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Presentation on Parking Count Updates
PURPOSE: The purpose of this item is to provide an update on parking counts in public parking lots completed in March 2025.
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Department
DEPARTMENT: Economic Development
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Council Direction
COUNCIL DIRECTION:
___ Race/Equity ____ Climate ____ Comprehensive Plan _X__Other
Council Direction Statement
This update will provide Council with additional information to assist in making policy decisions related to public parking.
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Information
INFORMATION:
Background
The Town’s significant analysis of parking was first initiated in 2019 with the hiring of Walker Consulting to conduct a Parking Study of the downtown area. Due to the COVID Pandemic, parking counts were delayed until the Fall of 2021. One year later in the Fall of 2022, staff conducted a parking count of public, off-street parking locations to determine trends and post-pandemic impact on publicly available parking.
Since these previous studies, Carr Mill Mall began regularly towing vehicles of passengers who did not patron the Mall’s businesses. This began in later summer and fall of 2023 (and continues to this day). Town staff undertook a public parking information campaign. This included creating a downtown parking webpage, placing yard signs with information about public parking around downtown, social media posts on public parking locations, leaving postcards with public parking information at local businesses, hanging public parking maps at Town Information Centers, and providing information about public parking in Town newsletters. In Spring 2025, the Drakeford Library Complex parking deck opened, creating an additional 134 public parking spaces downtown.
This most recent count in Spring 2025 was conducted to continue to monitor demand, determine capacity, and the need for additional parking. The counts were conducted on a Thursday and a Saturday to approximate weekday and weekend parking demands. There were no major events occurring on these days and the weather was clear and temperatures were mild. It should be noted that this count was completed in the Spring rather than the Fall when previous counts were completed. Since the counts are not completed at peak times, we do not expect a large discrepancy between actual demand during these times of year.
Occupancy Rates
In general, the occupancy rates of the Town’s off-street public parking have increased since the last count completed in 2022. Average occupancy for weekdays ranged from 25% to 50% while ranging from 33% to 65% on weekends. This is an average increase on the high end by 1% for weekdays and 12% on weekends. Table 1 illustrates the occupancy rates observed at each parking location for the specific time. Of note, the Drakeford Deck has been added since the last count and is now included in all analysis excluding the top level which is for employee parking.
Table 1-Occupancy Rate by Location and Time
Rates highlighted in red indicate critical or close to failing levels of service (85-100% occupied). Lots with these occupancy rates should generally be considered full at their respective times. Typically, when lots approach these occupancy rates, they are unreliable parking locations for visitors and indicate a need for additional parking during these times. Rates highlighted in yellow are approaching a failing level of service (70%-85%) but would still be considered to have parking availability. These parking lots should continue to be monitored closely as parking demand increases and indicate the coming need for additional parking options.
At certain points during the day, many of the public lots face very high occupancy rates, but this tends to move around various areas downtown depending on the time of day. Some may also be related to specific events occurring regularly in that area. For example, the high occupancy rates associated with Town Hall and Laurel Avenue parking lots on Saturday morning are directly a result of the weekly Farmer’s Market. This could even impact the Weaver Street parking lot as it would be the next closest public lot to the Farmer’s Market while the former two parking locations are at 100% capacity.
While these peak times exist in specific parking locations, the narrative shifts when we look at overall parking zones within the Town. These zones attempt to create an approximate walk shed to better understand the on-the-ground, practical impacts of public parking demand in the various areas of downtown rather than looking at individual parking locations.
Figure 1-Weekday Parking Demand by Zone
Figure 2-Weekend Parking Demand by Zone
Figure 1 illustrates the parking demand for weekdays by the four zones downtown. Here, Zone 4 represents the highest average occupancy rates at 44% while Zones 1 and 3 are second with an average of 40% occupancy. None of these zones are near peaking at any point during the day.
Figure 2 illustrates the parking demand for weekends. Due to the weekly Farmer’s Market, Zone 1 represents the highest average occupancy at 53% causing this zone to peak in the morning. It should be noted, however, that while this data is used to represent the weekend, the Farmer’s Market only occurs on Saturday mornings. The on-street parking that is made available only during the Farmer’s Market hours is not included with these counts - only off-street public parking locations. High usage of Town Commons for other larger events could create a similar demand on Saturday afternoon or Sundays causing public parking to be difficult to find in this area of downtown during these events. Zones 3 and 4 also provide the second and third-highest occupancy averages at 39% and 38% respectively. Of note, public parking in Zone 4 does approach failing levels during weekend evenings with 80% occupancy.
Parking Turnover
During the observation days, a sample of 47 spaces were monitored to determine the length of stay of visitors in these spaces. There was a total of 94 vehicles rotating through these spaces during the weekday and 104 vehicles rotating through these spaces during the weekend from 9:00am through 6:00pm. The town currently has an ordinance which restricts parking in public parking lots to 2 hours. As illustrated in Table 2, 45% of the vehicles that parked in the sampled spaces stayed for more than 2 hours on weekdays, while only 29% of the vehicles parked in the sampled spaces stayed for more than 2 hours on the weekends. This indicates that there is a much higher turnover of vehicles during the weekends and a much higher number of vehicles observe the 2-hour parking limit.
Table 2-Percent of Vehicles Length of Stay
This is a significant improvement from the previous count in 2022, which saw 69% and 51% of vehicles parked more than 2 hours on weekdays and weekends respectively. This indicates significantly higher compliance with the 2-hour parking limit ordinance and, as a result, more parking availability when it is needed.
Conclusions and Recommendations
Parking has been a controversial topic in the Town but continues to play an important role in the vitality and vibrancy of the downtown business ecosystem. Since the previous public parking count in 2022, there has been an increase in average parking occupancy - especially during weekday, daytime hours. This increase is demonstrated in some of the parking locations shifting to exceed 85% occupancy. It should be noted, however, that many of the parking locations which have reached a failing level have few parking spaces and contribute little to the overall parking availability of a particular zone. The exception to this is the Weaver Street parking lot and the Town Hall parking lot.
Overall, the counts indicate that existing publicly available off-street parking is meeting demand. However, weekend evening parking in Zone 4 should continue to be monitored as this occupancy continues to be at 80% (as it was in 2022). Additional parking locations may be considered for Zone 1 as this zone has the second-highest average occupancy for weekdays and highest average occupancy for certain weekends. This need becomes especially important not only for the Farmer’s Market, but any type of special event that may create a similar demand for parking. Except for special events, parking in Zone 1 is also meeting demand.
Considering this, at this time staff believe demand for public parking is being adequately met with the existing parking facilities and recommend no new parking is necessary for the downtown area. The previously referenced Zones should continue to be monitored for increases in parking occupancy that could lower the level of service currently provided and create difficulty in finding parking spaces.
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Fiscal and Staff Impact
FISCAL IMPACT: None.
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Recommendation
RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommend that Council receive the presentation and take no actions towards creating new parking at this time.
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