BEND, OR -- the Galveston corridor, near downtown Bend, is a mix of housing and increasingly popular businesses, leading to a number of parking complaints. Bend's Growth Management department launched a parking study in April, at the request of City Council, in an effort to evaluate the issue.
Senior planner Karen Swirsky says crews are now collecting data to see if they can quantify the problem. "We have gone through that area and we have catalogued all the parking spaces. In August, which is the peak period for parking usage, we will actually do what's called an inventory. So, we have a crew that goes out on an hourly basis and does a license plate survey, so we know how many spots are being used; how often their turning over."
She says an open house, Tuesday evening, is a chance for the public to provide input. "We have a lot of anecdotal stories people tell us about issues that they've had, and we know some of the businesses on the Galveston street generate a lot of on-street parking." Swirsky tells KBND News, "Galveston is an area of intense public interest, so we felt like it was better to err on the side of having more public involvement, rather than less."
Tuesday's open house is 4:30-7 p.m. at the Westside Village Magnet School gym, with brief presentations at 5 and 6 p.m. Click HERE to learn more about the city of Bend's current parking studies.
