Tigard is considering warnings and then citations for overtime parking downtown and the Tigard Triangle. (

Those who park for extended hours in downtown Tigard or in the Tigard Triangle could be issued warnings over the next two months, with possible citations handed out beginning Sept. 1.

That’s part of a proposed parking management plan the Tigard City Council will consider when it meets Tuesday, June 24.

At issue have been requests by some businesses to increase parking turnover and improve access in those areas.

In February, the council asked the city community director to gather information about on the city’s 263 on-street parking spaces and the 33 spaces in public parking lots available for customers in downtown Tigard. Included too would be about 36 spaces on several streets in the city’s so-called Tigard Triangle, located on the east side of Highway 217.

In addition to those public spaces, there are an estimated 2,132 private parking spaces in the downtown area owned by local businesses and the city of Tigard, including spaces at Tigard City Hall and Tigard Public Works, according to a staff report. Those spaces would not be a part of a parking program. 

What the city discovered during a study is that neither downtown nor major streets in the Tigard Triangle reached 85% occupancy at peak hours. 

However, three areas of town, which include spaces adjacent to the Attwell Off Main apartment complex, the Burnham Street public lot and the Tigard Street public lot, exceed that 85% occupancy more than 10 times each month.

The big takeaway from the study showed that 41 vehicles stayed parked past the posted limit, with 92% of them exceeding four or more hours.

Since May, the city’s hired parking contractor has been educating businesses and residents about proposed changes likely coming for on-street parking. 

Currently, those who park overtime can be issued a $53 fine, an amount that covers all other parking violations as well except for parking in a space reserved for those with disabilities. That fine is $265.

If the parking plan moves forward, violators will receive a paper warning placed under their windshield wipers July 1 through Aug. 31.

During a June 9 forum, some business owners expressed concern that customers receiving parking warnings and tickets might not be good for business, but city officials explained that there needed to be a turnover of cars to allow for “competing needs between patrons, employees, and residents in these districts.”

Meanwhile, city staff are looking into the feasibility of offering parking permits for purchase.