Belmont, North Carolina

Transcription

1 2017 Belmont, North Carolina Vicki Davis, Downtown Downtown Director Director January 20, 2017

2 TABLE CONTENTS OF STUDY AREA... 2 METHODOLOGY EXISTING PARKING CONDITIONS... 4 Parking Supply... 4 Parking Demand...5 Parking Occupancy Parking Supply/Demand Summary...7 FUTURE PARKING CONDITIONS...9 Future Parking Demand...9 Current Parking Initiatives...9 Planned Parking Initiatives..9 Future Parking Summary...11 PARKING MANAGEMENT...11 Timed Parking Paid Parking...11 Meter Technology...12 Parking Enforcement...13 Parking Fines..13 STRATEGIES & OPPORTUNITIES..13 Increase Supply 13 Walking Distance.13 Targeted Parking Areas.. 14 Revenue Resources...15 Parking Management.15 Payment in Lieu of Parking Special Event Parking Plan...16 CONCLUSIONS

3 STUDY AREA Field observations and data collection efforts were focused on those areas in the Historic Downtown District with the greatest density and demand for public parking. The focus area is generally bounded by North Main Street (west), McLeod Street (south), Woodrow Avenue (north), and Davis Street and Glenway Street (East). Properties on the outlying areas of the boundary that are considered to be more self-contained, or do not utilized share public parking, were not included in this study. Figure 1 depicts a map of the focus area for the study. It is understood that that parking concerns extend beyond the focus area of this study and should be addressed in the future. A developed plan for special events would also be beneficial to the parking management system. The focus area was divided into five blocks, as shown. Figure 1: Study Area Map 2

4 METHODOLOGY The methodology for determining the current parking conditions (during non-special event days) consisted of multiple surveys during the month of July, 2016 to determine the demand (usage) for a typical busy day. This study only includes those privately owned parking areas for which the City has made legal arrangements to use as public parking. As several privately owned areas are currently being used for general public parking, it is important that the City does not rely on private parking lots to absorb the downtown parking needs. Additionally, it was observed that a significant amount of vehicles consistently park in areas not marked or designated for parking and will be addressed later in this report. 3

5 2016 EXISTING PARKING CONDITIONS The City of Belmont Downtown Director with assistance of a Belmont Abbey College intern, updated the parking inventory and conducted usage surveys for both on-street and off-street public parking to determine supply and demand. The usage surveys were conducted during the month of July on various days of the week and several times. Table 1 summarizes the current parking conditions. The figures represented below reflect the typical daily parking conditions as observed mid-year Asterisks indicate that vehicles were frequently noted as either illegally parked or parked in undesignated areas and were not included in the totals. Table 1: Current Public Parking Supply, Demand, and Occupancy Rate Off-Street Parking [Daily non-event] Location Supply Average Demand Average Occupany Peak Demand Peak Occupancy City Hall % 29* 83% City Parking Lot (by Cherubs) % 32* 100% Railroad Lot (N of Stowe Park) % 17 94% Railroad Lot (E of Glenway) % 58 83% Total Off-Street % % On-Street Parking Location Supply Average Demand Average Occupany Peak Demand N Main (Woodrow to Catawba) % 15 75% Kenwood (N Main to Davis) % 8* 100% N Main E Catawba to RRD) % 24 89% Glenway (Main to Catawba) % 9* 100% S Main (Airline to McLeod) % 23* 96% Airline (Main to Hawthorne) % 15* 100% Mill (Main to Hawthorne) % 15* 100% McLeod (Main to Bryant) % 8 100% Total On-Street % % Peak Occupancy Total Downtown Parking % % Parking Supply As noted in Table 1, the City of Belmont currently operates four off-street public parking lots with a total capacity of 155 spaces. On-street parking, both timed and untimed, totals 126 spaces for a total parking supply of 281 public parking spaces. These numbers do not include handicap reserved spaces. The methodology of conducting the inventory for this study differs from the 2013 inventory in that only parking lots/areas owned or lease by the City for public use were included, whereas the previous inventory included privately owned areas commonly used for public parking. This factor differential is approximately 221 spaces. 4

