NW Portland parking

The city of Portland allocates 51 percent of the revenue generated from parking meters installed on and near Northwest 21st and 23rd avenues for neighborhood transportation improvements.

(Gordon Oliver/Special to The Oregonian/OregonLive)

A committee has recommended tripling the price of parking permits in Northwest Portland, an attempt to free up curb space in the cramped neighborhood.

The Northwest Parking District Stakeholder Advisory Committee voted Wednesday to endorse raising the price of a street parking permit from $60 to $180 a year. The permits are available to residents, employees and visitors who meet eligibility requirements.

The decision is just one in the neighborhood's mission to confront its parking problem. Another central debate is whether the city should compel developers to include parking in new multifamily projects.

It also recommended capping the number of permits available to residents of apartment buildings with 30 or more units. Existing buildings would be limited to 0.6 permits per unit, while new buildings would be limited to 0.4 per unit.

There would not, however, be a cap on the number of permits overall. The area already has two valid permits for every parking spot.

The committee hopes the higher fees will encourage some residents to give up their cars in the close-in neighborhood.

The Portland Bureau of Transportation has the final say, but the bureau is expected to approve the committee recommendation.

The fee increase would low-income exemption and is expected to raise $600,000, which the neighborhood could use on transportation improvements and incentives to reduce auto use.

Residents who have permits and choose not to renew them would be offered either a half-price annual TriMet pass or $100 off a TriMet pass and a free one-year membership to Biketown, the city's bike-share system.

The changes would take effect Sept. 1.

-- Elliot Njus

enjus@oregonian.com

503-294-5034

@enjus