Fiscal Note
No appropriation is required.
Title
SUBSTITUTE Creating an Ad Hoc Parking Strategic Plan Committee.
Body
WHEREAS, the Mayor and Common Council created a Parking Task Force in 1990 and adopted the Task Force report in August of 1991;
WHEREAS, in May 2006, a Transit and Parking Commission ad hoc subcommittee identified five critical issues including:
· Improved utilization of the current parking supply;
· Government East Garage replacement;
· Proposed State Street Parking Structure on the Buckeye Lot site;
· Marketing, branding, and way finding for parking facilities;
· Brayton Lot expansion through purchase of adjacent State owned property; and
WHEREAS, in 2013 the City hired Walker Parking Consultants to undertake a financial sustainability study to make recommendations on the economic and operational functions of the parking utility to provide a good base of information for moving forward with decisions about parking garages, revenue options, improved customer service and possible operational efficiencies;
WHEREAS, based on the Walker study and their independent analysis, staff has concluded:
· Current demand and expenses could finance the replacement of the two oldest parking garages - Government East and State Street Campus-Lake - over the next decade; and
· Replacement of other garages can be more fully and usefully considered at a future time when trends for transportation and development can be evaluated as part of a decision about garage replacement;
WHEREAS, the Walker report and the staff report have identified many public parking related choices that should be considered as part of a Parking Utility Strategic Plan for the coming one to two decades;
WHEREAS, based on the recommendations in both the Walker report and the Staff report, and discussions by the Transit and Parking Commission, there are many public parking choices facing the Parking Utility and City. These fall into the following areas, including but not limited to:
· Facility placement construction: Both reports proposed replacement of current facilities but did not consider a potential role for the Utility in servicing the extension of the current downtown that has begun in the East Washington/Capital East Corridor and on South Park Street/Fish Hatchery Road.
· Financing options: These include extending the time when fees are required at meters to take reflect the reality of when there is high demand at street meters, to consider variable pricing strategies for different locations depending on demand and other strategies that would increase Utility revenues and better manage scarce availability. Financing options also include considering different debt instruments trading higher interest rates to be paid for greater flexibility in how facilities are used. This would permit higher proportion of monthly leases which can be conditioned on Transportation Demand Management program participation.
· Partnerships: Some of the Utility's existing facilities provide service to other public entities such as State Street Campus providing services to the Kohl Center and Memorial Union. Capital needed to replace these facilities could be provided by the entities that benefit from the Utility's facility in such cases.
WHEREAS, a Strategic Plan should include strategies and actions for how the City's parking utility can serve the growing and changing needs of the City and promote a stronger downtown and central Madison for working, living, shopping and cultural activities;
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Mayor and Common Council create an ad hoc Parking Strategic Plan Committee ("the Committee") of nine members including 3 Common Council members, 3 citizen members of the Transit and Parking Commission, and three additional members with a committee membership that includes a range of stakeholders including business interests, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a central area resident; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Common Council refers the Parking Utility Financial Sustainability Report and Staff Report to the Committee; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Committee will develop recommendations that shall address the following areas:
· Developing a mission statement for the Parking Utility including but not limited to:
o Bringing more employment, long term residents and community activities to Madison's downtown and other high density areas;
o Making the Parking Utility system a part of a broader balanced transportation system promoting walking, biking and transit as alternatives to owning and driving an automobile;
o Maintaining the financial independence and long-term viability of the City of Madison Parking Utility;
· Strategies for maximizing utilization of parking garages 24 hours a day;
· Strategies for engaging and involving the UW and similar entities that drive high use of Parking Utility facilities in planning and financing of future Parking Utility projects;
· Guidelines and strategies for managing the stock of parking garages, specifically replacement of garages, increasing or decreasing the size of garages to fit the needs of their sites, addition of new garages, and the sale of current garages if deemed no longer necessary;
· Construction of more publicly owned and managed structured parking in Madison, including the Capitol East District and as part of a regional transit system;
· Accommodating and financing an intercity bus terminal at the Lake Street garage location;
· Maximizing convenient bicycle and moped parking in Parking Utility garages;
· Pricing flexibility and surge pricing at meters and garages to maximize revenues while considering the special needs of the retail community as well as equity for downtown workers and shoppers;
· Establishing starting and ending times for meter coverage that better reflects periods of high demand,
· Opportunities and options that may be created by changes in the ownership and use of automobiles; and
· Strategies for financing the debt the Parking Utility will incur when constructing new or replacement facilities;
· Defining the role of the Parking Utility in promoting Transportation Demand Management programs for public and private employers in the greater downtown;
· Strategies for marketing, branding and wayfinding for parking facilities to help customers find parking and maximize utilization of parking garages; and
· Strategies for modifying parking garage operations and physical layout to promote efficient use during special events and to more efficiently address the different needs of short term and long term parking users.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Committee will be staffed by the Parking Operations Manager and other City staff as needed; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the Committee will complete its work by June 1, 2015 and deliver to the Common Council and TPC a report containing its recommendations.