Downtown parking study finds demand peaks on weekend evenings; staff recommends ordinance updates, signage and phased enforcement

Ashton Walker, engineering services manager, and Jim Corbett of Walker Consultants presented findings from a downtown parking study and an initial set of management recommendations to the board.

Walker told the board the town and consultant expanded a previously scoped study to analyze roughly a 10‑block downtown area. The study inventoried approximately 881 public parking spaces, including about 453 town‑controlled off‑street spaces and roughly 164 on‑street spaces. Walkers’ team conducted utilization counts across two consecutive days in February (mid‑morning, mid‑afternoon and early evening observations) and recorded license plates for turnover analysis.

Corbett summarized the observations: Saturday evening was the peak period (the study coincided with an American Heart Association gala at the MAC Center), when the public parking system reached about 70% utilization across observed town‑controlled inventory. Some block faces and lots exceeded 85% during the evening peak. The consultant recommended adopting a “cushion” target (approximately 15% availability for on‑street and 10% for off‑street) to preserve access for short‑term visitors. The turnover analysis identified 337 unique vehicles on the peak day; 25 vehicles were observed parking across multiple observation sessions, suggesting some long‑term users occupy short‑term curbside spaces.

As immediate next steps, both Walker and the consultant recommended a phased, low‑risk approach: first update town ordinances to enable enforcement of time limits and overnight parking rules; next improve vehicular wayfinding and signage to clearly mark town public parking; then implement selective on‑street management and enforcement (including paid parking technology and operator arrangements if the board chooses to proceed). Walker said the town’s existing ordinance language (chapter 23‑77 was discussed) does not clearly enable time limit enforcement as practiced in many downtowns and staff will coordinate with legal and planning to draft necessary changes.

Commissioners asked practical questions about enforcement, overnight parking, use of privately owned parking lots during events and whether existing grass/unmarked lots near Center and Church should be formalized or better signed. Several commissioners said a simple, phased rollout with strong outreach to downtown businesses would be preferable to an aggressive, punitive approach. Staff said the next step is for Walker Consultants to deliver an implementation strategy and for staff to return with ordinance revision drafts and a recommended sequence of actions that can run in parallel with the ongoing parking‑deck study.

Walker said the town can contract with a private operator to manage enforcement and pay‑station operations if the board prefers that approach; the consultant noted modern parking technology and managed contracts can avoid labor‑intensive tactics such as chalking tires. Commissioners asked staff to coordinate with the downtown commission and identified two commissioners willing to help lead planning for rollout and outreach. Staff said they will return with specific ordinance language options, signage recommendations and a recommended timeline for phased implementation.