MRB Group: Port Royal has about 1,200 downtown parking spaces, most underused

Matt Horn, director for strategic growth at MRB Group, told the Town of Port Royal council workshop that the firm counted about 1,200 parking spaces in the downtown study area and found overall weekday utilization in the low-20% range.

"Port Royal is growing and that can be a really good thing if you do it intentionally and you do it smart," Horn said, describing a zoning- and inventory-based analysis of on-street and off-street spaces. He said MRB divided downtown into zones and observed usage across weekdays, weekends and during special events to identify pinch points.

The study mapped formal, marked spaces and so-called "soft-shoulder" neighborhood parking and found much of the inventory unused at typical times but more heavily used during weekends and events. Horn said low-cost management measures — better wayfinding and targeted signage to direct visitors to neighborhood parking, selective angled parking where safe and, when necessary, short-term leased overflow lots — could extend the town's usable inventory.

During council questions, elected officials and residents rejected paid meters as a preferred near-term option and focused instead on organization and signage. A council member asked whether the town should act once average utilization reaches about 70–75%; Horn and staff said those thresholds are appropriate triggers to pursue leased lots or other inventory-expansion measures.

Town staff confirmed a local rule limiting continuous parking in neighborhood streets to 48 hours. Council indicated it will discuss MRB's recommendations at an upcoming retreat and monitor development projects — including Safe Harbor and streetscape work on Paris Avenue — to see how new construction affects demand.

The presentation concluded with consultants offering to supply digital files showing the location of every counted parking space for use in marketing and wayfinding materials.