6 Parking Demand Parking usage was tabulated by physically counting the total number of vehicles parked in City operated parking spaces/areas. Ten separate counts were tabulated during the third week of July, 2016 on various days and times between 10:15am and 7:15pm to determine the demand for a typical, busy day in downtown Belmont. The numbers shown in the Table 1 reflect both the average and peak usage observed during the surveys, to reflect a busy weekday. Surveys were not conducted on Sundays, Mondays, or Saturdays. During our site visits, an average of 105 vehicles were observed in the off-street lots and an average 87 vehicles in the on-street spaces for a daytime total average of 192 vehicles utilizing public parking. Whereas staff believes the numbers listed in Table 1 represent a good example of the typical daily (non-event) parking conditions as it pertains to available public parking, several notable observations should be considered while further planning and managing a parking system. During the course of data collection, it was noted that some privately owned areas that were previously used for public parking have been made unavailable to the public. This has forced downtown workers and customers to develop new habits and in the process has created some growing pains. (Areas include: the Parkdale Lot; Stowe Building; and Community Gardens). The number of vehicles consistently parked along roads without designated parking, illegally parked, and parked on privately-owned property without permission is significant and needs to be considered for a more accurate assessment of the demand for public parking. It is noted that only a few of the privately-owned parking spaces/lots had posted signage, reserving for specific business use. Several other privately-owned areas have become either encroached parking by downtown employees and customers or are openly shared (not signed or designated) parking. Parking Occupancy Public parking conditions were quantified by calculating the parking occupancy (total number of vehicles divided by the total number of spaces). Typically, visitors will perceive parking as full if the occupancy reaches 80 to 85 percent. Of the percent margin, it is reasonable to assume that up to ten percent of the spaces may be transitional spaces, meaning vehicles have just vacated a space or are ready to park but not counted as actually occupying the space. (The 10% transitional rate is relative to smaller areas up to 25 or 30 spaces and may decrease incrementally, thereafter.) As calculated in Table 1, the total average parking occupancy is 68 percent and is nearly equally split between off-street lots and on-street spaces. This would indicate that the supply is meeting the demand during the non-peak times overall. However, a closer look shows the average occupancy for two of the four parking lots and nearly half of the eight on-street areas are within or exceeds the perceived capacity threshold. Again, the numbers of vehicles consistently parked in undesignated areas should be considered as additional demand for public spaces for an accurate assessment of demand for public spaces. 5

7 Figure 2 below depicts the on and off-street parking occupancy. Parking occupancy is indicated by color: RED indicates an occupancy greater than 85 percent; YELLOW between 75 and 84 percent; GREEN between 65 and 74 percent; BLUE below 65 percent. Figure 2: Park Occupancy Map (Average us for normal business hours) Largely due to the Belmont s thriving collection of restaurants located in the study area, the dynamics as it relates to the lunchtime, evening, and weekend business activity is more accurately reflected in an analysis of the peak usage. Figure 3, shows the demand for the same parking areas during the peak business hours. 6

8 Figure 3: Parking Occupancy (Demand during peak business hours) The peak off-street occupancy for the focus area is 88 percent, indicating that the supply is likely perceived as completely full. Likewise, the peak on-street occupancy is 93 percent. Overall, the peak public parking demand in the focus area is 90 percent which indicates a deficit in the public parking supply that is likely experienced on a daily basis during lunch and dinner service hours. The estimated 10 percent transitional rate (cars just leaving spaces and cars ready to park) when added to the 90 percent total occupancy rate during peak hours coincides with the perception and reality of a parking shortage in the core downtown area Parking Supply/Demand Summary As illustrated in the occupancy maps, the parking areas on and off Main Street within one block of the railroad tracks are most heavily utilized. As such, one of the goals of this study is to acknowledge current efforts and recommend parking opportunities and management strategies that will distribute the parking demand more evenly throughout the downtown. At this time, parking within the focus area is very challenging for visitors and employees alike. 7

9 Although these images were taken during a downtown special event, they clearly demonstrate the creativity of motorists seeking a place to park. Current parking is non-structured, and many nonparking areas are not signed, which may be a factor in cars parking wherever they feel they can fit. Illegal parking was observed during every survey conducted. Note: most often vehicles parked in handicap reserved spaces did not display any visible permit. 8

