Durham staff outline parking system and trade‑offs; council signals support for one‑hour pilot and worker discounts

City transportation staff told the City Council on Monday that downtown parking is operating in a shifting demand environment and that a number of policy levers are available to manage turnover, rider experience and long‑term sustainability.

Evian Patterson, who introduced the presentation, and Transportation Director Sean Egan described Durham's integrated parking system — on‑street meters, off‑street garages, permits and curbside management — and emphasized that good parking management balances turnover and access. "ParkMobile now accepts Apple Pay," Egan noted in a demonstration of payment options.

Staff presented a benchmark comparison with other North Carolina cities and reported the parking fund faces an approximate $2 million structural deficit in FY 2026 unless policy changes or subsidies are identified. "Any proposal we bring back, we would analyze the financial implications, particularly any that are impacting the parking fund that is approximately 2,000,000 in structural deficit right now," staff said.

Council members discussed a suite of policy options explored by staff, including promotional or reduced rates, targeted free parking windows (one or two hours), enforcement strategies, and investments in garage maintenance and equipment modernization. Staff described Raleigh's two‑hour free pilot as a case study and warned that such programs can produce substantial revenue loss and ongoing maintenance pressures.

Several council members expressed interest in a targeted pilot. With direction from colleagues, staff recorded three near‑term priorities: return with a proposal for a one‑hour free parking pilot (including financial analysis and outreach with the Downtown Durham Inc. alliance), examine options for divesting or redeveloping surface parking lots downtown, and continue to expand and promote the existing worker discount programs (including a $20 evening worker permit and a low‑income worker discount). Assistant Manager and council consensus notes captured the direction and asked staff to provide acreage, costs and implementation detail for surface lots and pilot analysis.

Staff emphasized that a range of demand‑management tools exists — including progressive or performance pricing on curbside spaces — and said they will return with data and options tuned to the council's priorities. No formal rate changes were approved at the meeting; council members asked staff to bring back proposals and fiscal analyses for council review.

"We will come back with some, some best practices," staff said, noting pilots and data‑driven pricing are resource‑intensive but feasible steps to adjust downtown parking supply and curbside use.

The council’s near‑term direction was recorded for staff to proceed with more detailed analysis and recommended pilots.