Title
Downtown Parking and Wayfinding Update
Summary
COUNCIL GOAL: Enhance the Quality of Life in McKinney
(5D: Promote reinvestment activities in McKinney's historic downtown that balance preservation of historic character and current market needs)
MEETING DATE: June 15, 2021
DEPARTMENT: Development Services - Planning and Engineering
CONTACT: Alek Miller, AICP, Planner II
Pamela Alummoottil, P.E., PTOE, Civil Engineer II
RECOMMENDED CITY COUNCIL ACTION:
• Discuss proposed changes to Downtown Parking and Wayfinding.
ITEM SUMMARY:
• The purpose of this work session item is to present the first phase of implementation for the Downtown Parking Action Plan.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
• The Downtown Parking Action Plan was prepared between late 2020 and early 2021 with the intent of identifying operational or policy changes that could improve utilization of existing parking supply.
• The plan was developed after several months of outreach to downtown stakeholders and a survey of business owners, employees, and the public related to downtown parking.
• On March 16, 2021, the recommendations of the Downtown Parking Action Plan were presented to City Council.
• The City Council formally received the report and authorized staff to being the process of implementation on May 18, 2021.
• The recommendations fall into three categories: Wayfinding and Parking Guidance, Parking Demand Management, and Operations and Enforcement.
• This update highlights first steps toward implementation of the following Parking Action Plan recommendations:
o A-1: Increase public awareness of parking options
o A-2: Design a public parking brand and wayfinding plan
o B-1: Adopt a data-driven policy framework
o B-5: Implement time limits in high-demand lots
Increase public awareness of parking options
• Wayfinding has been acknowledged as a key need in downtown McKinney in multiple recent studies, including the Parking Action Plan. The City Council approved a contract for a Citywide Wayfinding Master Plan on January 19, 2021.
• The consultant team, consisting of Kimley-Horn and Corbin Design, has begun work on the plan. The team has conducted outreach meetings, received feedback from the public through a survey, and has started to develop design ideas for the signage brand.
• This summer, staff will test modified directional parking signage and a new circulation plan for the downtown area. For example, current parking directional signs have multiple arrows pointing in two or three directions. The existing signs will be removed, and new signs will be tested that direct drivers using single arrows into a circulation pattern which leads to the north side of downtown and toward the Chestnut Commons parking garage, where parking is generally most abundant.
• In keeping with the emphasis on data-driven decision-making in the downtown Parking Action Plan, staff will conduct occupancy counts prior to implementation of these changes and after they’ve been completed. A second work session will be scheduled this fall and the results will be shared at that time.
• In addition, entrance signs will be added to several parking lots around downtown to clarify that these lots are available to the public.
Implement time limits in high-demand lots
• Based on staff analysis in 2019, City Lot 4 consistently had high occupancy rates across different times and days of the week, exceeding that of most other public parking lots in the south side of the Square. At that time, this parking lot exceeded its capacity during the lunch hour with cars parked in the fire lane.
• With approximately 110 spaces, City Lot 4 makes up the entirety of public off-street parking in the southwest quadrant of downtown. Compared with other areas of downtown, the southwest area is the most constrained in terms of parking supply.
• The intent of this change is to ensure that this large parking lot is available to customers and visitors to downtown.
• If approved, the time limit regulations in City Lot 4 would match those of City Lot 5, located near the Municipal Court, and most of the on-street parking spaces in downtown (limited to 8 AM - 5 PM, Monday through Friday).
NEXT STEPS
• Included in the regular meeting agenda are two items necessary to implement a three-hour time limit in Lot 4:
o A resolution of the City Council designating Lot 4 as a three-hour time limited parking lot; and
o An ordinance designating a portion of Wood Street, where it overlaps with Lot 4, as three-hour time limited public parking.
• Staff will return in the fall to report on the results of these changes and outline future implementation steps.