The City of Cedar Falls has partnered with the University of Northern Iowa and the College Hill Partnership to implement parking improvements in the Cedar Falls College Hill district.
The City conducted an independent parking study of the district to assess areas of improvement. The study, performed by WGI, focused on the College Hill District. An online survey was available for the community to provide their feedback on area parking options. A public workshop was held on May 13, 2019, to discuss the results of the survey. A second public workshop was also held on July 16, 2019, which focused on the parking recommendations provided by WGI, based off their study.
The recommendations included extending parking enforcement hours until 6:00 PM from Monday-Friday, converting Lot G to a paid lot, and updating the fees and enforcement hours in Lot J.
Previously a 2-hour parking lot, Lot G will now be .50 per hour with a $3.00 daily max rate and enforcement time will be Monday-Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. Lot J will follow this same fee structure.
Additionally, effective January 1, 2020, parking permits will be allowed for Lot J only. They will no longer be accepted for Lots G and N.
The Cedar Falls City Council has approved the College Hill District parking study recommendations. In late November the implementation of the parking recommendations will begin with the first reading of the ordinance changes.
“It was important to work with UNI and the College Hill Partnership throughout this study to determine how we can use the parking areas more effective,” said Terra Ray, Engineering Technician II at the City of Cedar Falls. “Lot G is the most accessible lot for customers and visitors. The recommendation to update the structure of this lot helps provide better parking for visitors and customers to College Hill and discourages individuals from using the lot as a commuter lot for the University of Northern Iowa. ”
Education on available parking in the area is also important.
“The study found that many members of the community are unaware of parking options in the district,” said Ray. “For example, the public is able to use the UNI Parking Structure, which is the parking ramp on 23rd Street. There is also a misconception that off-campus students are not allowed to buy on-campus parking permits.”
The University of Northern Iowa does allow the public to use the metered areas of the parking ramp, and off-campus students may purchase the appropriate university parking permit. For more information on campus parking, visit https://publicsafety.uni.edu.
To learn more about parking options in the College Hill district and to view the full parking study report and recommendations, please visit http://bit.ly/ParkingCH.