Development in downtown Ocala continues, and with a growing dining, shopping and entertainment scene, parking is a more valuable commodity than ever. Downtown parking is very limited and in an attempt to make it more readily available to patrons, the city is developing and implementing ongoing plans aimed at encouraging downtown business owners and employees to park in the readily available free parking garage, so that on-street parking spaces and lots are available for customers.
As part of the plan, city staff is installing approximately 140 new parking meters for on-street spaces downtown. They will provide real-time auditing data to city officials that indicate how the meters are being used. Ocala is the first city in Florida that will be using these high-tech meters.
People will be able to pay using not only coins or credit cards, but also via their smart phones with the free PassportParking Mobile Pay app. Ultimately, the parking meters will also accept Apple Pay and Android Pay.
The additional meters will help visitors downtown find parking spaces, and they will also serve to put a time limit on how long a parking space is being occupied, allowing the space to open up for the next person. The city already monitors approximately 1,400 parking spaces downtown, where 376 of those are on-street parking and 262 are metered parking. The remaining parking spaces have signage indicating whether or not there is a time limit on the spot.
The constant change and development of the parking outlets in downtown is indicative of the growth that is occurring here. For more details and information on the city's parking plans, be sure to read the full article at Ocala.com.
