Changes are coming to Mercer Island Town Center on-street parking.

Sometime this fall, the city will implement the alterations with approximately 100 new signs posting a two-hour time limit going into effect from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. No specific date has been set when the changes will occur, according to the city.

“This is an effort to ensure parking is available for the many visitors, businesses, employees and residents who frequent Town Center each day and need parking,” the city noted on social media. After reaching the two-hour time limit, a user must move their vehicle to another block to be considered reparked, reads a city document.

With the new hours, consistency will come into play as previous on-street parking was regulated through a mixture of hours and uses.

While discussing the 250 Town Center parking spaces available during a March 18 city council meeting, City Manager Jessi Bon said the city’s parking plan prioritized those spaces to support local businesses. Furthermore, the city sunsetted its permit parking program with the intention of freeing up those spaces to promote turnover and to support businesses, Bon said.

Also at that meeting, city council directed staff to implement the 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. parking regulations. Some Facebook commenters on the city page in recent weeks voiced concerns about why the city landed on those specific hours.

“This time frame ensures parking spaces are available for nearby retail and restaurants, including during evening hours,” according to the city, which will continue to keep residents apprised about parking changes.

Beginning on Jan. 1 of this year, the city increased the parking citation amount from $20 to $54.

Adopted by city council in November 2023, the Town Center Parking Plan is focused on making parking more functionally available, accessible for different users and supportive of non-driving travelers like walkers and bikers, according to the city.

“The creation of this plan included outreach to stakeholders such as area businesses and Island residents. Staff have been working diligently to implement the recommendations listed in the plan,” the city added.

Also on the parking front, Mercer Island’s Town Center Parking Area opened in July at the end of East Sunset Highway and features 33 new stalls for all-day parking.

To utilize the lot — which is located on the site of the former Tully’s Coffee building — people must first register their vehicles using the ParkMobile app, according to a previous Reporter story. After obtaining free parking for the first two hours, people must pay $2.50 per hour thereafter, up to a daily maximum of $12.50 with up to 14 hours of parking allowed. These regulations will be in effect from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days per week.

According to a city document, “Staff recommend that revenue generated from the parking program first be directed to support parking enforcement and parking signage. Revenue that exceeds the cost of enforcement and signage will remain in the city’s general fund for use and appropriation at the direction of the city council.”

For more information about the parking plan, visit: https://orlo.uk/JU0GL