In Lansing, a proposal to increase parking rates has some local business owners concerned over how it could negatively impact their customers.
Adam Seyburn is the co-owner of longtime Lansing business The Peanut Shop. The store has been a staple downtown for more than eight decades. He says he already has concerns about how parking is currently handled downtown.
"Downtown Lansing is struggling, and the length of the parking enforcement hours and the aggressiveness of the ticketing are both very negative for my business," he said.
Seyburn says he would like to see the city institute 15-minute free parking for pickups and drop-offs, shorter enforcement hours and a return to traditional coin meters.
He says many of his customers, especially those that are older or are coming from out of town, complain about paying for parking at digital kiosks.
"Once they figure out where they're supposed to go to pay for parking, they get there, they realize that they need their license plate number. They have to walk back to their car," he said. "In the meantime, the parking enforcement people are riding around and going, 'Oh, you haven't paid for your parking yet.' And they give them a ticket when they're still trying to figure out the parking system.”
Lansing’s Committee on Ways and Means meets Thursday to discuss the proposal.