Downtown Parking: Woodstock Weighs Paid Vs. Time Limited Enforcement

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WOODSTOCK, GA -- If you've ever ventured into downtown Woodstock to shop or dine, then you are well aware that parking is in high demand in the central business district.

The Woodstock City Council is attempting to address the long-standing issue, and heard a presentation on what steps it can take to remedy the problem.

Two representatives from SP+, a parking and transportation solutions company, took information from the 2012 parking study and updated the data to present Monday evening to city leaders.

Some of the information included how many parking spaces are occupied at any given time of day and how long vehicles were parked in places designated as on-street parking and off-street parking.

The city has roughly 1,700 public accessible spaces in the study area, which included the bulk of the retail shops and restaurants, said Brian Stockton, director of the city's Office of Economic Development.

On any given Saturday, the city's occupancy rate for on-street parking was around 86 percent (the company considers an 85 percent as "effectively full") while off-street parking is 9 percent full, the consultants said.

On Wednesdays, that number drops to 73 percent for on-street parking and 24 percent for off-street parking.

According to the consultants, the city has an adequate supply of parking, but could help improve turnover by either implementing time limited parking or paid parking.

One enforcement strategy would be to implement a maximum of two hours between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. Monday through Sunday (Main Street has signs indicating hours of enforcement as ranging from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, but the study notes it's not enforced).

For paid parking, the cost could be $2 per hour, and penalties could range between $15 and $20 per violation.

Those paid parking areas could be implemented directly in front of businesses in the following areas: Chambers Street with 97 spaces; Main Street at 49; East Main Street at 79; Mill Street lot at 61 and Wheeler Street lot at 36.

Stockton added the city has plans to add another lot on Mill Street between it and Elm, and more parking spaces to the Wheeler Street lot as well as the lot at the Chambers at City Center.

Mayor Donnie Henriques informed the consultants that restaurant owners said the two-hour limit could "infringe" on the amount of time patrons can visit their establishments, as wait times can sometimes reach an hour on any given weekend night.

It would be "food for thought" to consider implementing a three-hour time limit, he added.

Henriques also said one area that was initially considered part of time-limited parking -- McAffee Street -- would not work, as many Woodstock Downtown residents often park along the street.

If Woodstock planned to utilize paid parking, it could install about 23 centrally located meters or consider using cell phone apps that would allow motorists to pay for parking using their smartphone.

If the city went with time-limited enforcement, it could cost $260,000 per year to operate the system, with a one-time expenditure of $70,000 in start-up costs. If Woodstock chooses the paid parking route, there could be roughly $480,000 in operating expenses, and a one-time cost of $300,000 to get the system up and running.

According to the consultants, implementing paid parking at $2 an hour in the 322 designated parking spots could generate up to $1 million in revenue on an annual basis.

City Manager Jeff Moon told Council members that the city has had three different studies conducted on downtown parking and all have said the same thing: that Woodstock should consider implementing some form of parking management program.

"I think you’ve reached a point where doing nothing is not an option anymore,” he added.

When asked what's been the initial public response to the plans, Stockton said "through informal conversations, everyone has been generally supportive of doing something."

Stockton noted a draft timeline for public input meetings and other steps will be presented to the Council members at the April 11 meeting.

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Image via Shutterstock