Starting Monday, parking in most of downtown Crown Point will be restricted to two hours in the same spot.
To help with the enforcement, the Crown Point Police Department is introducing a new device to assist them with enforcement, Crown Point Assistant Police Chief Jim Janda said.
“The city is debuting a new handheld device by T2 Systems that allows the police department’s parking enforcement officer to identify vehicles parked for more than two hours,” he said.
The device is a handheld LPR with a keyboard, camera and GPS unit to help police document parking violations. It can also print tickets out at the scene, Janda said.
Parking will be limited to two hours all around the square, the city court parking lot and the Crown Point Community Library. Parking at the Crown Point City Hall has a 15-minute time limit.
To remain in compliance, a vehicle owner must move to a new parking spot by the time their two hours are up.
Within two blocks of downtown, there are 1,225 parking stalls, including nine all-day lots.
Timed parking violations will come with a $35 fine and will increase to $50 if the fine is not paid in full within 48 hours, he said.
Any vehicle that receives four or more parking citations within 120 days will be impounded and towed.
“I want to be clear; this enforcement is not new. We took a pause over the past year to implement new technology to enhance the parking experience on the square,” he said.
The enforcement will be in effect from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, as outlined in Ordinance 76.06, which has been in effect since 1970, he said.
The ordinance was amended in 1991 and 1996.
“We have received feedback from Crown Point businesses asking for us to be more stringent on parking enforcement, particularly on those vehicles that park in the same parking spot all day, which again, has been in effect since 1970. Many businesses have reported employees and other business owners parking on the square all day,” he said.
Breanne Zolfo, owner of Cafe Fresco located on the square, agrees.
“The goal of the city’s parking enforcement is not to penalize valued customers but rather hold those accountable that occupy spots for an entire day, limiting the customers’ ability to visit and support local businesses. By encouraging responsible use of parking, we hope it will make it easier for our customers to stop by their favorite shops and restaurants more often.”
Not everyone is pleased with the parking restrictions.
Resident Jacqueline Swike said she may have to rethink her utilization of the Crown Point Community Library.
“I want to spend time working on projects and reading at leisure. This parking issue is going to make it difficult to do that if you have to watch the clock. I will just do my library work in Merrillville, where that’s not an issue,” Swike said.
Free all-day parking will remain available at the post office, Bulldog Park, the parking lot south of the Cal Ripken baseball fields and the parking lot north of the library and across the street from the Crown Point Fire Department, Janda said.
For a detailed map showing locations for untimed and timed parking in downtown Crown Point, visit crownpoint.info/parking.
Deborah Laverty is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