10 FUTURE PARKING CONDITIONS The future public parking conditions are projected by evaluating the potential demand over the next five to eight years as well as factoring current initiatives and opportunities to increase and manage the parking supply. Future Parking Demand The building occupancy in the study area currently has a near zero first-floor vacancy rate. Two retail shops are preparing to open on Main Street in the first quarter of One business office, located on the back side of a Main Street building is preparing to relocate in a rehabilitated upper floor space. The vacated office space will become a coffee shop expansion of an existing restaurant. Several upper floor spaces are considered to be underutilized with the realistic potential to develop with residential or commercial use, given the recent trends. Additionally, the planning office has received plans for a three story, mixed-use development to be located behind the historic depot, adjacent to an existing parking area. It is reasonable to anticipate an increased demand of five to ten percent for the planned and potential business development with a much more significant increase if/when the mixed-use development is constructed. Current Parking Initiatives Two parking projects in the study area have been initiated and are currently in various stages of completion. The construction of a new parking area will link two current parking lots on the west side of North Main Street, behind and next to City Hall. Additionally, the City has approved a lease agreement for what is known as The Parkdale Lot, located on Glenway Street, (next to the existing gravel lot near the railroad). These two initiatives should increase the public parking supply by approximately 58 new spaces. These lots are located on either side of Main Street in a very dense business area. It is anticipated that the spaces will be heavily used by downtown workers and customers as well as a prime parking destination for event goers. In consideration of the growth potential and future demand in this area (blocks 2 and 3) it is important that each block has (or develops) a sufficient parking supply to assist with parking management as well as traffic circulation. Planned Parking Initiatives The existing gravel lot (located off Glenway Street) currently is the largest public parking area with a capacity of approximately 70 spaces. Parking spaces are not organized and lined, resulting in a lessthan-maximized capacity for the space. A layout for the space, designed by the City Engineer would yield 86 spaces, increasing the inventoried supply with an additional 16 spaces. 9

11 Figure 4 shows the current initiatives and greatest demand areas for increased downtown parking. Figure 4: Current & Planned Parking Initiatives 10

12 Future Parking Summary The current and planned projects, collectively will increase the parking supply by an estimated 74 spaces. These lots are located in the heart of the downtown historic district and central to this study area. While the increased supply promises to both immediately and substantially contribute to meeting the current parking need, it should not be perceived as a complete solution. PARKING MANAGEMENT While parking conditions within downtown can feel congested and overburdened, even when a sufficient supply is present, there are management tools and methods used to better distribute parking. It is recommended that the increase in parking supply is accompanied with a well-planned parking management system. Developing and maintaining this system should be a cooperative effort between the City, businesses, and property owners. Timed Parking The current on-street parking supply has less than 50 timed spaces with more than 75 on-street parking spaces available to anyone for an unspecified amount of time. The current time limits are set at 2 hours between 9am and 5pm, Monday through Saturday. Parking targeted for customers should reflect typical visitor and customer duration. The parking spaces should also be enforced to dissuade employees working in the downtown area from occupying the most convenient spaces. Paid Parking All downtown public parking is currently free of charge and time limits are not enforced. As a result, employees and merchants tend to occupy many of the convenient spaces closest to the businesses. Implementing a pay-for-parking program has several variables, each with pros and cons and should be considered carefully. Parking revenues could be set aside in a dedicated fund and used to upgrade the parking facilities or for annual maintenance and repairs. While parking fees generate revenue, this is not the primary purpose for installing parking meters and collecting fees. On-street parking: One of the most effective methods to manage parking, reduce employee abuse, and encourage the turnover of the most convenient parking spaces is by implementing parking fees. Metered on-street parking will eliminate most of the employee and merchant vehicles from the prime and most convenient on-street spaces, enabling visitors to locate a vacant on-street parking space in less time. While this option would be most helpful in managing on-street parking, the opportunity cost (or impact) is less desirable when considering that the people targeted to attract to downtown businesses are the ones imposed upon. Off-street parking: The City is making a considerable investment to increase supply and improve parking lot conditions, for which some form of recovering is expected. It may make more send to implement a pay-for-parking system for the heaviest users of the facilities in terms of frequency and length of stay. 11

