Many businesses and other establishments have lost revenue during the coronavirus pandemic. One way the city of Boca Raton plans to assist these businesses is to increase the amount of parking meters within the city.
City Council member Andy Thomson says a parking meter zone with 250 meters already exists in the southern part of downtown. Another idea worth considering is opening a few more parking lots with an efficient parking management system.
This new zone would consist of an additional 243 on-street parking spaces with meters.
“The reason we do this is to get turnover in the downtown parking spots,” said Thomson.
The idea to add additional parking meters within the city was established to help Boca’s businesses that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. However Thomson says, “it’s going to cost something like $650,000 to buy the meters and install them. And it takes several years just to dig out of that hole, to just [to] break-even.”
The areas in which the meters would be placed include:
- West Royal Palm Road
- East Palmetto Road
- Park Road on the south, Northeast 5th Avenue and Northeast Mizner Boulevard on the east
- Northeast 8th Street on the north
- North Dixie Highway
- Northwest 2nd Avenue on the west, which parking meter zone also includes Northwest 4th Street.
Justin Leger, a source via WPTV stated, “I can see how that impacts businesses and lost revenue and inconveniences others that just want to use the business.”
Boca Raton’s city council will vote on this proposal Tuesday.