Newark parking advisory committee recommends survey, clearer signage, monitoring and 15‑minute courtesy parking

The Newark Parking Advisory Committee on Monday presented four near‑term recommendations to City Council aimed at improving the downtown parking experience and gathering data needed for longer‑term decisions.

"We're going to suggest enacting a 15 minute courtesy parking selection," said Rob Gifford, chair of the parking advisory committee, as he outlined the panel's recommendations: a customer survey, improved wayfinding and lot signage, monitoring usage with existing systems, and a 15‑minute courtesy period for very short stops.

The committee, formed in April and composed of four recurring members who said they represent residents and downtown businesses, told council it focused first on “policy layer 1” — managing existing assets and information before proposing major infrastructure projects. Director of Planning and Development Renee Benzley opened the presentation and credited the committee with significant site work, outreach and practical recommendations the city could implement quickly.

Why it matters: Council members and downtown business owners said parking is a key factor affecting customer visits, employee retention and the downtown economy. The committee said the short proposals are intended to be revenue‑neutral or nearly so while producing data to test larger proposals such as a parking garage.

Key findings and recommendations

- Survey: The committee completed a parking survey design and proposed distribution in August–September to capture student and returning‑to‑town patterns. The survey will be analyzed in the fall and results presented to council.

- Signage: Gifford said signage is inconsistent, sometimes obscured by new utility poles or hard to read in daylight. The committee asked staff to develop a signage improvement plan and budget and recommended naming or numbering lots to help drivers remember where they parked.

- Monitoring lot usage: Committee members said the city’s current systems (Passport and T2) can produce real‑time and historical usage reports and that staff will begin manual and automated data collection to better understand occupancy and turnover.

- 15‑minute courtesy parking: The committee proposed letting drivers register a session via app or kiosk and not charge transactions for the first 15 minutes. Gifford said the move would avoid credit‑card processing fees for very short transactions and estimated the direct revenue impact based on recent history would be about a 0.5 percent reduction in parking revenue (approximately $17,000), assuming no behavioral change.

Council feedback and next steps

Council members generally praised the committee’s work. Councilman Lawhorn said, “This is what we want from a committee — to go out and do work the council can't do,” and offered help with survey distribution and outreach beyond city residents to draw nonresident visitors back downtown.

Council members and committee members discussed signage consolidation, possible removal of obsolete signs, and coordination with nonmunicipal stakeholders (the University of Delaware and private lot owners) to create more coherent wayfinding. Several council members urged the committee to pursue outreach and a modest survey incentive; the committee requested a small outreach budget (roughly $500) to support prize drawings or parking validations to boost responses.

Longer‑term debate

Council members raised larger policy questions — including how much the city should treat parking as a revenue source. One councilor said Newark collects roughly $3 million in parking revenue annually and suggested the city consider reducing reliance on parking revenue when judging policy changes. The committee noted that reliable usage data is essential before considering expensive capital projects such as parking garages, and staff confirmed a garage project is included as a placeholder in the capital improvement program to start discussions.

Business and public comment

Several downtown business owners supported the 15‑minute courtesy proposal and urged action on employee parking. Ryan German, owner of Cafe and Gelato, said integrating private lots into the city’s app and flexible pricing could free central curbspace for customers. Carla Gazzi, owner of Bing’s Bakery and Bing’s Bacon Brew, described short‑term loading and customer turnover problems and said the courtesy window would ease daily operations. Javier Acuña, owner of Santa Fe Mexican Grill and Mi Ranchito, wrote the council that “parking is at the heart of many of [our guests’] concerns” and urged accessible, reasonably priced parking to preserve a diverse downtown business mix.

What’s next: Committee members said they will begin survey distribution in late August or September, work with city communications on outreach, refine signage recommendations and begin lot usage monitoring. Council asked the committee to return with survey results, a signage budget and an implementation plan for the courtesy parking pilot.

Ending: The committee and council framed the near‑term work as foundational: low‑cost, data‑driven steps to improve customer experience and to inform any larger, revenue‑intensive decisions such as a parking garage.