Parking: Decatur’s Savior of Businesses or Destroyer of Worlds?
Decatur Metro | January 17, 2010At first glance, it may seem that there are few local topics up for discussion as insanely boring as parking. But just try discussing it with your neighbor and you’ll quickly discover that “parking” is a volatile closet issue for many. Open that door and you may suddenly find yourself knee-deep in a personal struggle for “what is right” and “what is annoying.”
Here in Decatur, a walkable ‘burb fighting the influence of surrounding speedable sprawl, the issue takes on added weight and dimension.
For decades now, Decatur has bucked almost any developmental trend taken up by the rest of greater Atlanta. Back in the 1970s, when many of those same suburbs shunned MARTA, Decatur asked that the line be moved so it would cut straight through the center of the city. And while the Atlanta suburbs continued to crawl across the Georgia piedmont and into the mountains and swamps (circa 2008), Decatur looked towards greater density, shunning wider artery roads with highway-like speed limits in favor of street-narrowing.
But there’s one area where Decatur has a harder time ignoring the car-tendencies of greater Atlanta. Parking.
Decatur has become a darling of the smart-growth movement, but for all the resurrected sidewalks and tree-lined streets, Decatur’s parking ordinance has remained unchanged since the mid-1950s. Why?
Well, I would argue it’s mostly Atlanta’s fault.
Decatur recognized back in the early 1980s that part of the strategy to revive downtown was to bring residents back to the downtown core. However, even while it continued to build condos along Ponce de Leon Ave, Decatur also found itself the happy recipient of car-loads of Atlantans looking to walk the city streets and patronize city establishments. These residents, used to driving everywhere and under-served by the public transportation system, come to Decatur by car and expect the same car-accommodation as anywhere else.
So business owners, hesitant to upset a good portion of their customer base, tend to be a bit wary when calls come up to scale back on parking inside the city limits. Hence the anonymous responses given by business owners to a survey included in the city’s 2008-2009 parking study.
- “Our business is on the Square. Parking is a major issue, and the lack of it is a huge detriment to our business.”
- “Parking meter rates are too high, signage and publicity about lots is till inadequate; Perception is there is no parking and we lose business because of that.”
- “No one knows where it is or it is too far to walk!”
The other group that has recently had trouble swallowing the “forward-thinking” idea of fewer parking spots, are those who live in close proximity to businesses with limited parking options. These opinions were elaborated upon numerous times during the debate over the redevelopment of 315 West Ponce in 2008 and more recently during the recent “Farm Burger” parking variance issue.
In 2010, in light of an upcoming reassessment of the city’s Strategic Plan, many in Decatur seem ready and willing reassess it’s parking ordinance.
Zoning Board of Appeals member, Kyle Williams, recently kicked things off by elaborating on six ways “to modernize our parking ordinance to address the individual character, location and use of a property and its surroundings.” Some of these same suggestions can also be found in the city’s 2008-2009 parking study.
According to City Manager Peggy Merriss, to formally make changes to the ordinance, a resident, ZBA board member, or member of city staff would first have to introduce the idea to the Zoning Board. If the Board was interested, they could then motion to have city staff to do some background review on proposed changes. The Board would then make a presentation on the motion to the City Commission and the Commission would vote it up or down. (Depending on the breadth of issues involved, Merriss also notes that a task force or consultants might also be appointed to look into the issue.)
Decatur has made great strides in resisting this siren call for MORE accessible parking in recent years. No more do we hear suggestions of tearing down the Old Courthouse in favor of a surface lot. More and more business owners and residents understand the give-and-take of what has made this city successful, even in times of economic distress.
Up until now, most parking discussions have taken place in the heat of the moment, when specific projects put certain parties under the gun and under threat. To truly come to consensus, we must first come down from our pedestals of “what is right” and “what is real” and recognize the validity of arguments on another side. That’s been difficult to do when issues like parking are only discussed during a crisis; when parties to the conversation feel under siege.
That’s why the 2010 Strategic Planning process couldn’t come at a better time. While I expect all parties to again be present at the table, emotions will most likely be more tempered and deadlines won’t mean a verdict on who “won” or “lost” a specific, myopic argument. The greater issues at hand will finally again receive our full attention.
I eagerly await the debate.
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Part of this, I think, is an unwillingness of people to use the parking facilities currently available and accessible to downtown. Decatur Renaissance has a very large parking deck that is almost always completely empty. That’s one block from the square proper, i.e. Brick Store, et al. Sure, you have to pay to park there, but its not exorbitant. Then there is the enornous parking deck for the courthouse, which nobody uses.
