Downtown Parking

Contents

• Introduction - What makes downtown parking special?
• Downtown Parking in General
• Downtown Parking Studies, Inventories, and Plans
• Downtown Parking Management
• MRSC Related Web Pages
  • Downtown Parking Solutions
  • Downtown Parking Regulations and Systems
  • Municipal Parking Lots and Structures
  • Parking Regulations and Enforcement
  • Promoting Downtown Parking

  Introduction - What makes downtown parking special?

  There are special issues associated with parking in downtown areas where land is valuable and relatively scarce and large numbers of people converge to work, shop, and visit. The lack of parking is sometimes cited as a reason for the declining vitality of a downtown business district. Some downtowns seem to thrive despite a shortage of parking, because of the attractions they offer, as long as they provide alternative ways of getting there and getting around. It is important to recognize that parking is not an end in itself but is intended to serve the needs of the various users of downtown, including workers, shoppers, tourists, and others.

  Provision of adequate parking can be challenging in downtowns of all sizes. In large cities and major metropolitan areas, transportation policies typically emphasize the use of transit and ridesharing programs instead of providing low-cost downtown parking. Some smaller communities, especially resort communities, have developed systems of parking lots and shuttles to reduce the demand for parking in the town center. At the same time in most cities, there is likely to always be a need for a certain amount of parking, whether it be on-street or off-street. Some downtowns predate the widespread use of the automobile and were not laid out with parking in mind. Downtowns are typically compact, which also means that there is not ample space for parking. Parking is not intrinsically an aesthetic asset to the city's character, and extensive parking lots are particularly jarring in a historic downtown environment. In metropolitan areas, for downtown businesses to successfully compete with suburban shopping centers, a workable balance of parking, transit service, and other access options is essential.

  Decisions about downtown parking and other access solutions require trade-offs between the use of expensive land to achieve a viable and attractive downtown and the provision of workable parking/access programs to support downtown's vitality. Thus, parking must be viewed as only one element in a broad range of access and circulation options for downtown.

  This Web page is organized into several general topics related to downtown parking.

  Downtown Parking in General

  This section includes general materials addressing general downtown parking issues, principles, and goals.

  • Downtown parking: Reining in the 800-pound gorilla, by Kent Robertson, Community and Rural Development Institute (CaRDI) at Cornell University, Community & Economic Development Toolbox - Sets forth six key parking principles related to downtown development
  • Parking management made easy: a guide to taming the downtown parking beast, prepared by the Oregon Downtown Development Association for the Transportation and Growth Management Program, June 2001. Useful step-by-step handbook to addressing downtown parking issues including inventories and potential solutions
  • The Dynamics of On-Street Parking in Large Central Cities, by Allison L. C. de Cerreño, Rudin Center for Transportation Policy & Management, NYU Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, December 2002
  • Parking: The Parking Handbook for Small Communities, by John D. Edwards, ITE, National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1994. Library Loan - Primarily oriented toward downtown parking but a useful overview of parking issues in small cities.
  • Downtown Parking Made Easy: 6 strategies for improving the quality and quantity of downtown parking, by Mary Barr, Downtown Research & Development Center, 1997. Library Loan

  Downtown Parking Studies, Inventories, and Plans

  Many communities have undertaken parking studies and inventories to assess their downtown parking situation and have developed plans to address downtown parking issues. This section includes information on how to develop a parking management plan as well as examples of parking inventories, studies, and plans.

  Inventories and Studies

  • Bainbridge Island Parking LID Feasibility Study Counseling Report, Winslow, prepared by Anthony Gibbons and Marilynn Gottlieb, 2002
  • Bellevue Downtown Parking Survey Management Brief,   2004
  • Downtown Bellingham Parking Management Study, 2004
  • Edmonds Comprehensive Downtown Parking Study,  Landsman Transportation Planning and Perteet Engineering, June 2003
  • Everett Downtown Parking  
  • PSRC Regional Parking Inventory Puget Sound Regional Council, 2002, 2004, and 2006 - Includes parking surveys, summaries, and reports
  • Downtown Redmond Parking Study, Rick Williams Consulting, Jan. 2008 
  • Downtown Spokane Parking Study, City of Spokane, 2004
  • Sumner Parking Study and Recommendations, City of Sumner and Puget Sound Regional Council, 2001 and Sumner 2005/2006 Parking Study and Recommendations,  Heffron Transportation
  • Westport Parking Study and Commercial Design Guidelines, City Council presentation, Feb. 2007. 

  Parking Plans

  • Parking Management Plan Checklist, Planning for Your Regional Growth Center, Puget Sound Regional Council, 2003 - Tool to help communities develop parking management plans with an emphasis on controlling the supply and design of parking
  • Bainbridge Island Winslow Tomorrow Parking, Phase I Report, Executive Summary
  • Downtown Bellingham Parking Management Strategy, The Transpo Group, September 2004
  • Kirkland Downtown Parking Strategy, includes full report Downtown Kirkland Parking Study and Plan,  prepared by Melvin Mark Development Company and Nelson Nygaard Consulting Associates, October 2003
  • Downtown Redmond Parking Study/Management Plan Status Report, October 2007
  • Seattle Central Waterfront Parking Strategy, Department of Planning and Development, 2002
  • Walla Walla Downtown Master Plan, Ch. 5 - Auto Circulation and Parking, 2004.

  Downtown Parking Management

  • Parking Management - Strategies for More Efficient Use of Parking Resources, TDM Encyclopedia, Victoria Transport Policy Institute - Excellent guide to strategies that can be applied to downtown parking
  • Transportation Management Associations and Parking Brokerage, TDM Encyclopedia, Victoria Transport Policy Institute
  • Regulate Parking Use - TDM Encyclopedia, Victoria Transport Policy Institute
  • Ephrata, Downtown Revitalization: A Resource Book for Downtown Ephrata, May 2004, by Downtown Ephrata, Inc. (see p. 45, “When Parking is the Issue”)
  • Kirkland, Parking Guidelines for Downtown Kirkland, 2004 - Implements Kirkland's 2003 Downtown Parking Study and Plan
  • Kirkland Parking Management - Section IV, Parking Management Plan, Operating Principles and Strategies for Implementation, from Downtown Kirkland Parking Study and Plan - Information on parking management zones, recommended management strategies, enforcement, and more
  • Lynnwood Parking Management in City Center Subarea Plan, Draft, Aug. 2004 (see p. 58)
  • Tacoma Downtown Parking Connection 
  • Vancouver, Downtown Vancouver Parking Management Plan, Ch. 4.9 of Downtown Transportation System Plan.

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