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Norcross study: parking shortfall is management problem; council eyes 3-hour limits and in‑lieu fees
Summary
A consultant told Norcross council there is enough parking overall but poor management creates a perceived shortage; recommendations include time limits (3 hours), shared-use agreements, improved wayfinding and an in‑lieu fee program; council asked staff to work with merchants before enacting enforcement changes.
Norcross — A downtown parking study presented Monday concluded that Norcross’s perceived parking shortage stems more from how spaces are managed than from a simple lack of supply—and recommended several management actions, including three‑hour time limits in the core and new developer in‑lieu fees.
Consultant Jim Leebourn told council: “There’s definitely a perceived parking shortage in Norcross but there’s not necessarily a lack of parking spaces available,” and urged a focus on management, shared-use agreements and pedestrian access to underused lots.
Key consultant recommendations included: - Implementing time limits in the core downtown (a 3‑hour limit between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. was offered as a baseline), with the option to apply them on peak days only; - Encouraging employees to park outside the core and pursuing shared‑use agreements with private lot owners; - Requiring developers to submit a parking analysis and consider in‑lieu fees when on‑site parking is not feasible; the consultant’s draft suggested a one‑time administrative fee of about $875 and a capital offset fee up to roughly $17,750 where new public parking would be required.
Field observations showed the on‑street spaces closest to the core were heavily used at peak times while many nearby surface lots had available capacity. The consultant recommended establishing ongoing monitoring so the city can track usage and adjust policies over time.
Council reaction was mixed. Several members urged staff to first work with downtown merchants and restaurants to get employees to use underused lots voluntarily before installing signs or enforcement. The mayor and city staff outlined available options for employee parking tags and remote parking areas that could be encouraged as a first step.
Council reached informal consensus to suspend an older ordinance provision that is not currently enforced and to delay broad enforcement changes while staff pursues voluntary arrangements with business owners and returns with firm recommendations, including cost estimates and enforcement options.
Next steps: staff will continue outreach with downtown businesses, refine usage counts, and return with enforcement-cost estimates and ordinance language for council consideration.