Maybe the issue is safety? I think there is a perception problem with the courthouse deck. Its a bit dark over there. Maybe with some better lighting and some more visible security, this deck could be more attractive. I’m pretty certain the deck is owned by the county, so, of course, any city involvement with improving the attractiveness of this space would need to be coordinated with the county.
And maybe a bit of marketing would help? Signs pointing to these decks and encouraging people to park there? Maybe people just don’t think about parking in these spaces?
In terms of cost, wouldn’t it be more cost efficient to subsidize these two large parking facilities rather than constructing new facilities or modifying the existing road and sidewalks to accomodate more parking? I’m betting it would cost less and would cause less disruptions to pay the owners of these facilities a fee to allow Decatur shoppers to use the spaces for free during particular times of day.
Just my 2 cents. I’m no expert on this subject.
Safety, lighting, and awareness are definitely the problem with the Courthouse parking. I lived here for years before finally learning about its existence because I had jury duty and they validated parking there! I parked there with my daughter the night of the Decatur Bonfire and the exit to the MARTA bus area was dingy, deserted, and not welcoming. I hurried her along because it did not feel safe.
Some fanfare, brighter lighting, security guard presence, and fresh paint are needed to increase the use of that lot. I’d circle the street level parking on the square or park down by the high school before heading back into that lot at night.
Agree. There are plenty of places to park around downtown. The two decls mentioned in this thread are virtually never full, or even close to it. And though some of them require payment, they’re not exactly expensive. This stikes me as quitee a non-issue. We don’t need to build any more parking because we have plenty of it already. All this new urbanism stuff just complicates the issue and is unnecessary.
Then haven’t we already proposed the solution? Since the merchants anonymously say parking is one of their big problems and the Decatur Renaissance parking is somewhat empty during the weekdays, let the merchants arrange for 1-2 hrs validated parking during the weekdays when a minimum meal or retail purchase is made. For nights and weekends, spend some $$$ to make the courthouse parking secure and clean (bright?) when people parking there for free.
Either way we are covered. Maybe THIS is a new T-shirt slogan: Decatur — plenty of parking for everyone. (Okay, maybe not …)
Who argued we build more parking?
Efforts to revise the parking ordinance have to do, in large part, with lowering parking minimums and implementing maximums, increasing the distance for off-site parking arrangements, allowing more shared parking, etc. The new urbanism “stuff” wants to build less parking. So I’m not sure how it complicates the issue.
Better signage for current parking options and amount of current deck space are key components of the parking study I linked to above. These are components of how we improve the current parking scenario, however changing the ordinance for future businesses and development is a much bigger task and doesn’t really seem like a “non-issue” to me.
You are right, I skimmed too quickly.
Understood. ‘Twas a wordy post!
Nice summary, DM, and you’re right: any effective, long-term approach must be hammered out in an environment of mutual good will where there is no looming outcome of “winners” and “losers.” The Strategic Plan Update, when we’re talking about all aspects of quality of life and how singular decisions can have unintended impacts on other things we hold dear, will be a great opportunity for us to finally get somewhere.
That said, I’d like to throw out some additional props for Kyle’s parking recommendations piece on the DNO. It’s very refreshing to see the broader local conversation transitioning from one where, say, 200 spaces is a victory but 195 constitutes the end of the world, to one where the interdependent needs of residents, businesses, schools and churches, on foot, traveling by transit, or in the car, are considered equally and for the shared benefit of all.
There was a time when Decatur took the one-issue approach, leveling much of our greatest asset downtown in a shameful attempt to cater to a new, parking-crazy suburban culture. It failed, and failed miserably. We’re now twenty years into undoing the damage of such singular thinking. It’s time for Decatur to apply our near-limitless creativity in pursuit of something smarter.
I’m sure not everyone will agree with everything in Kyle’s piece, but it should be required reading for everyone in town. We need regs that reflect who we are, and everything we value. As both individuals and as a community.
I think it’s simple. We don’t want to PAY to park. We’re used to having free parking.
James is entirely correct. It’s better for us to subsidize the parking facilities than revamp everything to make street level parking. I guess the parking charge IS how we’re subsidizing this.
