WHEREAS, Over the last decade Philadelphia has made great strides in promoting Center City as a destination for out-of-town tourists, shoppers, and diners; and
WHEREAS, The average daily parking rate for Philadelphia is certainly affordable and well below the price of many major cities; and
WHEREAS, The high cost of parking for special events in Center City has come under recent scrutiny, as have the steep rates for short-term parking; and
WHEREAS, Special events such as the All-Star Game or the Auto Show should not be an invitation for parking lots to gouge those who have no choice but to park in their lots; and
WHEREAS, Many of our public and private parking lots have extremely front-loaded rates, where someone parking for twelve hours often pays only twice as much as someone parking for less than an hour, thus discouraging short-term visitors like tourists, shoppers, and restaurant diners; and
WHEREAS, The City has no apparent coordinated strategy on how to promote transportation to Center City's amenities, and most of our parking lots are hard to find and display confusing signs stating complicated rules and rates, further discouraging any potential return visitors; and
WHEREAS, It is clearly in all parties' best interests to remove any impediments to encouraging more people to come to Center City, and thus a coordinated strategy and supporting legislation must be considered to enhance our public and private parking lots' role towards that goal; now therefore
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That authority be given to the Legislative Oversight Committee to hold public hearings on the rates, pricing structures, and marketing of Philadelphia's private and public parking lots, and their effects on our hospitality, tourism, and shopping industries.
End