Dunedin’s ‘Parking Plan 2.0’ Kicks Off

DUNEDIN, FL — Folks who visit downtown Dunedin may notice more free parking available to them. That’s because the city’s “Downtown Parking Plan 2.0” officially kicked off on Monday.

The newly adopted changes to the current Downtown Pilot Parking Plan went into effect Feb. 13 after they were approved by the City Commission on Feb. 2.

The city’s parking plan is a one-year pilot that was put into place last October to offset costs of leased lots the city pays for and to raise money for a possible parking garage in the future. Changes to ordinance related to the plan were adopted after the city received public feedback, and data was collected by SP+ Parking Management. SP+ was contracted by the city to track parking needs and trends during the first quarter of the pilot program.

Changes now in place thanks to the adoption of the “Downtown Dunedin Parking Plan Version 2.0” are as followings:

• Free parking added on the east and west ends of Main Street for weekday parking until 6 p.m.
• Time limits are no longer in effect. People may park for any length of time that is needed.
• A $1.50 an hour rate is applicable during enforced parking times.
• Employee three-month parking passes may be purchased for $45.
• Free parking lots are still free seven days a week at Dunedin Station Square on Douglas Avenue and Scotland Street and the Edgewater Drive lot between Main street and Scotland Street

“Currently, the City of Dunedin leases several lots in the downtown and has the potential to lose many more parking spaces that are currently privately owned,” the city wrote in an email to media Monday. “The plan is being implemented to help the parking flow in the high demand areas and to create turnover. The parking fees are in place to help fund adequate public parking supply now and in the future.”

Residents can sign up for a 20 percent parking discount via the ParkDunedin.com website or in person at the Planning Development Building, 737 Louden Ave. For more information, visit ParkDunedin.com.

Keep up with what’s happening by following Dunedin Patch on Facebook.

Image via Shutterstock