The St. Joseph City Commission approved a scaled-back downtown paid parking plan Monday in a 3-2 vote, advancing a revised proposal following criticism from some business owners and residents.
The updated plan would limit paid parking to the city’s highest-demand areas and reduce the number of paid spaces to about 175, down from 807 in 2025. Other streets would have 3-hour enforcement, while some lots would remain free all day and others would be limited to 3 hours.
The plan also shortens the season to June 1 through Labor Day weekend and sets enforcement hours from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. It includes free ADA parking and free parking for St. Joseph residents through a system similar to city park passes.
The changes follow months of outreach that included meetings with downtown business owners and public open house sessions.
Commissioner Michael Fernandez said the city was not trying to maximize revenue.
“Was our focus on trying to make money, I think you would have seen a very different plan for this year, if our goal and our motivation was to try to squeeze every dime out of this.”
Fernandez said the city is trying to improve access to downtown.
“What we’re really trying to do, and really trying to hone in is improve the condition and the accessibility of the downtown to make it and enable it to be more vibrant.”
Some business owners said they remain uneasy about the plan despite the changes.
“It’s a difficult thing, because I saw what happened last year, and it’s hard for me to think that it’s not going to happen again this year,” said Jim Kramer, owner of Tim’s Too in downtown St. Joseph.
The city says the program is intended to increase turnover in high-demand areas, discourage beachgoers from taking those spaces and provide funding for downtown improvements.
City staff are expected to move forward with implementation ahead of the summer season.
