CLEVELAND — Cleveland City Council has passed a new ordinance adjusting the paid parking fees that went into effect just six months ago.
The new on-street paid parking regulations went into effect at the beginning of this year.
The City of Cleveland eliminated free weekend parking downtown and raised the hourly parking rate to $1.50 per hour, with a four-hour cap.
Special event zone parking for events like sports games or concerts was also introduced.
In the six months since these new rules went into place, Cleveland City Council members said they've received numerous complaints from local businesses, employees, and residents.
Council members said they passed a new ordinance to eliminate confusion.
"We want to simplify this for Clevelanders so that they can understand what they all pay for parking when they come downtown and go into the neighborhoods," Councilman Kevin Bishop said in May.
The new ordinance changes the hours of parking enforcement in downtown Cleveland to Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Parking on Sunday would be free, except for special events.
Outside downtown, parking enforcement would change to Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., with weekends free.
Parking rates would also be lowered to somewhere between $1 and $3 an hour, with special event parking starting at $8 an hour.
Pay stations accepting coins and cash would also be required within 600 feet of every downtown spot.
Business owners are excited about the changes. News 5's Caitlin Hunt spoke with Sam Gerges, the owner of Danny's Deli along Saint Clair Avenue.
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When Hunt spoke with Gerges in February, he said the new parking program was hurting his business because many of his customers couldn't use the new ParkMobile app and were receiving parking tickets.
In the months since, Gerges said the city granted him new parking spots for curbside pickups, which have helped. He said these new parking measures would help too.
"It's a big, big step," he said. "I hope it's going to bring more people down, and they understand parking is not the same. It's cheaper. We've got more parking spots for free, and we're trying to help the businesses out because these small businesses survive off of regulars."
Now the ordinance heads to Mayor Justin Bibb for approval, but his administration is blasting the changes.
"This ultimately means Clevelanders will suffer," a city spokesperson told News 5 in a statement. "Especially our small business owners and their customers, as we'll no longer be able to adequately adjust rates to create turnover, which is needed to drive economic vibrancy, especially in high-demand areas."
News 5 will continue to follow through on what happens next.
