Parking study finds overall capacity but localized congestion; recommends signage, managed lots and a parking-benefit district

A parking study presented to the Dallas Urban Renewal Advisory Commission recommends immediate steps to make existing parking easier to find and longer-term management tools to prepare for planned downtown development.

Brian Davis of Studio Davis presented the study and told commissioners the district-wide inventory shows “a whole lot of parking that exists in downtown,” but much of it serves single uses and becomes unavailable to visitors at peak times. Davis said his team conducted weekday and weekend parking counts and found public lots and on-street spaces near the county building and the busiest commercial blocks are the most frequently congested.

Davis summarized a three-part approach: (1) implement cohesive striping and parking signage to identify public lots and direct drivers to available spaces; (2) secure additional public supply by formalizing access to underutilized lots (the county lot on Jefferson and two privately owned lots near Main Street were highlighted); and (3) create a parking district or parking-benefit district to manage pricing, permits, and direct revenue toward local improvements such as benches, wayfinding and additional parking resources.

On the permit program, Davis recommended reforming the current free-permit system into a paid permit program to reduce employee long-term parking in prime on-street spaces. He said selling permits would both generate modest revenue and encourage employees or residents with off-street parking to use it instead of occupying short-term customer spaces.

Davis noted three proposed or planned developments that could change demand: a mixed-use project at 430 Main Street with on-site parking; a potential hotel or multifamily project at 791 Main Street that may supply little or no on-site parking; and a planned development at 179 Washington Street south of Washington that could add additional residential and ground-floor restaurant demand. For the 791 Main site Davis said the city should pursue shared-use agreements for adjacent underused lots and consider a parking district solution to serve spillover demand.

Why it matters: study authors and staff said most of downtown’s current capacity is sufficient for typical days, but new development and weekday courthouse-driven demand create recurring pinch points. Better wayfinding, clearer public lot branding and near-term agreements with lot owners could relieve congestion without immediately building new garages.

Recommendations (high level)

- Signage and branding: Mark and name legal public lots (library lot, Washington lot, county lot) and provide wayfinding so visitors can find available public parking. - Striping: Use striping to clarify legal parking and increase efficiency on underutilized blocks. - Near-term supply: Explore agreements with the county and private lot owners (e.g., CrossFit and the House of His Presence lot) to operate these as managed employee or public lots. - Permit program reform: Consider selling permits (low monthly fee) and concentrating employee/resident permits in designated lots to preserve curb space for short-term customers. - Parking-benefit district: Evaluate forming a parking district layered on the Urban Renewal District so parking revenues can fund pedestrian improvements, parking management and, potentially, new parking resources.

No action was required of the commission on the study; commissioners discussed next steps, including signage work they considered a near-term priority and pursuing talks with lot owners and the county about shared-use agreements.

Ending

Davis said staff will incorporate the commission’s feedback and return a final package with more detailed implementation steps and cost estimates.