Community activist Donna Gentile O'Donnell said the plan could deter people from visiting shops along the avenue.
"I think that an increased Parking Authority presence . . . will potentially drive a stake through the heart of what's left of the functional business district," she said.
O'Donnell noted that the Parking Authority has been known for its aggressiveness in ticketing.
Ingersoll said the new system was needed because some businesses were not paying the voluntary annual fee and because expenses - which include snow-removal, lighting, insurance, and maintenance - have been increasing.
"We knew that the voluntary system that we're in now wasn't the perfect answer. It was a good Band-Aid to get to the next level," Ingersoll said. "We've been meeting for the last two years to see how to make this better and keep it fair for everyone."
Ingersoll said a Nov. 10 meeting with business owners about the plan was canceled after people other than the business owners began raising objections to the plan via e-mail and leaflets.
Said O'Donnell: "We were leafleting on Election Day to have people attend the meeting . . . which was subsequently canceled. I have since sought to have some kind of involvement in the decision-making, including just a rethinking of the decision."
O'Donnell, the Ninth Ward Democratic committee person, said she later met with members of the parking foundation as "someone who lives in Chestnut Hill and is just not thrilled with this decision."
She has asked the foundation to reconsider the plan.
O'Donnell said she recommended the panel try out the kiosk system on just one or two lots.
John O'Connell, a real estate agent and activist in Chestnut Hill, said he was wary of increasing the role of the Parking Authority. He described the use of the city agency as "a punitive system."
"I would like to see them go to a pay-as-you-go system with gates. To me, that's a fair way to do it," O'Connell said.
Ingersoll said he had no idea what kind of revenue the kiosk system would generate. He said no action would be taken until after the new year.
"We're still trying to figure this out."
Contact staff writer Vernon Clark at 215-854-5717 or vclark@phillynews.com.
