The Yakima City Council approved a number of changes Tuesday, April 16th, related to parking in the downtown area. They include:
- Reducing the parking violation ticket amount to $20
- Reducing long-term parking pass costs to $20 per month
- Ensuring adequate parking for visitors and employees
- Making parking lot parking free for 3 hours
- Making street parking free for 2 hours, while leaving flexibility for street parking time limits
- Changing the boundaries of the area wherein people may qualify to apply for parking permits in city-owned parking lots
- Administrative changes
In related action Tuesday night, Council extended the current moratorium on enforcement of downtown parking on downtown streets and City-owned parking lots through May 31st. During the extended moratorium, warnings will be issued for parking enforcement but no fines will be levied. Enforcement will resume June 1st.
A moratorium was first approved by Council on December 12th, 2023. It was extended to April 19th following public input on downtown parking issues during a January 23rd community meeting.
As with the original moratorium, parking infractions related to public safety will be enforced. These include:
- Parking in a fire lane
- Parking in front of a fire hydrant
- Parking in a manner that creates a public safety hazard
- Unlawfully parking in a Disabled designated spot