Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Draft downtown parking study adopted as guide; town to pursue shared parking, signage and tech solutions
Summary
Consultants presented a draft parking study showing roughly 1,000 downtown spaces and a ~62% peak utilization, and recommended steps including a town parking manager, shared‑parking agreements with churches and the county, better signage/wayfinding and real‑time occupancy tools; the board accepted the draft for further implementation planning.
The Hillsboro board accepted a draft parking study on Sept. 8 that inventories public and private spaces downtown and in West Hillsboro and recommends operational steps to optimize existing capacity.
Consultant Ian Banks of Nelson—nygard reported roughly 1,000 total spaces in the downtown study area (about 400 private, ~538 public off‑street and ~151 on‑street) and approximately 750 spaces in West Hillsboro. Peak observed utilization in the consultants’ counts averaged roughly 62% during weekday lunch peaks and similar on weekend midday peaks; the consultant concluded that Hillsboro’s issue is not an absolute shortage of spaces but imbalanced use and poor wayfinding.
The report’s recommendations include appointing a dedicated town parking manager to coordinate shared‑parking agreements with private owners and Orange County (including targeted weekend and event access to county deck spaces), improved signage and wayfinding, use of technology for real‑time availability, targeted loading‑zone enforcement and modest operational changes to prioritize customer turnover in high‑demand blocks. ‘‘You’ve got enough parking—you need to disperse users to underutilized lots,’’ Banks said.
Board members emphasized accessible (ADA) parking and encouraged staff to pursue low‑cost, high‑impact items first. The board approved the draft report, asking staff to return with implementation steps and budget estimates for near‑term priorities.
What’s next: Staff will prepare a prioritized action plan and cost estimates for the board, and staff and the county will continue discussions about shared use of the Eno River parking deck for events and off‑peak access.
