In this motorized age of transportation where vehicular traffic once took precedence over pedestrian traffic, available parking can be an issue at any time and at any location. Drivers and/or the passengers want to park as close to their destination as possible. The further away they have to park, the angrier they become about the lack of adequate parking opportunities.
The City of Muscatine is no stranger to parking complaints but has established rules and regulations within Title VII of the City Code to address the issue. The City is also closely monitoring the use of free, metered, and lease parking opportunities in an ongoing study of the needs of the downtown area.
There are 1,427 parking spots in the downtown commercial district that stretches from Mulberry to Pine and from the Mississippi River to 4th Street.
Free parking is located on 2nd Street for up to three hours once per day in each space. However parking is prohibited on 2nd Street from 2-6 a.m. seven days a week in the downtown commercial district. There are many reasons for the moratorium on parking during those four hours including cleanup from snow emergencies, trash collection, and trash cleanup after special events. A change in the shift commander at the Muscatine Police Department and concerns of business owners over parking opportunities for shoppers has brought a renewed emphasis on enforcing the regulations.
Those regulations are displayed on every block of 2nd Street but should there still be questions as to what the regulations are, please contact City Hall at 563-264-1550. Our friendly staff is ready and willing to advise on the guidelines for parking along 2nd Street.
Free parking is also located in Riverside Park where approximately 500 spaces are available and all just a short walk to downtown businesses. During Phase I of the Mississippi Drive Reconstruction Project pedestrian traffic from that parking area to the commercial district has been limited to the pedestrian crossings at Sycamore and at Cedar. It may be several more months before the pedestrian crossings at Iowa and Chestnut are usable due to the construction.
Six parking lots also surround the downtown commercial district with free, metered and leased parking spots available. For more information on leasing a parking space in one of these lots visit the Parking Department page at the City of Muscatine web site. The locations of the parking lots are: Lot #1 200 block of West 3rd Street; Lot #2 200 block of West 2nd Street; Lot #4 200 block of Mississippi Drive off of Sycamore Street; Lot #6 100 block of West 3rd Street; Lot #7 200 block of East 3rd Street; and Lot #8, 300 block of East 3rd Street.
Designated spaces in lots #2, #4, and #8 allow for free parking up to 3-4 hours once per day as marked. Most metered spaces have either a two hour limit (silver cap) or a 10-hour limit (red cap). Leased spaces for the public are available in lots #2, #4. #7, and #8. There are special lease rates for downtown residents. Contact the City of Muscatine Finance Department for more information.
There is always free parking on Saturdays and Sundays and the holidays that the City of Muscatine is closed.
A little walk is a good thing and the City envisions a time when walking to the downtown area will again be the activity of choice rather than driving round and round while searching for the nearest parking space.
The long range plan for the downtown commercial district is to make the area more pedestrian friendly. A balance between the flow of vehicles and the movement of pedestrians is one of the goals of the Mississippi Drive Reconstruction Project. Wider sidewalks with plenty of gathering places for shoppers, diners, residents, and visitors to gather and enjoy the historical nature of downtown Muscatine is part of that long range plan as is creating better access from the river front to the downtown area.
In the months to come residents and visitors will begin to have a better visualization of just how the Mississippi Drive Reconstruction Project ties in with enhancing the uniqueness of the downtown area. Other areas of the community are not left out of the City's long range goals. Increasing the flow of visitors to the downtown area will also create an increased flow to other venues in this community - north, south, east, or west.
In the meantime, if you able, try parking a little further away and walking to your destination. Opportunities to park are usually more abundant on the outskirts of the downtown commercial district. The little bit of exercise you get may ease that road rage of parking.
One of the most often quoted phrases is "the best is yet to come" and that fits perfectly for the residents and visitors of Muscatine.