Trust Us, We'll Do The Right Thing!

[pineda]

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Flow of Market Street meter monies cause for speculation

By: CHEVALIER MAYES , Villager staff , 03/10/05

Some Market Street shoppers are puzzled about just how far their dollars will stretch when it comes to a new addition to the development.

Twenty-four parking meters have been installed at various locations throughout Market Street and, according to the sticker label on the front of the meters, some of the proceeds collected will go to local charities.

But what about the rest of the proceeds? Market Street is located in an unincorporated area and is private property to boot. Those facts alone pose some legal questions regarding the meter collections.

Harold Dull, general manager of Market Street in The Woodlands, said 20 percent of the money collected at the 1-hour parking meters will be donated to local charities, and 80 percent will support community activities held in the shopping center.

As part of Market Street's participation in the "Change for Charity" program, the meter money set aside for charity will go to the Montgomery County Food Bank, Family Outreach of Montgomery County, Montgomery County Performing Arts Society and Child Advocates of Montgomery County. A different charity will benefit from the proceeds every three months, Dull said.

However, shoppers cannot receive a violation for choosing not to put change into the parking meters, said Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace Edie Connelly. She said no laws are broken and no penalties can be assessed if shoppers decide to not put money into the parking meters at Market Street.

"The Woodlands is not an incorporated area so they have no municipality to levy parking fees," she said. "It is private property, but there is no criminal penalty for not putting money into the meter. It is strictly a voluntary situation."

Montgomery County District Attorney Mike McDougal said Market Street reinforced Connelly's assessment and said that since Market Street is not a city, it cannot enforce any laws related to parking meters. He said legally, the shopping center cannot give anyone a ticket for failure to pay the meter, but it can place a general reminder to donate on the car windshields.

Dull said Market Street will eventually issue tickets to shoppers who fail to pay the parking meter fee for time used in the metered parking spaces, but he allowed that legally the shopper will not be forced to pay it.

The tickets, he said, will be nothing more than a reminder to the shopper of his or her opportunity to donate to a charitable organization. The system won't be implemented until August, and Dull said 100 percent of the proceeds from the paid tickets will be given to local charities.

More parking meters are set to be installed in a few months, Dull said. He said the fact that they are there is a benefit to the entire community.

"There will be 68 parking meters out of 2,000 parking spaces," he said. "The others will not be up until July or August. A lot of the areas where they will be installed are still under construction.

"Market Street was built to evoke the image of an old downtown. Most downtown locations have parking meters and the attraction of having the meters is having them right around the curb, where shoppers are able to run in and out of stores. It's very convenient."

Woodlands resident Ann Karas posed another concern about the parking meters at Market Street. She said the public should take note of where their money is going and the sticker label on the parking meters should include which charities Market Street is donating to and what percentage of those fund are going to the charities.

"The charities should be clearly stated," she said. "More than 20 percent needs to go to charity. If they can't put all the information on there, they don't need to have it on the meters because they are misleading people to believe all the change is going to charity."

Dull said the idea to not list the charities or go into too much detail was a business decision. He said he believes the public has faith in Market Street, and will understand that the shopping center is trying to do something positive for the community.

"It was a business decision and that information is nothing we're going to put on the meters," he said. "That information is not relevant. The charity organization is going to change each quarter and we used a broad stroke so that we wouldn't have to change the label on the meters each time. We know the community understands our true intent is to help support local charitable organizations."

Woodlands resident Debra Staley, who is also director of public affairs for The Woodlands Development Company, said she appreciates what Market Street is trying to do for the community. She said the parking meters are convenient and she trusts her money will be used in the right way.

"I think it's a great idea; being able to park on the street here and shop," she said. "I want to be able to kiss them (the Market Street developers) and give them five dollars. It's so user friendly. It's also a wonderful and easy way to give. It makes you feel better. I have no problem with the charities not being listed. I trust the people at Market Street."

