City of TD creates parking permit system for overnight vehicles in city-owned lots
The City of The Dalles owns this parking lot at First and Federal streets downtown and has now enacted a law that will require a permit for overnight parking. The law will become effective after Aug. 25, 2023, and after proper signage has been installed.
By Tom Peterson
The Dalles, Ore., Aug. 1, 2023 - The Dalles City Council unanimously approved an ordinance to require permits for vehicles remaining overnight in the city-owned parking lot on First and Federal streets from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
The decision came at the council’s regular meeting on July 24 and the law aims to “preserve and protect the City’s public health, safety, and welfare” as some are camping in the lot overnight in their vehicles.
Councilor Dan Richardson asked what the nature of the complaints was regarding the parking lot.
“People complain that people are living there in automobiles whether they are running or not and creating litter, as well as human waste, and deteriorating the public health of the area, and there is a general overall feeling of lack of safety because of individuals staying there,” The Dalles Police Chief Tom Worthy told the Council.
Councilor Darcy Long asked if vehicles could be left in the lot overnight in emergency or safety situations, such as someone having too much to drink.
City Manager Matthew Kliebes said signage on the lot will have a phone number to dial for those situations.
The new law is also applicable to other city parking lots such as parking next to the roundabout on the east end of downtown or next to the Shell gas station on West Third Street, but Klebes said those will not come under the permit rules unless deemed necessary at a later time.
Only downtown business owners, property owners, downtown employees, and downtown residents in the CBC Zone are eligible to apply annually for an overnight parking permit through the City Manager’s Office, according to Klebe’s staff report. There will be no charge for the permit. However, people wanting permits will have to go through city hall to apply and prove their eligibility.
Enforcement of the new law will be complaint-driven, Chief Worthy said.
But If a vehicle is parked in a posted City-owned parking lot without a valid permit between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. it may be subject to towing under this ordinance.
If the individual owning the vehicle is present, the City of The Dalles Police Department will seek to make education about the existence of this Chapter and its restrictions as the initial method of enforcement.
The City or its tower may require payment of the reasonable costs for removal and storage of the vehicle before it is released. The City Manager may revoke any permit used for a purpose contrary to this Chapter’s purpose.
