Why are we implementing the new Downtown Parking Program?

Parking and congestion has created frustration in downtown St. Joseph for a long time. The City’s Master Plan mentions parking and congestion as a problem as far back as 2016.  When we created our 2020 Downtown Vision Master Plan, we started with feedback. We had 2,000 replies through touchpoints like emails, focus groups, surveys. etc. One thing stood out above all others as a problem for everyone visiting downtown: parking.

The new Downtown Parking Plan was adopted to make it easier to park in the busiest areas of downtown. Paid parking west of Main Street will increase parking availability, reduce the number of vehicles circling around looking for an available space, and make better use of the underused parking east of Main Street.