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Press release from the City of Eureka:

The Eureka City Council will receive a presentation from City staff on Tuesday, October 6th, regarding proposed changes to parking management in Old Town and Downtown Eureka. 

The City is proposing the creation of two designated parking districts, the Old Town and the Downtown Parking District, with the goal of making parking more predictable, improving turnover in high-demand areas, and making it easier for customers and visitors to find convenient short-term parking. The proposal is intended to address what the City refers to as the “parking shuffle,” when vehicles remain in high-demand on-street spaces for extended periods or move from one nearby space to another to continue parking within the same area. 

Proposed Old Town Parking District 

The Old Town Parking District would generally be bounded by C Street to I Street and 1st Street to 4th Street. 4th Street would serve as the boundary of the Old Town District and would not be included in the district. Under the proposal, designated on-street parking spaces would have a two-hour time limit. 

Proposed Downtown Parking District 

The Downtown Parking District would generally encompass C Street through I Street between 4th Street and 7th Street. Two-hour parking would be provided on 4th and 5th Streets between C Street and I Street. The proposed district would provide a combination of short and long-term parking options. Portions of 6th and 7th Streets between A Street and L Street would provide all-day parking. Portions of E, H, I, and J Streets between 5th and 6th Streets would continue to have four-hour parking. 

Parking Options for Longer Stays 

The proposed changes would encourage employees, residents, and other long-term parkers to use existing off-street parking resources, including the City’s free public parking lots [see map below], parking permits, and Passport smart parking lots. 

Why is the City considering these changes? 

The proposed parking districts are intended to increase turnover in high-demand on-street parking spaces while maintaining a variety of parking options for people who live, work, visit, and do business in Old Town and Downtown Eureka. 

The proposal is intended to better match parking time limits with how people use different areas. Short-term spaces would be prioritized for customers and visitors, while longer-term parking would remain available through designated on-street spaces and existing off-street parking resources.  

For more information, contact:  

Jay Wortelboer, Project Manager, Public Works/Engineering jwortelboer@eurekaca.gov, 707-441-4194 | City of Eureka, 531 K Street, Eureka, CA 95501

For reference, here is a map showing the location of Eureka’s free (blue) and mobile pay (orange) parking lots.