Downtown parking study finds overall surplus; committee to test BPI street changes and hold public meeting

Staff and a parking professional summarized a recent downtown parking study that, when all zones are considered, found an overall parking surplus but identified high demand in central areas such as parts of Zone 1 and Central Street. The consultant review did not incorporate Abbot Square in the Zone 1 deficit calculation, staff said.

"We still have 33% of our parking still available right now today," parking operator Art Clemens said while describing internal utilization data for off‑street monthly spaces. Staff and committee members linked the change in demand to downtown land‑use shifts (residential conversions) and noted abundant monthly spaces in some lots, with the Columbia Street parking deck seeing the greatest usage.

In parallel, staff reviewed recommendations from the DOT‑supported Village Partnership Initiative (BPI) and the earlier RAISE grant application: proposals include buffered bike lanes with parking between the bike lane and travel lane, narrowed intersections to calm traffic, pedestrian crossing improvements and reconfigured parallel vs. diagonal parking on select streets. Because federal funding is not currently available for full construction, staff proposed short‑term pilots such as restriping to test new traffic flow and parking configurations.

Staff proposed a public meeting to collect downtown residents’ and businesses’ feedback; a tentative date of Feb. 23 at 5:30 p.m. at the library was raised but may be rescheduled due to conflicts. Committee members asked staff to add maps, counts and the study materials to the city website and next packet so members can provide informed feedback before any pilot or capital investment.

Next steps: staff will host a public meeting, post materials online, and return to the committee to review public feedback and pilot proposals.