Ludington City Council revisits paid parking proposal for Stearns Park

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief

LUDINGTON — Ludington City Council discussed a proposal to charge for parking at Stearns Park and several other waterfront locations during its regular meeting Monday, Oct. 26, revisiting an issue that generated significant public opposition when it was last considered in 2023.

Councilors discussed various components of the proposal, including whether Mason County residents who live outside Ludington city limits should receive a discounted parking rate. Councilors Mike Shaw and John Terzano appeared to be the only members in favor of offering a reduced rate to county residents.

None of the councilors expressed opposition to the proposal during Monday’s discussion.

Councilor Cheri Stibitz, who chairs the city’s Cemetery, Parks and Recreation Committee, said the councilors’ feedback would be reviewed during the committee’s meeting scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 29, at 4 p.m. at the Ludington Municipal Building, 400 S. Harrison St. However, the topic did not appear on the posted agenda as of publication.

The proposal remains in draft form, and the council has not approved paid parking.

Proposed fees would cover waterfront parking lots

The draft proposal, recommended by the city’s Cemetery & Parks Committee on Sept. 22, calls for a $15 daily parking fee or a $75 annual pass for visitors and nonresidents. Qualifying Ludington residents and city property owners would receive free parking passes for vehicles registered to their city addresses.

The proposal does not currently include a discounted rate for Mason County residents living outside city limits, an issue that received attention during Monday’s discussion.

If approved, the program would operate annually from May 15 through Sept. 15, seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. It would cover approximately 411 parking spaces across several waterfront locations.

In addition to approximately 272 existing spaces at Stearns Park, the proposed program would include parking near the Loomis Street boat launch, the mini-golf course and skate park, the lower water plant lot and the west end of Ludington Avenue. Parking on surrounding neighborhood streets would not be included.

Drivers would be able to pay through the ParkMobile app, an online payment option or solar-powered pay stations. The draft also calls for seasonal parking ambassadors to verify payments and enforce the program.

City officials have proposed using net revenue to help fund maintenance and capital improvements at Stearns Park, other waterfront areas and city parks, reducing reliance on the city’s general fund.

However, final revenue projections and total implementation costs have not been completed. Expenses would include pay stations, installation, signs, staffing, enforcement equipment and administration.

Parking proposal follows earlier rejection

Paid parking at Stearns Park has been debated by city officials for nearly a decade.

The issue first resurfaced in late 2016, when Ludington officials explored ways to address projected general fund shortfalls. In February 2017, the city was researching the possibility of charging non-city residents to park at Stearns Park as a way to offset municipal expenses.

The proposal generated public opposition. In April 2017, the city’s Parks Committee voted unanimously to recommend against pursuing parking fees, and City Council subsequently set the proposal aside.

The issue returned in 2023, prompting additional council and committee discussions and extensive public comments, most of which opposed paid parking.

On June 26, 2023, City Council voted 6-1 against allowing paid parking at Stearns Park. Councilor Kathy Winczewski cast the lone dissenting vote. Council also unanimously directed its parks committee to explore alternative funding sources without considering paid parking.

At the time, city officials estimated that maintaining Stearns Park cost approximately $500,000 annually, with the expenses covered by the general fund. Then-City Manager Mitch Foster noted that a future council could reconsider the decision.

The current proposal represents another attempt to identify revenue to support the city’s waterfront facilities while reducing the amount drawn from the general fund.

Stearns family renews opposition

The renewed proposal has also drawn opposition from descendants of the family for whom Stearns Park is named.

Beth Hicks, a great-great-granddaughter of Justus and Paulina Stearns, told MCP that her family continues to oppose charging visitors to park at the popular Lake Michigan beach.

Hicks said the family wishes to honor Paulina Stearns’ longstanding wishes that the property remain free to the public. She also noted that her late father, Robert “Bob” Gable, a great-grandson of Justus and Paulina Stearns, had spoken out against parking fees.

The Stearns family’s connection to the park dates to the early 1900s, when Ludington businessman and philanthropist Justus Stearns envisioned a public beach as part of the city’s transition from a lumbering center to a tourism destination.

Stearns offered to sell lakefront property to the city for use as a public park. City voters subsequently approved a $50,000 bond issue to purchase the property.

Historical property records reviewed by Mason County Press show that a Jan. 27, 1910, deed transferred lakefront property from the Stearns Hotel Company, controlled by the Stearns family, to the city for $50,000 and other valuable consideration.

The deed included a restriction prohibiting private sewers on the property, but it did not expressly prohibit parking fees or require free public admission. The legal implications of other property restrictions associated with the park have not been determined.

Hicks said she planned to contact city officials to express the family’s opposition to the latest proposal.

The family maintains that charging for parking would conflict with the original intention of providing a public lakefront destination available to everyone.

Funding remains central to the discussion

The renewed debate puts the cost of maintaining Ludington’s waterfront facilities alongside questions about public access, residency and how parking expenses should be shared.

Under the current draft, Ludington residents and qualifying property owners would receive free parking passes, while other visitors would pay the proposed daily or annual rates. Whether Mason County residents outside city limits should receive a reduced rate remains among the issues discussed by councilors.

The proposal must undergo further review before any final decision is made. Details involving rates, permit eligibility, vendor agreements, operating expenses and projected revenue remain subject to additional consideration.

The Cemetery, Parks and Recreation Committee’s review of council feedback is the next identified step in the process. No final decision to implement paid parking had been made as of publication.

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