Reader Spotlight: Parking tax increase will hasten downtown’s fall

Parking tax increase will hasten downtown’s fall

The City Council has voted to implement a 12% parking tax in downtown Spokane. According to the news release, this will help to increase the safety and overall experience of the downtown area.

The Spokane Business Journal states that office vacancy rates range from 28-31%. Several long-time businesses that made Spokane special have closed for good. I remember a time, not long ago, when going “downtown” was special. Women wore gloves and dresses, the businesses knew their “customers,” the streets were adorned with lighted Christmas decorations that ran across the streets every few yards on all of the major thoroughfares. In short, downtown Spokane was special. It was in many ways a throwback to a simpler and happier time in our history.

Expo really “cleaned up” downtown and brought it into the ’50s … in 1974. But it still retained its charm and mystique and character. Businesses and eateries thrived. Everyone had their favorite places to shop and visit. Places like Berg’s shoes, the Crescent, Huppin’s and others thrived and we were proud of the warm and inviting atmosphere that we felt about our city.

Housing and living costs in general were incredibly low compared to other cities across the country. Sadly, in the name of progress, the Bon and the Crescent disappeared. Macy’s bought the Bon and even Macy’s exited the city. The vacancy rates have climbed, safety has become a concern, homelessness is an inconvenient eyesore and we have taken on the character of most other cities of our size.

In their wisdom the City Council has raised the price of parking downtown. The rationale is that it will allow the government to increase safety, clean up the less inviting areas and in general help the decaying core of our town. The opposite effect will unfold. The price of parking will further drive people away from the downtown area. Many of the private parking lots shamelessly raise their prices for a special event at the FICA (once referred to as the Opera House) or the Convention Center or the Arena.

And to make matters worse, many of the parking lots use a digital parking application to pay for parking. One has to wait in line as people struggle with the application in the cold, and sometimes even leave in exasperation because they can’t figure it out or it just doesn’t work. And they are eventually fined for not paying even though they tried over and over again

I for one would rather go to the summer theater at the Spokane Valley high schools or the mall in order to avoid the aggravation of the downtown parking lots.

In short, the raising of parking fees downtown may help to “clean up and improve safety” but so will the driving away of even more businesses and more customers. And in the end, the warm and inviting character of our once proud city will fade into the fabric of mediocrity and instead of “Our Town” will become “Every Town.”

Barry Bauchwitz

Spokane Valley