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Vendor says Riverside Village valet succeeded but needs reserved staging spaces to avoid long waits
Summary
Parking Systems told the council that its Riverside Village valet has parked 2,374 vehicles since March and that Friday/Saturday peaks now produce 9–27 minute retrieval waits because only three staging spots exist; the vendor asked the city to reserve seven nearby spaces after 4 p.m. to eliminate queuing delays.
Parking Systems, the private operator running Riverside Village's valet, told the North Augusta City Council on June 29 that the service has been a rapid success but has outgrown its curb staging.
"Demand is real," said Jonathan Baron, vice president at Parking Systems. He said the vendor has parked 2,374 vehicles through the end of May and that Friday and Saturday nights now average about 51 and 55 cars respectively, with a single-night record of 86. Josh Candandyotti, the operation's account executive, described a seven-step retrieval process and said the current curb configuration provides only three staging slots. "Labor will not resolve this. Staging will," he said, explaining that the lack of nearby preload space can produce 9-, 18- or even 27-minute retrieval waits during peak waves of checkout requests.
JD McCauley, the staff lead introducing the presentation, said the vendor's request is a policy change rather than new construction: seven signed parking stalls near the valet stand designated for retrieval cars after 4 p.m., plus one curb spot for food pickup and delivery. The vendor said the spaces would be used only during predictable peak hours and would revert to normal parking outside those windows.
Council members asked how the program is priced and how much revenue flows back to the city: the vendor said a standard valet fee is $10 and $15 on event nights, with an existing validation arrangement for some businesses, and that the city's monthly remittance is 17.5% of revenue. The vendor said many customers already use a "text-ahead" feature to request retrieval and that staging would allow the operation to reliably honor those requests.
Council discussion focused on customer experience and operational feasibility. Several council members signaled support for opening the requested spaces so the vendor can reduce retrieval waits and improve the guest experience. The council did not vote on the item in the study session; staff indicated a resolution (2026-35) will be presented for formal action at an upcoming council meeting.
The study session left the key factual points on the table: the valet is widely used, peak activity now outpaces current staging capacity, the vendor proposes a targeted policy designation of seven stalls to remove the queue, and the city receives a 17.5% revenue share under the current arrangement.
