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Planning department seeks $250,000 downtown parking study; special census effort stalls and state fix is under consideration
Summary
The planning department requested $250,000 for a policy-focused downtown parking study tied to zoning and special-event strategies. Staff also reported their special census effort fell short and noted pending state legislation to provide population estimates from a university center as an alternative to costly local special censuses.
Emily Wright, director of Planning and Sustainability, told the Budget & Finance Committee the department is proposing a downtown parking study to address long-standing questions about parking supply, paid vs. free parking and zoning requirements, and requested $250,000 for a consultant-led, outreach-heavy effort.
"This request is currently for $250,000," Emily Wright said. She described the proposed study as more than a supply count: it would evaluate minimum parking requirements in the zoning ordinance, provide guidance on paid parking policy, address special-event parking, and include public engagement with business owners and downtown stakeholders.
Wright and committee members discussed scope and phasing; Wright said a reduced scope might be feasible and suggested $200,000 could be workable but below that the results may be insufficient. Staff and several aldermen noted potential synergies with the ongoing transit master plan and suggested allocating a portion of the cost to hotel-motel tax revenues because parking impacts the tourism product.
Timing: staff estimated a 9–12 month study timeline if funded. Wright said doing the parking study near the same time as the transit study would allow recommendations to align rather than conflict.
Special census: committee members and staff also reviewed the city’s special census effort. A staff member reported, "We have stalled out. We're not gonna get it done for this year to get anything certified." The presentation described low mail response rates and field outreach challenges. Staff noted pending state legislation would allow an entity such as the Boyd Center at the University of Tennessee to provide annual population estimates for revenue-sharing purposes, a change staff described as a potentially more reliable and less costly alternative to local special censuses.
Other planning highlights presented by Wright included ongoing updates to the zoning ordinance, a preservation plan update (carryover from FY25 was noted), completion of a special census attempt, and a range of planning workloads such as annexation studies and historic preservation projects. Wright said the department increased its public relations/education line item from $2,000 to $5,000 to account for possible facility rental costs for large public outreach events.
No final funding decision was taken at the committee presentation; staff said the request will be evaluated during the budget prioritization process.
