Stillwater pitches plans to solve parking problems

Stillwater boasts of its status as Minnesota’s first city, settled in 1843. And anyone who has tried to park there in 2025 knows it wasn’t designed for cars.

That poses a challenge when thousands of visitors descend on the historic city along the St. Croix River to scavenge for medallions, watch pumpkins race down the river and marvel at snow sculptures. Where can they park? For how long? And what does it cost?

“We are seeing swells of numbers of people visiting our community and parking is a scarce commodity,” City Council Member Lindsay Belland said.

Stillwater city officials are hoping to change that. They implemented some paid parking downtown two years ago, and now the City Council is adding new parking rules, more parking lots and better communication to help ease parking pains.

The city operates 18 parking lots, some paid and others free, with another lot planned to open next year. All free lots will now have four-hour limits and Main Street will continue to only be free for half an hour from Mulberry to Nelson streets.

Parking apps have also led to issues for residents. Belland said scams are commonly found when residents look for the city’s Passport App. Signage is changing to add QR codes for simplicity and the city will only have two zones and prices for lot parking and street parking.

Belland said consistency and clarity should alleviate problems for residents and visitors. Enforcement will also be easier, she said, as the confusion sometimes makes it difficult for police to give or collect on tickets.

Businesses were initially very concerned when the city added paid options, Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Robin Anthony said. But the community’s restaurants and shops are thriving, she said, and the new changes only improve the experiences of shoppers.

“When people want to come to Stillwater,” she said, “they’ll make it happen.”

The city is also eliminating its ban on overnight street parking — but only from April to November. That, city officials say, can help minimize drunken driving.

Jason Zimmerman, the city’s community development director, said police had been hesitant to enforce the rules for that reason.

“The last thing they want to do is, whether intentionally or not, be encouraging a person who has been drinking to get in their vehicle and move it because they’re worried about a ticket,” he said.

As event attendance grows, shuttling and rideshare options are thriving. The chamber’s Anthony said she often chooses to Uber to Stillwater events to avoid parking.

Most large events, including Harvest Fest, Lumberjack Days and July 4th celebrations, have shuttling options, too. But the annual tree-lighting event on Dec. 4 didn’t, and Belland said it felt particularly crowded.

She said she would like to require a shuttle for events once they reach a certain size, which has yet to be determined. The shuttles provide more accessibility, especially during the winter months, because they can drop people off right outside an event.

“Having that easy flat place out of the downtown district, where folks can park and then hop on a free shuttle to come downtown, has seemed to be a really lovely solution,” Belland said.

The changes in parking, Zimmerman said, are from learning “the blessings and curses of being a destination city.”