13 This option would be very difficult to manage, if the on-street parking (whether timed or not) continues to be available free-of-charge. As cited, some business owners and downtown workers already consume prime parking spaces on Main Street for extended periods of time. The challenge to encourage new parking habits will most definitely remain unrealized if the alternate parking will come with a daily fee while on-street parking remains free and timed limits are not enforced. Recommendations: To help manage the parking system, on-street timed parking must be enforced if it remains free, particularly if a fee system is incepted for parking lots. Develop a tiered parking fee system to provide monthly fees for workers and/or grouped amounts for a number of spaces available to a business. Table 3 outlines parking rates at other similar destination towns to serve as a comparison for Belmont. Table 3: Downtown Parking Rate Examples Location Hourly Rates Max Daily Rates Event Hrs of Enforcement Helen, GA $2 Flat Daily Rate $2.00 / day Rates Savannah, GA $ $2.00 / hr $5 - $20 M-F; 8a-5p Asheville, NC $ $1.00 / hr M-Sat; 10a-6p Huntsville, AL $0.50 / hr $5 M-F; 8a-5p Chattanooga, TN $ $1.00 / hr M-F; 8a-4:30p Myrtle Beach, SC $1.25 / hr $6 / day Charleston, SC $ $2.00 / hr $10 - $16 / day Beaufort, SC $1.00 / hr M-Sat; 10a-6p Meter Technology Single space meters are the most common amongst municipalities and offer a convenient and fast payment option. These meters are also the least expensive meter available. Single space meters typically accept coin payment only, however the City could work with a vendor to provide an option of paying by cell phone via credit card. Newer multi-space (or kiosk) meters provide greater user convenience, more payment options, easier collection process, and efficient enforcement. Customers park their vehicle in any vacant space, take note of the number painted on the curb or pavement, then proceed to the multi-space meter and follow the display prompts to complete the transaction. These multi-space meters can be used for on-street, off-street, or a combination and can also accept both coin payment or credit/debit card payments. This technology makes it easier for drivers to pay for a full day of parking (versus trying to beat the expiration every few hours) and makes enforcement of expired meters VERY easy to monitor at one centralized location. 12

14 Parking Enforcement Regardless of the decision to charge or not charge for parking, enforcement should be considered. This ideally, would be a coordinated effort that is well communicated to downtown businesses, residents, property owners, and the general public well in advance of any heightened enforcement. Parking Fines Any fines should be set at a rate that discourages violators from perceiving the fine to be payment-for-parking, or otherwise worth crime. An amnesty program can be created to waive parking citations for first time visitors and guests in order to not discourage patrons from visiting and returning again later. These types of programs balance the need to manage parking in a friendly and helpful manner by targeting familiar users and repeat offenders. STRATEGIES AND OPPORTUNTIES Increase Supply in Strategic Areas The usage maps (figures 2-3), show significant demand in block #1 (south end of study area) and the block 4 and 5 area. These areas lack off-street parking to alleviate the high impact of the restaurants located in close proximity. Block #1 seems to have more viable opportunities with several surrounding vacant lots. Options in the North end (blocks 4 and 5) are not as obvious as most undeveloped space is privately-owned and reserved as business parking for employees and customers. Staff recommendations: The Main Street Economic Restructuring Committee has offered to coordinate a downtown landowner stakeholder meeting with City staff and Council to communicate current activities, plans, and needs. Since the majority of downtown Belmont is privately owned, landowners are an integral part of the solution and long term plan. Staff also recommends evaluation of streets for additional on-street parking. Some streets are neither lined for parking nor signed as no parking, such as Myrtle/McLeod Street which are commonly used on both sides of the street during events. Walking Distances As part of this study, walking distances were analyzed as they relate to the distance from the N Main Street and E Catawba Street intersection at City Hall. The walking distance map illustrates that a majority of the public parking within the study area is within a 2 minutes walking distance from City Hall. With all of the area well within the 5 minute walking distance. A 5 minute walking distance is the standard by which most businesses and developers measure a reasonable distance from parking for both customers and employees. 13

15 Figure 5: Walking Distance Map Targeted Parking Areas The first step in developing a parking system is to determine the ultimate use for the various parking areas. The current system reserves a portion of on-street parking for customers, as evidenced with the 2 hour parking limits. This strategy seems to work for the only a portion of the timed spaces. It is important to note that the business owner feedback reports several business owners and/or downtown workers who routinely park in prime on-street spaces with and without time limits. Also, long-term motorist have become comfortable violating the limit, knowing that it is currently not being enforced. Staff recommends the two hour time limits to be extended to three different on-street parking: 1. South Main Street (between Mill and McLeod/Myrtle Streets) 2. Kenwood Street (from N Main Street to Davis Street) 3. Glenway Street (between Main and Glenway) 14

