THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 10, 1995 TAG: 9503090177
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BILL REED, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
Jostling for 7,600 Oceanfront parking spaces - both on and off-street - will begin in earnest this May, when thousands of tourists descend on the resort strip.
To offset potential stampedes for metered and non-metered slots, the city has set some new fees and guidelines.
The newest wrinkle in paid parking offered by the city is the ``merchant validation'' program. It allows beachfront visitors to pay reduced fees at the 25th Street municipal lot, simply by buying at least $10 worth of goods or services from participating businesses.
Henry Ruiz, who heads the city's Parking Systems Management Office, said equipment is being installed at the lot to process validated tickets by early summer.
Merchants who participate in the program will pay for all or a portion of a customer's parking fees at the lot, if they meet the minimum purchase provisions of the program.
The validation plan has the endorsement of the Resort Leadership Council, an umbrella organization representing Oceanfront restaurateurs, retailers and innkeepers.
Merchants who participate must pay a $50 registration fee, which will be used to defray the administrative costs of the program.
Meanwhile, back on the street, parking in any of the 771 metered Oceanfront spaces costs 75 cents per hour, said Ruiz.
Charges will vary for parking at any of the seven municipal lots on the resort strip and at Sandbridge.
The biggest change can be found at the 25th Street lot, which will charge $1 per hour this summer, said Ruiz. Motorists who park there for more than four hours will pay a maximum of $4 a day on weekdays and $5 on weekends and holidays.
Municipal lots at 19th Street - both at the Dome site and behind the library branch, will charge users $4 a day on weekdays and $5 on weekends and holidays.
The Oceanfront lot at 31st Street, which will be operated by the city this summer, will assess users $6 a day on weekdays and $7 a day on weekends and holidays.
At the 4th Street lot adjacent to the Rudee Bridge and the two Sandbridge lots, patrons will be assessed a $3 fee per day on weekdays and $4 a day on weekends and holidays.
Back off the resort strip, in neighborhoods affected by nighttime restrictions, Oceanfront residents will be offered free on-street parking. Two decals will be issued free to each household annually. Additional permits will cost $5 each.
Weekend guest passes will be issued in two categories. Up to four yearly passes will be issued per household at $2 each. Temporary visitors passes (good for up to 72 hours) will be issued free per registered permit holder.
Under rules adopted in December by the City Council, business and lodging passes will be combined into one permit, which will cost $10 each for the first five. Additional passes will cost $20 each, and replacement passes will go for a $20 charge. Employers are responsible for distributing the passes to employees and lodging guests.
Residents or business operators seeking on-street parking permits should first call the Parking Systems Management Office at 427-4670, Ruiz said. by CNB