Plattsburgh to start enforcing parking regulations

It's been years since parking regulations have been enforced in downtown Plattsburgh but that's about to change.

"There's no tricks to it, it's just a warning," Plattsburgh Police Chief Levi Ritter said.

If you plan to park in downtown Plattsburgh, you'll want to know about this. City police are handing out tickets to remind people that parking enforcement is coming next year.

"It's a warning parking ticket. It looks everything like an actual ticket except it says warning on the top and no action required on the bottom, but it's red and white just like out normal tickets are," Ritter said.

They're warning you that starting Jan. 3, roadside parking and all lots-- with an exception of the Durkee Street lot-- will follow the city's two hours or less parking regulation. If your car is left longer than two hours, you could face a $15 fine. The ticket enforcement officer will work Monday through Friday.

"We're making every effort to make this as seamless as possible," Ritter said.

So how will it work? The officer will patrol the spaces with an electronic device that scans the registration sticker on your windshield. That device will store your license plate, street and space you are in and the time she last saw the car there. After making her rounds to all the other lots and spaces, she will check back. If the car is still in the same spot after two hours, the car owner will receive a ticket. And the car owner needs to actually change lots or streets, not just move the car up a space.

"You're going to have to find a solution," Peter Regnier said.

Business owners like Regnier are backing the idea of parking enforcement.

"There aren't a lot of spots on the street and if people park their cars there all day, these business owners are fighting an uphill battle. So to keep the parking and the traffic fluid, I think it's a good idea," Regnier said.

But some residents are concerned.

"Well, that's great if they want to enforce parking downtown but I just wish they had told us some kind of plan as a resident of the downtown area. I'd like to know that I'm going to be able to get parking spaces and not have to move my car every two hours," said Kevin Cooney of Plattsburgh.

As a reminder, parking will stay free for now but the city has said paid parking will be coming. WCAX News reached out to the city for a comment or clarification on how they will handle residents and employees who work downtown, but we did not hear back from them before this story was published.