Northapton_RRP Rubric for Proposed Project_Parking ManagementRRP Rubric for Proposed Project*
Last Updated 6/8/2021
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Project Title
Re-examine parking management strategies to increase vacancy rates for on-street parking
Origin
City of Northampton
Business community (via survey; n=82)
Location/Census Tract
Downtown Northampton (see map attached)
Budget & Sources of Funding
Low (Less than $50k)
Timeframe
Short (Less than 5 years)
Risks
High
Political will
Tension among business community(especially retail vs eating and drinking)
Key Performance Indicators
# of businesses and organizations participating in discussion
Progress on implementation of recommendations suggested in 2015 parking study
Increase Main St parking vacancy rate
Partners & Resources
City of Northampton
Downtown Northampton Association
Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce
“Picture Main Street” consultants
Diagnostic/ COVID-19 Impacts
A 2015 Parking Study (p.45) outlines a series of recommendations to help improve the downtown, the majority of which have not yet been implemented.
There are currently 2,096 publicly available parking spaces in the downtown area of focus – 828 are on-street and 1,268 are off-street.
A 2017 Walk Bike Northampton Master Plan outlines opportunities to encourage more trips by walking and biking within a 15 minute threshold, reducing the reliance of parking for local
residents when shopping downtown. The downtown also benefits greatly from walkable access to an Amtrak Station and the Mass Central and New Haven and Northampton Rail Trails
A survey of 82 local businesses in the spring of 2021 revealed that 60% of businesses identified changes in parking availability, management or policy as important or very important.
The same survey revealed that parking regulations are the biggest obstacle to business operations (33% of respondents)
Improved wayfinding to municipally-owned lots, most within a block of downtown, and, on weekends and evenings, to Smith College parking garage located near downtown, can help to reduce
the demand for on-street parking
Change in parking fees can increase revenue to help support initiatives (e.g. planters, lights, and art) in Downtown Northampton to attract more visitors
Action Item
Ensure a diversity of perspectives when conducting engagement among businesses and community stakeholders
Produce a report of determined recommendations to implement
Process
Planning/Design/Engagement
Identify recommendations in 2015 parking study which are still applicable, organizing them into categories of risk, timeline and budget
Determine impact of wayfinding from parking lots to downtown
Review best practices for parking management
Development/Fundraising
Identify consulting team to assist with re-examination of parking management strategies. Ideal consultant will have experience in conflict resolution and negotiation.
Identify budget and duration of process
Implementation/Programming
Consultant to lead a determined set of guided discussions parking management recommendations, including a focus on rates, opportunities for turnover and opportunities for Improving wayfinding
from lots to downtown
Monitoring/Evaluation
Track duration of time and obstacles overcome to implement each identified recommendation