According to the City of Noblesville, changes in downtown parking designed to simplify the parking ordinance will take effect on Tuesday, Jan. 21. These changes include adjusting hours of enforcement, location of free and time-restricted spaces and new short-duration spots.
Many of these changes were suggested by downtown merchants, who played a key role in developing a balanced approach in the parking pilot after communicating their need for more parking availability. Downtown parking will be separated into three locations: Paid parking lots, free on-street spaces and two consecutive hours of free parking per day in the new tic-tac-toe board or hashtag area (the Downtown Square and one block away in each direction).
Representatives from the City of Noblesville will be available 8 a.m. till 10 a.m. through Friday at Noble Coffee and Tea Company to answer questions on the city’s new downtown parking pilot project. Pictured is a new kiosk that will be used to collect parking fees. (Photo provided)
“These changes should make weekday parking downtown easier for residents and visitors,” said Noblesville Mayor Chris Jensen. “Our historic downtown is the heart of our community and this program benefits the majority of those who depend on parking in downtown. Less than 500 feet from every downtown business, there will be free parking available all day.”
Parking in the free two-hour zone is for two consecutive hours per day, not per space. Once the vehicle is in a spot, the time begins and extends for two hours. If you stay over two hours or return to the two-hour zone on the same day before 5 p.m., you may receive a ticket. By capping it as two consecutive hours per day, the hashtag area encourages turnover of parking and prevents drivers from moving their cars from space to space every two hours in this zone. Shrinking the area for two-hour parking has created more than 250 spaces of free parking and more unrestricted parking available all day.
The city has created new 20-minute spaces on Logan, Conner and Ninth streets and Maple Avenue, which will not count toward a driver’s two consecutive hours. The purpose of these spaces is for those who make short, quick stops to run in, grab something and leave. These spaces will be conveniently located and may be used multiple times throughout the day without counting toward a driver’s two hours.
The two consecutive hour zone will be enforced from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays – a change from the previous start time of 8 a.m. City parking lots will be enforced from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Drivers may utilize all parking lots and city/county employee lots for free after 5 p.m. weekdays and all day on weekends and holidays.
Other parking changes include:
- Noblesville City Hall lot provides free, unrestricted parking available all day.
- New parking lot signs and banners placed on street poles to identify parking areas. The Purple and Blue lots and on-street parking on Clinton Street (between Eighth and Ninth streets) will remain permit only.
- First-time offenders will be given a warning with an information pamphlet about available parking in downtown rather than a ticket. On the second offense, the initial cost for a parking ticket has increased to $20.
- New parking kiosks have replaced coin meters, allowing credit card and quarter payments and mobile app access. Kiosks are located in the Orange (Ninth Street) and Red (Logan Street) lots. The cost to park in these lots will remain at $0.25 per hour. If using a credit card, there is a $1 minimum total and a small transaction fee.
- Similar to Indianapolis and Broad Ripple, Noblesville’s parking is available on the ParkMobile app. The app is free to download to your smartphone through the Apple App Store and Google Play. The app will store your information for any vehicle you may be driving.
More information including parking maps, a video on how to use the new parking kiosks and how to download the ParkMobile app is available at cityofnoblesville.org/parking.