Downtown parking in Great Falls could soon see big changes, following months of review, task force meetings, and public input. City leaders have developed a new proposal designed to balance convenience for customers, support for businesses, and the need to keep parking spaces turning over.
Quentin Shores reports - watch the video here:
Kellie Pierce, director of the Business Improvement District, explains: “The proposal that's going to go in front of the City Commission on April 21st is a two-hour free in the north parking garage, which I think both parking garages, actually.”
If approved, the first two hours in both city-owned parking garages would be free, with slight rate increases after that to match on-street parking prices. “And we've done that in the summers for the last two years. And it's proved to be very successful. People will use the garages, especially if they're going to be down here for longer than two hours,” Pierce added.
The plan is the latest in a long journey of changes to Great Falls' parking system. Since the 1940s, city officials have adjusted rates, adopted new technology, and changed enforcement strategies in search of the right fit for downtown growth.
Pierce recalls, “During Covid, we actually did a trial run of a free, unrestricted parking downtown. There was no enforcement, no payment, and the business owners quickly saw how that impacted their businesses negatively.”
That experiment showed that without time limits or enforcement, open spots became hard to find, and new customers struggled to park.
Ed Brown, president of the Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, explains, “People didn't leave their spots, so that makes it hard for a business to have turnover and for new customers to come in. And as the town has grown since then, you need that turnover.”
Keeping parking available means investing in enforcement, updated kiosks, and a system that encourages drivers to move their vehicles regularly.
Brown adds, “Every large community struggles. For example, Bozeman has two-hour free parking. It sounds great. The problem is you have to enforce that two hours to get turnover, so you have to pay someone to enforce it. So they're losing money.”
The city commission is hosting a public hearing on the proposed changes April 21st, with implementation possible soon after if approved.
