Downtown Stillwater has long been known as a heavily active part of town, in which the foot traffic becomes more intense on the weekends and in the summer. Urban areas that show these characteristics will often times have parking fees, whether it be in parking ramps, lots or even just on the streets with the parking toll. However, Stillwater does not need these fees to be introduced because of its distinct difference to urban areas such as the Twin Cities, where all parking is paid for.

In early February of this year, a plan proposed to the Stillwater City Council was approved to install parking fees to free lots in downtown Stillwater. In this case, a monthly permit would cost $10 to 15, a residential permit would cost $10 to 20 and fines for unpermitted parking would be charged at $15 to 25.

Parking in Stillwater, near the St. Croix River is typically a time-consuming task on a summer weekend. The time it takes for parking can be annoying and frustrating when the only spots available have time limits of only a few hours on them. This can be an issue for tourists who may wish to spend the entire day in the town.

When tourists come to Stillwater, they rarely leave without spending a day shopping downtown through all the antique stores and other shops, and grabbing a meal at one of the several restaurants located on the river. When these people want to park on the streets, it is because they do not want to pay for a parking ramp. Tourists who spend the whole day in the area will typically buy a spot in the ramp. The street parking spots are occupied by those who work downtown or those who are getting in and out within a couple of hours.

Downtown Stillwater has tried to use the parking meter system in which they used 680 meters. They scrapped this system in early 1990 when customers began to find ways to get around the fee of parking such as shopping in other areas or parking just outside of the meters’ radius.

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The street spots should not be paid for, as it would give customers to small businesses a reason to shop elsewhere, where the parking is free. No customer wishes to park in a ramp, where they would be forced to pay, for a 20-minute trip to the River Valley Marketplace where they simply need a few extra ingredients for a meal. This would be same scenario if the parking fees were introduced, as customers would pay for convenient parking for short tasks that are not worthy of the fee.

On the other hand, parking fees for street spots is a fast, easy way to make more money for the town and will cycle through the parking spots more quickly. When customers are rushed to return to their parked car with the intention of paying small amounts, they are forced to rush through their visit and will give opportunity to new customers. This will allow a better cycle of customers to filter through the businesses and allow for more transactions.

The downfall to a parking fee, however, would be that many visitors would be reluctant to shop for a longer time period and could potentially limit the full shopping experience of downtown Stillwater, and ultimately take away from businesses with less immediate appeal to the average tourist or customer.

Parking fees should not be introduced to the spots on the streets in downtown Stillwater. A time limit is motivating enough for the tourist to briskly run through their time in the town or find what they need and return home. The fees would only discourage potential customers and limit small businesses’ overall success.