Some Market Street customers, who refused to give their names, said they would like to see the charities listed on the parking meters and be able choose whether they wanted to support that specific charity or not. Others said they thought the percentage of donated monies from the meters should be displayed.

Woodlands resident Kim Smith said although she was surprised to see the parking meters installed, she is all for them if they help develop the area.

"I know when you contribute to organizations a percentage is given back, and it's OK that it's not listed," Smith said. "I realize there is limited space (on the parking meter label) and I trust The Woodlands to do what's right."

Market Street Activities Coordinator Gina Faist said the parking meters were developed with the consumer in mind.

"It's for convenience and for the turn over of customers," she said, referring to the one-hour time limit on the meters. "We have restraints and a movie theater, so someone could stay parked there for five hours. It's for the convenience of shoppers."

Monica Ferrer, assistant manager at Sur La Table, said the parking meters do not seem to be problem for the customers she sees everyday.

"We just learned they were for charity a month ago," she said. "Customers have always used them and never complained. Now that they know its charity, they're happy to put money in there."

The charities will also receive every coin tossed into one of Market Street's four fountains, Dull said.

For more information about Change for Charities, call Market Street at (281) 419-4774.

[tw2ntyse7en]

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[pineda]

However, shoppers cannot receive a violation for choosing not to put change into the parking meters, said Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace Edie Connelly. She said no laws are broken and no penalties can be assessed if shoppers decide to not put money into the parking meters at Market Street.

"The Woodlands is not an incorporated area so they have no municipality to levy parking fees," she said. "It is private property, but there is no criminal penalty for not putting money into the meter. It is strictly a voluntary situation."

[tw2ntyse7en]

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[pineda]

What if you already give to your set of charities? Now, just because you want to use a conveniently located and available parking meter, you're feel coerced into giving to an unknown charity, not of your own choosing? The implied meaning being that if you're able to afford to shop at these fancy stores and you are lucky enough to be able to park close by them, that you should be able to at least contribute a little more of your money to our own privately designated list of charities, because heck, we're nice people and you trust us to do the right thing, don't you? If this caught on, where else would we start seeing these silent but pushy charity reminders, in front of Kroger's or Randalls'; a row for handicapped, a row for pregnant moms, a row for charity givers, then all the rest. Maybe the first parking rows at churches, cause heck, it's for the capital campaign to help build the new church, right? Sorry, don't care for it at all.

[tw2ntyse7en]

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[pineda]

The beauty is that you don't have to go somewhere with the meters if you don't want to.

YIKES, that ought to make the shopkeepers cringe, hearing you say that!

[tw2ntyse7en]

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[yall_are_nutty]

My opinion of this project just went down a big notch. What a stupid idea to put parking meters out there whether it's enforceable or not........I'm betting they are gone within 6 months.

[tw2ntyse7en]

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[kjb434]

This concept is not new. In many cities, you have to pay to park at movie theaters. Just look at the two Edwards Cinemas. It's $2 dollars to park ($5 dollars for VIP) at their two Greeway locations and the Silber location. The Angelika in downtown also.

You can park on the street at Greeway, or you can park far away in a large parking lot at the MarqueE. At the Angelika you don't have much choice.

It like toll roads. You pay for convience. If you don't want to pay, park a little further away and walk. The exercise would be much needed by most people anyway.

In the end, you have no right to free parking space. Its private property and you were paying for the maintenance and upkeep already through the markup of the products in the store you were patronizing.

I probably won't use the meters if I go to the Woodlands. I don't mind walking.

[pineda]

You're not paying for the convenience of parking closer. The money is not being used for maintenance and/or upkeep of the parking lot or commons area. The money is not going into the pockets of the shopkeepers. It is a new concept, whereby you are being asked to contribute to unnamed charities.

[kjb434]

One: Small percentage is going to charities which were mentioned.

Two: The rest I assume will go to the development

Three: If you don't like, don't use it. It's simple enough. As a new development, they'll have to provide some other parking than just the ones along the street.