16 Staff recommends that a supply of 10 or minutes minute spaces be considered in strategic areas. One of the questions included in the business interviews addressed whether or not a 10 or 15 minute parking spaces within a relatively close proximity to the business would be beneficial. While most responded that a 10 minutes space would not benefit them, there were a few areas where several businesses indicate that a 10 or 15 minutes space would be beneficial. These businesses have frequent customers who drop-off items (or pets) and pick-up items and take-out orders. Of the 13 business responded that it would be beneficial, 4 are located in block #1, five in block # 2, two in block # 3, and 2 in block # 4. Staff also observes multiple occasions where a pick-up/drop-off space or spaces would be beneficial near the back door entrance of City Hall customers paying water bills. This strategy will increase turnover rate and alleviate some traffic congestion by allowing motorist to find spaces more quickly. Revenue Resources Staff was asked to include a revenue component in this parking study, concept of recovering the pubic investment made for parking improvements as well as future needs. While revenue would be generated through meter collections and any parking fines, this revenue generally should not be considered to cover all costs associated with parking improvements and maintenance. Regardless of the decision to install a metering system, supplemental revenue sources should be considered. Staff recommends a combination of programs be utilized that will diversify the source of funding.. The following are several opportunities that might be considered: Metered parking (on-street; off-street; or both) Enforcement of timed parking and other parking violations (fines should be substantial enough to deter violators) o Note: the metered parking has a built-in mechanism for enforcement so this would be an extension of that effort. Cooperative Valet Program (participating businesses pay for use of designated parking area). Municipal Services District (MSD) Property owners within the boundary district (downtown) invest through an incremental tax increase over the levied City rate (per $100) for downtown revitalization efforts. Incepted by ordinance. Revenue Bond or other such community approach funding mechanism Parking Management Any parking system is not complete without an effective management plan. While many of the strategies include an element of managing parking through consequences, there are several ways in which the parking system can be communicated and encouraged. Currently, Belmont has wayfinding signs at the public parking areas and plans to add parking banners to assist in directing motorist to a larger supply of parking. Additionally, the Downtown Shopping and Dining Guide shows the parking lots. This brochure is planned to be updated with the new and improved areas highlighted. Main Street Board held a forum to discuss downtown parking. Recommendation: Continue grouped forum and methods of communication with downtown businesses, workers, and property owners to develop a community concierge approach to downtown 15

17 parking where businesses cooperate in the concept of reserving targeted customer parking for customers. The encouragement of business-to-business partnership may also be beneficial. Payment in Lieu of Parking With the potential for major new developments in the downtown district a plan for Payment in Lieu of Parking may be considered to assist with the management of increased parking demand in a high density area. Simply put, if public parking (existing parking or opportunities) can accommodate a development s projected parking demand without stressing the system, the City may decide to accept a payment in lieu of parking to suffice the requirement. For years, municipalities have used payment in lieu of parking (PILOP) initiatives as a way of allowing new development to be built without the need to create new parking supply. This concept has proven beneficial to both public and private interests and can be a valuable tool for driving new development or as a way to help revitalize and reinvigorate older areas. PILOP is when a developer or other entity pays into a parking or municipal fund in lieu of creating new parking for their land use. Special Event Parking Plan The success of numerous downtown special events places a certain strain on business operations as well as inconvenience to downtown business patrons during special events. A special events parking plan should be developed as well as some consideration for event planning decisions that would alleviate this strain on businesses and parking conditions. CONCLUSIONS Overall, it is recognized that the current parking challenges area a direct reflection the recent business revival in downtown Belmont, which reflects well on the City as a desirable place for people to visit and do business. Although the downtown district was established to be a hub for business and social activity, the number of eateries within close proximity of each other, although highly favorable to attract people to downtown, also results in a higher demand per relative square foot when compared to retail or other downtown commercial establishments. The current and planned parking improvements promises to improve the parking conditions immensely. It is recommended to seek properties in strategic areas to increase the parking supply on both the South end and North end of the study area. As all recommended improvements and strategies come at a price, it is recommended that a variety of funding sources are considered for a multi-layered funding strategy. With this approach, if one source of funding not be effective or for some reason no longer is available there are other funding mechanisms in place. 16