Winter Parkers discuss strategies to parking problems

A second downtown parking summit in Winter Park helped residents understand the possible solutions to the city’s parking problems.

By Tim Freed
| 8:32 p.m. August 17, 2017

Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc. said there appears to be a â€œperceivedâ€ parking problem in Winter Park.

Winter Park - Maitland Observer
News

PARKING STRATEGIES

1 Stay the course. Continue to operate and manage parking as it is today.

2 Flexible time limits. Allows for changes in parking time limits based upon time of day and day of week. Time limits are based on real data, so the policies capture the needs of the local parking system.

3 Modernized enforcement. Uses new technologies such as automated license plate recognition to digitize enforcement.

4 Modernized parping Policy. Update Winter Park’s codes and policy to support shared parking, good community design and adequate parking capacity.

5 Wayfinding. Utilizes modern parking apps and varied signage to direct users to available spaces.

6 Centralized valet. Provides a collection of centrally organized valet stands to support retail and restaurant use along Park Avenue.

7 Conventional paid parking. Charges a set rate based upon parking for a given amount of time.

8 Validated paid parking. Parking is monetized, but businesses can validate so parking is free for their patrons.

9 Progressive paid parking. Paid parking is set up to use revenue to improve transportation and aesthetics along the Avenue, while using simple payment methods.

10 Supply additions. Adds additional parking to the community through capital investment projects.

11 Downtown trolley. Serves both visitors and residents by providing convenient transportation from remote parking locations, hotels and activity centers to downtown attractions.

12 Improved employee park program. Designated employee-only spaces would ensure an adequate parking supply for downtown merchants employees and discourage employee parking at prime on-street spots.

NO SILVER BULLET

Kimley-Horn consultant Brett Wood emphasized that there is no single solution that will fix Winter Park’s parking issues. Rather, it likely will be a combination of strategies.
Improving the employee parking program would ensure city and business employees would have their own place to park — moving them away from competing for public spaces with residents, Kimley-Horn Vice President Stephen Stansbery said. 
Paid parking — though unpopular — could push residents to comply with the existing rules and encourage a turnover of spaces, allowing more people to park throughout the day.

A potential approach for Winter Park to solve its downtown parking problems continued to come into focus Thursday, Aug. 10, during another downtown parking summit at the Winter Park Community Center.
Officials from consulting firm Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc. presented what they have learned from talks with the Winter Park City Commission, city boards, city staff, the Park Avenue Merchants Association and downtown property owners.
During a polling session of residents and business owners at the last parking summit in June, participants were asked to describe the parking conditions on Park Avenue. The most popular answer at 36% was that the avenue is packed but that they can still find a parking spot if they need it. Many attendees said the city needs more off-street parking and that it is important for the city to maximize the use of existing parking.
One potential solution — a new parking garage — met the ire of some residents in attendance.
“I caution the thought of a parking garage,” resident Sally Flynn said. “Why would we want to do that when the one we have has empty spaces? People don’t want to park in parking garages in Winter Park, so I don’t think that’s a solution.”
The consultants will add the public’s input to their overall findings before it’s presented with their final recommendations to the Winter Park City Commission next month.