Palmer Council rejects sweeping parking rule changes ahead of study’s final report

What you need to know:

• The Palmer City Council this week rejected a proposal to eliminate downtown business parking requirements, tabling it indefinitely so they can review the result of a report commissioned to address access issues.
• The draft parking and access study recommends both major and minor updates. Those range from adding time limits and citations for on-street parking to improving pedestrian safety through crosswalks and snow removal.
• City officials say they will likely focus on smaller, practical improvements, including federally funded pedestrian safety projects that can boost downtown accessibility.

• Short on time but need the local news scoop? Get free weekly news in your inbox for Mat-Su, from Mat-Su.

PALMER – The Palmer City Council this week killed a proposal that would have eliminated parking rules for businesses in Palmer’s downtown area, even as city officials await final recommendations from an independent study meant to examine visitor access challenges.

The controversial proposal drew criticism from downtown business owners who said they purchased land to provide parking that complies with current law and worry that eliminating such standards could hurt visitors to their businesses and fuel congestion. It was proposed last fall and then delayed to a regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday. The council voted unanimously to table the matter indefinitely.

A draft of the upcoming Palmer Parking and Access Plan includes a series of parking and pedestrian access recommendations and policy updates for the city’s downtown business area, which stretches roughly a half mile from near Arctic Avenue to near the Pioneer Home on Fireweed Avenue. The report was crafted by consulting firm Respec and is open for public comment through Saturday.

The report’s preliminary suggestions include some dramatic changes, such as ending minimum per-business parking space standards – the update included in the council proposal – and creating time limits and a citation system for on-street parking. City officials are unlikely to take action on most of those updates, they said in an interview after the regular city council meeting Tuesday.

But it also includes a host of minor changes that city officials say could make visiting the downtown area more welcoming, such as new crosswalks, consistent snow removal and a series of formal agreements that would help businesses share each other’s parking.

“Together, these actions provide a coordinated, practical and flexible approach to managing downtown parking in a way that fits local conditions,” the draft report states. “The plan improves accessibility, strengthens economic opportunity, supports walkability and enhances the experience of both residents and visitors.”

Palmer Mayor Jim Cooper and City Manager Kolby Zerkel said they also plan to take a close look at some of the pedestrian safety-related suggestions, including new crosswalks and flashing signage, and submit possible projects for federal funding through Mat-Su’s metropolitan planning process.

“We realized from the study that there is some good information, but it doesn't necessitate that we're going to get rid of the parking regulations,” Cooper said.

The parking study was ordered by the council last spring as part of an ongoing debate over whether the city’s requirements create too many barriers for business owners who want to open in the downtown area but don’t have an easy solution for meeting the parking standards in the city’s code.

Current rules include a variety of parking standards for the downtown area, including that restaurants must provide one parking space for every five seats; retail shops must have one space per 500 square feet of floor area; and hotels must have one space for every three guest rooms, according to city code. A council-approved waiver can allow owners to sidestep the rule but is subject to public scrutiny and can be denied.

The proposal to eliminate the business parking rules was first drafted last fall by then–Palmer City Council members Carolina Graver and Victoria Hudson, after the council approved the $50,000 study but before any draft or early report recommendations were available. Graver lost a bid for reelection in October; Hudson resigned earlier this month over conflicts with city staff and what she characterized as accountability concerns.

A pair of street updates already on the city’s schedule for this spring are designed to help with traffic and pedestrian flow, city officials announced at a Greater Palmer Chamber of Commerce meeting Wednesday.

Crews will remove the unused railroad tracks, lower the road grade, smooth the lanes of travel and add a crosswalk on Evergreen Avenue between the city’s pavilion green space and the Palmer Museum, said Jude Bilafer, the city’s public works director. East Cedar Avenue will be extended from its current endpoint at South Colony Way to cross the bike path green space and connect with South Valley Way, across the street from the Palmer Police Department. That work will be fully completed this summer, he said.

-- Contact Amy Bushatz at contact@matsusentinel.com