4th and Dunn Streets, and Lot 3 at 4th and Washington Streets will have pay stations. The changes were made after the 2018 Downtown Area Parking Study to improve customer experience, efficiency, and convenience of downtown parking, according to the city.
More of the city’s press release reads as follows:
“The new pay stations in Lots 1 and 3 allow parkers to pay using their license plate number, without the need to enter a parking space number or display a payment receipt. After parking, parkers will stop by one of two pay stations in each lot, where they will enter their license plate number, indicate a desired length of time, and pay using coins, credit or debit cards (Visa, MasterCard, and Discover), or Google Pay or Apple Pay. Signs with instructions and payment options have been installed throughout the lots. Please follow this link for a video demonstrating the functionality of the pay stations, frequently asked questions, and a printable brochure.
As at the City’s single-space meters, the fee for parking in Lots 1 and 3 will continue to be $1.00 per hour. Credit card users must make a minimum purchase of $1.00 and will be charged a convenience fee. As at single-space meters, payment may be made using the pay-by-mobile app “Parkmobile,” which may be downloaded to a smart device from iOS App Store or Google Play Store. Downtown enforcement hours are Monday through Saturday from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm.”
A link explains how the parking meters will operate:
https://bloomington.in.gov/node/4365
The parking lot at 4th Street has been unavailable since it was torn down last year, and construction has not begun on the new parking garage with the city and the owner of Juan Sells property at the corner of Third Street, and South Walnut, tied up in court after the city attempted to take the property by eminent domain, but the owner refused to sell. The city concluded after another study that replacing the garage was better than repairing it.
Indiana Public Media had a recent story on the city’s legal battle with the owner of the Juan Sells building:
https://indianapublicmedia.org/news/juansells.com-files-objection-to-eminent-domain-do-over.php
