Old Towne Orange commuters weigh-in on paying to park. They list pains and pros

Andelina Rachi was strolling toward Francoli Gourmet, an Italian restaurant nestled in the heart of Old Towne Orange, when she spotted a parking kiosk, prompting her to return to her car, wondering, “Wait, do I have to pay for parking?”

Read more Federal appeals court upholds Illinois assault weapons ban, overturning lower court ruling

Rachi had missed the parking memo.

It’s been nearly six months since Rachi, a lifelong Orange County resident, visited Old Towne, the state’s largest historic district known for its quaint antique shops and restaurant scene.

And since her last visit, the city launched its downtown paid parking program in February with 18 kiosks spanning two blocks out from the traffic circle and Plaza Square Park to accept payments.

It costs between $1.25 to $2 an hour to park in parts of Old Towne between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., with a three-hour limit. Parking is still free in several city-owned lots, as well as the Lemon Street parking structure, and most free spaces do not have time limits.

The idea behind the paid parking, city officials have said, is to alleviate parking congestion in Old Towne while bolstering the city’s coffers, which have struggled with a mounting, multi-million-dollar budget deficit.

“Based on current daily averages, the program is projected to generate approximately $1,130,000 in parking meter revenue this year. At the six-month mark, the city anticipates about $565,000 in meter revenue,” city spokesperson Charlene Cheng said, adding the figure did not include citation revenue.

And as the parking program ages, city staffers will “continue to evaluate and adjust its components as needed,” Cheng said.

They already plan to add additional signage for paid parking areas after receiving community feedback, Cheng said, “at the request of patrons and following a review of parking data.”

And the city council on Tuesday, July 14, is expected to decide whether to up parking time limits in the downtown district by an additional hour.

So, as the dais plans for discussion, Old Towne Orange commuters — shoppers, business owners, employees and city officials — weigh in on the program’s inaugural months.

What do you think?

“I think it’s ridiculous,” Rachi said, peeved at the parking hiccup.

A Garden Grove resident, “I come to Orange Circle all the time,” she said, but the new program will make her think twice about frequent visits.

“Because everything is getting so expensive. I mean, people don’t want to go out because of it,” she said. “You’re paying just to have a quick bite to eat and you have to pay on top of that.”

Still, she paid the $3 fee to park her car and continued on with her dinner date plans with a childhood friend.

Read more Be careful when paying for your vehicle registration online — look for ‘gov’

But in the future, Rachi said she’s hoping for a parking validation program.

Marty Underwood, manager of Antique Station, only has one problem with the parking program. But it’s “a big one.”

“On the street, you can only park for two hours. And you can’t add more money. You have to move your car,” she said.

Underwood, 55, is a long-time Orange resident. She says business, for at least her shop, one of the largest antique stores in the historical downtown, hasn’t slowed. But she’s heard complaints from customers.

“How are our customers supposed to have lunch and go antiquing in two hours?”

Philip Hernandez, co-owner of Circle City Barbers on the outskirts of the Orange Circle, said the program “doesn’t seem to be a major issue.”

Hernandez, 52, has worked at the shop for 17 years. If anything, he’s noticed positives, he said, since the parking program started.

“It keeps things moving,” he said.

“There were a lot of people that were parking, leaving their cars all day in one spot. So, that does help to open up spaces,” he said.

Lacey Sheridan, 33, has worked across the street from the barbershop, at Finney’s Crafthouse “for a year and a half now.”

“It kind of sucks having to walk from the parking structure,” she said. She usually parks at the Lemon Street Parking structure, about a three-minute walk away, but “there’s definitely more room for customers to come.”

She’s hoping for a permit program for Old Towne employees, saying “I’ve had feedback from other employees that said with events going on and everything — the chili cook-off and World Cup this summer — it sucks having to find parking on top of having to pay for it.”

The parking program has also added another step in Sheridan’s routine with the diners: “We warn our guests about it and tell them to keep a timer on their phone.”

For the city of Orange, the parking program enables more city services, spokesperson Cheng said.

“The city has used parking revenue to restore previously discontinued services,” she said, “such as plaza steam cleaning, and staff are exploring opportunities to enhance downtown services using paid‑parking revenue.”

Read more Wall Street trading is mixed, oil prices yo-yo after unclaimed attacks on Iran