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Home My WebLink AboutMemo - Mail Packet - 9/27/2022 - Memorandum From Drew Brooks Re: Downtown Parking Operation Changes To Promote Finding A Safe Ride Home Administration 281 North College Avenue P.O. Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522.0580 970.221.6601 970.416.2081 - fax fcgov.com/pdt Planning, Development & Transportation Memorandum DATE: September 22, 2022 TO: Mayor & City Council THRU: Kelly DiMartino, City Manager Tyler Marr, Interim Deputy City Manager Caryn Champine, Director, PDT FROM: Drew Brooks, Director, Transfort & Parking Services RE: Downtown Parking Operation Changes to Promote Finding a Safe Ride Home ____________________________________________________________________________ Background: City Council asked staff to review overnight on-street parking restrictions in the Downtown with the goal of enabling visitors to Downtown to have safe, convenient places to leave their vehicles overnight in the event they cannot drive home. This request has been combined with a broader conversation about how other City operations and partnerships can align to prevent driving under the influence. In November of 2021, the City provided a summary of the issue, analysis of what would be involved in changing the restrictions, and a set of considerations and next steps. (November 10th, 2021, memo attached) The intent of this memorandum is to update the outcome of the work since November and describe next steps going forward. Actions and Changes Completed or Underway  Add an addition to strategic Downtown parking signs to add Safe Ride Home messaging and a link (QR code or similar) to resources that might include safe ride home options, how to safely leave a car overnight; etc. (Completion: November 2022).  Re-establishing key partnerships for collaboration on safe-ride-home initiatives and shared understanding of the multiple objectives of Downtown parking policies. In July, multiple City Departments met with partner organizations including Colorado State University, Larimer County Partners, and the Downtown Development Authority to get this work started.  Creation and on-line posting of a separate Parking Map to identify overnight parking options readily available. (Estimated completion date: November 2022) DocuSign Envelope ID: D269ADFF-6D4A-4751-91AA-5E62277497B1 2  Update of the Parking Services website to more prominently feature added information regarding safe ride options, including the No DUI Larimer information and website link, and the existing call-in program: https://www.fcgov.com/parking/make-the-call-for-a-safe- ride (Completion date: November 2022). Opportunities over time (next 6-24 months) to improve Downtown Parking and other Operations:  Explore expansion of these options and ideas to make overnight parking in garages and City lots more attractive, safe, and convenient.  As parking policies are updated (as described in the Parking Plan and Downtown Plan), changes will be aligned with the goals of having designated places to park overnight and encouraging using alternative transportation to and from Downtown.  Continue discussions with private businesses with surface lot availability, to optimize off- hour overnight parking options.  Begin transition to an on-street paid parking model which will allow for more flexible customer parking options and parking management tools to include: o Review of parking structure hourly cost in relation to on-street paid parking, o Identify opportunities for discounted overnight parking sessions, o Option to reserve a time slot to be pre-paid for structures, o Option to set-up a reduced price on-street parking session in lieu of contacting the Parking Services office directly when leaving a vehicle overnight. Upcoming Policy Discussion:  A Council Work Session has been scheduled for February 28th, 2023. This work session is intended to begin discussion of the path forward to meet a wide range of operational goals and objectives for Parking Services including how best to serve customers, financial sustainability and environmental stewardship.  This dialogue will facilitate a conversation about what options might ultimately achieve many of our shared goals including the removal of overnight parking restrictions. DocuSign Envelope ID: D269ADFF-6D4A-4751-91AA-5E62277497B1 281 North College Avenue P.O. Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522.0580 970.221.6376 970.224.6134 - fax Planning, Development & Transportation MEMORANDUM DATE: November 10, 2021 TO: Mayor Arndt and City Councilmembers THRU: Kelly DiMartino, Interim City Manager Kyle Stannert, Deputy City Manager FROM: Caryn Champine, Director, Planning, Development & Transportation Dean Klingner, Deputy Director of Planning Development & Transportation Drew Brooks, Director, Transfort and Parking Services Larry Schneider, Director, Streets Nicole Hahn, Assistant City Traffic Engineer RE: Downtown Overnight Parking Subject: This memo is a response to Councilmember questions raised at the October 5, 2021 Regular Meeting regarding potential changes to overnight parking in downtown Fort Collins with the objective of ensuring that parking regulations do not inadvertently provide a disincentive to taking safe transportation. Background: Currently, on-street parking is prohibited in several Downtown locations between the hours of 3 AM and 6 AM. This policy was put in place to allow for street sweeping (twice weekly) and snow removal (approximately 20 events/year). Overnight parking is allowed in many areas of the Downtown off College Avenue and in all three City operated parking structures. Parking Services staff uses flexibility and discretion to accommodate circumstances where downtown visitors are forced to leave their vehicles overnight. It is rare that this will result in a ticket and a call to Parking Services can help to ensure this accommodation. If a vehicle is relocated to allow for snow removal or other maintenance activities, the vehicle is moved to a nearby side street and there is no cost to the owner. What Would It Take: Removing overnight parking restrictions in Downtown is an administrative matter and would not require a change to City Code. Prior to advancing this as a solution, staff would conduct business owner and other stakeholder outreach to seek input and to communicate a potential change. If existing signs are removed, Snow and Sweeping Crews would need to pre- mark the parking spaces 24 hours in advance of the operations, with an estimated cost of $3k per event. Considerations: The City Manager will consider the following factors before finalizing an operational change to overnight parking restrictions and update City Council on the outcome. Correlation to problem statement: Staff are arranging a meeting with the organization “Partners Mentoring Youth” to learn more to inform a strategy moving forward and will reach out to “Partners Mentoring Youth” as recommended by Mayor Pro Tem Francis. DocuSign Envelope ID: D269ADFF-6D4A-4751-91AA-5E62277497B1 Their “No DUI Larimer” program implies a holistic approach to reducing drunk driving. A joint conversation to include Police Services will be scheduled to pursue options. Operational Impacts: Staff are calculating potential impacts to snow and street sweeping operations, including implications on Parking Enforcement of 2-hour stays the following morning which may be unclear and require additional resources. The City also envisions moving to a paid on-street model in the future. Ideally, managing overnight parking, including adjusting days and/or times for overnight parking restrictions can be aligned and implemented with that strategy. Alternative Options: City Staff supports aligning parking policies and safe travel choices. Current practices allow multiple options to leave a car overnight and if a car is left where overnight parking is prohibited, the consequences are generally minimal. Two alternative options have been identified for further evaluation: o Evaluate payment options in the parking structures to allow free or reduced cost overnight parking. o Evaluate a coordinated outreach and communication strategy that promotes visitors planning their night, finding safe travel choices including transit and other options, identification of overnight parking locations, and maintaining efficient street maintenance operations. DocuSign Envelope ID: D269ADFF-6D4A-4751-91AA-5E62277497B1