TITLE: Title
Discussion of a Downtown Parking Summit on Shared Parking
PURPOSE: The purpose of this item is for the Board of Aldermen to hold a discussion and provide direction to staff regarding management of downtown public parking areas.
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DEPARTMENT: Town Manager, Police, Economic & Community Development, Planning
CONTACT INFORMATION: David Andrews (918-7315), Chief Walter Horton (918-7408), Annette Stone (918-7319), Trish McGuire (918-7327)
INFORMATION: Over the past four to six weeks, Town Staff has received reports of concerns from a few local businesses regarding violations of the two hour parking limits in the downtown area. These businesses have requested that the Town enforce the two hour limit. If the Town is to increase enforcement, the question of how to deal with the needs of longer-term parking for business employees arises. Some businesses have requested parking permits from the Town to allow all-day parking for their employees. Staff is seeking discussion and direction from the Board regarding increased enforcement and how to administer the question of all-day parking for business employees.
There are essentially four types of users for public parking: Students, Commuters (to locations outside of Carrboro), Business Customers and Employees (of businesses and the Town). The Board of Aldermen took steps at the June 11th and June 25th 2013 meetings to discourage the long-term use of public parking areas by students and commuters by specifying time limitations and banning overnight parking by restricting parking from 3:00am-5:00am. When the changes were made, staff began public education efforts by sending information to the media, neighborhood groups, listserv members, Facebook and Twitter users and by contributing to the UNC Commuter News newsletter in August and September.
A current inventory of public parking spaces is provided in Attachment B.
A preliminary survey of employee parking needs for downtown businesses has provided the following information. (Full survey results are available in Attachment C). Twenty-eight downtown businesses (including two Town of Carrboro departments) responded to the survey. Of those responding, 20 stated that they provided on-site parking for their employees. Of the 8 that did not provide on-site parking, 3 stated that they had shared parking agreements with another business. 7 of the 8 businesses that do not provide on-site parking for employees utilize public parking lots for their employees. The total number of employees reported to park off-site was 94, of which 64 reported to use public parking. A map of the businesses that responded to the survey is included as Attachment D.
FISCAL & STAFF IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact related to the discussion of this topic. Staff impact will vary based on what direction is given by the Board of Aldermen. A limited increase in parking enforcement activities has been planned for the Police Department. Implementation and management of a parking permit system will take considerable staff time that is currently not planned.
RECOMMENDATION:r Staff recommends that the Board of Aldermen consider the information provided and provide direction to staff on how to proceed.