AZMEX UPDATE 10-11-13

AZMEX UPDATE 10 NOV 2013


Note: Of local interest


No more two hour parking limit in Douglas
Posted: Wednesday, November 6, 2013 12:05 pm | Updated: 12:06 pm, Wed Nov 6, 2013.

Posted on November 6, 2013
Trisha Maldonado by Trisha Maldonado
http://www.douglasdispatch.com/news/article_778b696a-4716-11e3-b374-001a4bcf887a.html

In the upcoming November city council meeting, the mayor and council will vote on the third and final reading of Ordinance 13-1029, the suspending of the two hour parking in the downtown area.
A pilot program was implemented in August 2012 and was to run for six months. The mayor and council did not rescind the pilot project period and it extended for an additional six months. In August 2013 it once again became an agenda item. Both the first and second reading have since passed with a 7-0 vote.
The intent of suspending the enforcement of the two hour parking was to promote the use of the downtown area. This was to eliminate the impression that downtown visitors were limited to two hour visits.
"Customers want to spend more than two hours shopping," Mejor Precios manager Raul Ramirez said. "They would go into to the store across the street spend an hour or longer there. Then they would think about coming into my store and wouldn't because they were worried about having to move their vehicle."
During the pilot program public works staff contacted merchants in an effort to obtain their feedback as well as diagonal parking.
The only major problem that arose was the parking in front of the Cox Communications building. With this in mind the city manager recommended a two-stall 30 minute parking at this location.
The downtown merchants work with each other in keeping the parking on G Ave. to customers and not employees.
"We ask all of our employees to park in the back or the side street," Shoe Salon's Danny Ortega Jr. said. "We try to police ourselves."
City staff has recommended that parking time limit in the downtown and near the port of entry be permanently suspended with the exception of 12th Street, between F Avenue and G Avenue, from the eastern most alley to F Avenue on both sides of the street.
"With the holidays coming up I think it's better to have unlimited parking. My employees park in the back," GLAM owner Lourdes Dominguez said. "When customers come downtown they want to shop and not worry about parking or moving their vehicles."

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