City Council Meeting Date: September 8, 2026
To: Mayor and Members of Council
City Administrator
From: David Bennett, Public Works Director/City Engineer
Jeff Schroepfer, Police Chief
Scott Wopata, Community Development Director
Title
The City Council requests Rice County to change Parking Restrictions on County Road 43 (Lincoln St) from Greenvale Ave to Forest Ave to allow parking on the West Side of County Road 43 and restrict the east side of County Road 43 from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m.
Body
Action Requested:
The City Council approves a motion to request Rice County change Parking Restrictions on County Road 43 (Lincoln St) from Greenvale Ave to Forest Ave to allow parking on the West Side of County Road 43 and restrict the East Side of County Road 43 from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m.
Summary Report:
The proposed request to Rice County is in response to neighborhood feedback as a first step to help alleviate college students storing their vehicles in the neighborhood east of Lincoln St. (County 43). Once the request is received by the Rice County Engineer, it will then go to the County board for consideration which is tentatively scheduled for October 6.
This item was discussed at the September 8, 2026, City Council meeting and background from that meeting is below.
Background from September 8, 2026 Council Meeting
Over the past few years residents adjacent to St. Olaf College have experienced a significant increase in students parking and storing their vehicles in adjacent neighborhoods. Two factors driving this change are the construction of new student housing and the college moving from a need-based to a first-come-first-served permitting system. In a previous attempt to address the issue, St. Olaf constructed an additional 119 parking spaces, a number that exceeded the waitlist for permits at the time. The waitlist quickly rebounded after the expanded permits were issued.
Resident concerns include having limited space to park adjacent to their home for t...
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