LEGEND: Dashed (-) are recommendations from the Parking Study, Dots are recommendations from the Board of the Partnership and the small squares ( ) are from the Public meeting.

COMMENTS from Board Meeting 12/12/08:

- Make economic development the driver for Parking

- Stop talking about Parking signage and way finding and do something about it

- Name Lots (draft a set of names for lots) use street name and side street to help identify location (use CVB, Ackland and others to help implement)

- Make pricing simply (all parking $__) simplify

- Recommend advisory board to manage parking

- Utilize 10-15 minute grace period

- Offer Courtesy tickets

- Add private parking to managed parking

- Add parking for future growth

- Evaluate Event Pricing

- Add valet parking to east end

GENERAL:

 Study does not analyze paid versus free parking

 Add Lot 5 replacement into numbers

 Is there economic benefit to free parking?

 Where Employees Park is not the answer to parking

 Numbers do not add up (Offer $.50 per hour parking)

4.2     Parking Management: 

- Two hour parking should be the dominant duration for on-street parking

- Look at utilizing Partnership to manage parking, for economic development purposes.

- The other duration that should be found on-street is fifteen minute or thirty minute parking for use as pick-up and drop off stalls or very short-term parking.

- Add parking in front of University Square (DONE).

 Town should contract out parking (privatize parking)

 Prepare and grow parking so that when downtown “rocks” we are prepared

 Improve lighting for parking

 Extend shuttle service to after hours

 Need new Parking Management

 Town should pursue ideas for working with private parking (air rights and other)

 Parking profits for improving parking? Pricing? For What?

 Parking needs to become an economic development tool

 Add more public parking

 No handicapped parking in 100 block of Franklin

 Help churches and private business see benefit of public parking in private lots

 Churches use public parking to meet their needs, needs to work vice-versus

 Add more parking to increase commercial tax base

 Rethink Parking Management, Centralized management good, Partnership does not have resources for parking management

• It appears Town treats Parking only as revenue source, not as economic development tool.
• Holiday Parking (Christmas) is difficult to understand.
• Less convenient parking should be priced accordingly.
• Tourist perspective of finding parking, not easy.
• CHDP should manage parking, especially if it is to be a tool of economic development.
• Need cultural change in parking.
• If there is net income for parking it should be spent on Marketing, lighting and way-finding.
• Lots need easy to remember names, like Rosemary Deck – not Wallace Deck.
• Can Town ask churches for trade-off with them getting on street parking for free on Sundays’ and we get something in return? Use of lots at night?
• Management of parking should include management of private lots, for the good of downtown.
• It is not predatory if signs are posted, “If you Park here tonight, move your car by 6am or you will be towed.”
• CHDP should lead this process – our purpose is economic development and will need the town to step up and do things like increase security and do the cleaning of the town – what they should already be doing.
• The valet parking partnership with UNC is very successful – UNC is going along because CHDP is managing it – if they have a problem they know that CHDP will have to deal with it.

4.3    Parking Duration:

 Offer 15 minute parking

 Offer a 10-15 minute grace period

 Offer Courtesy tickets to first-time offenders

 Offer customer appreciation parking

 Give a benefit for free parking (in private parking after 5pm)

 Add 10-15 minute spaces at beginning and end of parking on-street

 Make 1st two hours inexpensive

4.4   Parking Rates:

- The Town should identify all the costs for parking, especially the chargeback to cover administration of the on and off-street parking so that stakeholders understand that the parking rates and fines are justifiable and that there are no questions about the amount of the charges.

- Ultimately, the parking rates need to cover actual expenses including repairs for the parking system and sinking fund deposits.

- We do not recommend adjusting the hourly parking rates on-street or off street except as otherwise noted.

- Parking rate need to cover all expenses including any maintenance associated with parking operation.

- Offer first 15 minutes free at parking meters.

- Look at strategies for shifting parking to under-utilized areas and more as an economic development tool. (i.e. further away, less expensive)

- Evaluate event parking policy and look for ways to make improvements. (Especially for downtown oriented events)

- Drop the peak-hour pricing on parking.

4.5   Valet Parking

- Expand valet parking to east end of downtown.

4.6    Bicycle Parking/Enhancements:

- Look for opportunities for adding bicycle lockers and additional bike parking in downtown.

- Include bike parking in marketing efforts.

 Plan for scooter parking spaces and not on sidewalks

 Blue Urban Bike program

4.7  Pedestrian Activity

- Install Pedestrian Way-finding Kiosks

- Minimize surface lots and large breaks between buildings to promote walking in the downtown.

 Reward Active Living parking (walking to destination)

4.8     Signage

 Parking deck has poor signage

4.9     Marketing 

- Develop a marketing plan for downtown parking. (Web site, signs and other communication)

 Town-led marketing of parking important

 Way-finding and signage important to parking success

 Way-finding is an issue

• Way-finding is critical to success of parking (important to Town and UNC also).
• Durham has a great way-finding program, Asheville currently implementing a new way-finding program.
• Need maps and sign all over downtown. People are willing to walk further is they know where they are going and the distance.
• Need to do an excellent job of marketing replacement parking and replacement parking signage.

4.10  Enforcement/Personnel:

• Concerned with aggressive enforcement

4.13   Courtesy Ticket: 

- Consider courtesy tickets for first time offenders; utilize handheld technology to track who is being ticketed.

4.14 Privately Developed Parking:

- Discourage further development of private surface lots in downtown Chapel Hill.

- Consider a payment in-lieu for parking demand on future private buildings.

4.18 Special Event Parking:

• Reconsider amounts charged for special event parking, especially events hosted by Town/Partnership