We used to live in Greenville SC and had the same problem. People wanted to come downtown but no one wanted to pay to park. Then the city got smart and started offering free parking in the city lots on weekends. They cleaned up the parking, and put up info boards around town to guide folks to the free parking. People started to come downtown from the burbs, and businesses were happy with the increased foot traffic.
And maybe a bit of marketing would help? Signs pointing to these decks and encouraging people to park there? Maybe people just don’t think about parking in these spaces?
This.
I live in Downtown Decatur in a condo… and wish they would block off 3 blocks of w. ponce and pave it for walking, bike riding, restaurant and retail….. like Lincoln Road on Miami Beach, and divert the traffic around the main part of the square from Commerce to Church. Better yet, from POnce place…… to gas staton near the other end of Commerce. Or even better yet from the post office to the east end of Commerce….. nothng but walking, bikes, and maybe scooters. Make the parking on streets behind the commercial area….
…
From Mr. Duany: (Decatur is) a “drive-to” walkable experience. When I park in Decatur, I always cruise until I find one on the street. That probably is a time waster and traffic causer. How can Decatur help me find a convenient space for say, Eddies Attic?
the courthouse parking lot is less than a block to Eddie’s Attic.
Does anyone know why all our curb parking has been designed to be parallel instead of angle? How many times has traffic been stopped for blocks while someone tried to negotiate parallel parking, and how many more spaces would angle parking create? Just wondering.
Mainly due to the width of the streets.
My solution to the parking problem is to keep the pay-to-park decks but completely eliminate all parking meters. It may be abused here and there, but for the most part people would come to Decatur and shop and eat and then go home. With the current meter situation one cannot eat in a sit-down restaurant AND shop a bit without getting a ticket. After a couple of tickets at Christmas I gave up on Decatur and went to the mall. I wasn’t happy about it, but if the city wants more business they should be a little more accommodating. (At a minimum go back to the old meter rates.) I have no problem with the pay-to-park decks and park there when I know my destination, but often it’s a spur of the moment decision to stop by some where on the way home, especially when I spot a vacant space.
So my question is exactly how much annual revenue do those meters bring in and what does the city use if for?I’d love to know that. Can the income be offset by the cost of the meter patrol and meter maintenance? Would it lure more people into the city to do business?
I think Decatur should actually consider the opposite. You want to keep onstreet paid meter parking for quick ins and outs, thus the increased rates, and increased turnover. For longer stays, parking can and should be in lots further away. Many of these are currently free at nights and on weekends.
God bless Decatur for having the clarity to recognize their planning and parking mistakes and the foresight to address the possible solutions. Effectively addressing Decatur’s parking will put Decatur at least a decade ahead of Atlanta. Albeit, Atlanta has some much bigger fish to fry.
As is well demonstrated by that creepy courthouse deck, the answer is not more parking. The courthouse deck also demonstrates that a city government lead solution could likely generate another costly looser. Viewing parking as the problem may be the wrong may be the exact wrong place to start. The city with the lowest ratio of parking to cars, San Francisco, has reducing its parking requirements for new development. Why? They appreciate people not cars. Granted Decatur is not SF, but I think the idea translates to Decatur.
IMHO, untethered objective studies form smart-growth type designers and planners will gin-up the best ideas. Selecting and executing the plans will require local leadership.
Build a cool community. They will come
Build more parking. They will not.
Let me propose some “truisms” that should be factored into our next-steps discussion:
1. No one owns the street in front of their house. It’s nice when it’s available for your use, but everyone in town owns that street and have the right to legally use it.
2. A couple blocks is not a long distance to walk from your parking space to your destination, especially if you are walking to something great, expect to spend some time there, and are engaged by a safe and interesting street along the way. The more we invest in making downtown a great place to hang out, the more our underutilized decks will become attractive options.
3. Inflexible parking regs mean a place like the Brick Store, one of the most favored places in town, could not be duplicated in new construction. What does it say when our regulations prevent us from emulating the types of places we love the most?
4. The size/scale of downtown, mixed-use projects is often the one bugaboo the comes up, yet our parking regs ensure that that’s the only scale of development that can really “pencil out.” Want smaller infill downtown? Now that the Great Recession has brought the cost of land down, stop making developers devote huge portions of their parcels to parking that never gets used.
Anyone else care to throw a couple in the hopper?
In Emory Village we have struggled with parking problems, but we hope we have a good solution for future redevelopment. When development occurs and a certificate of occupancy is requested, tenants must show the County they have sufficient parking either on-site or by producing a contract for shared parking spaces. Business owners must provide a parking study showing how parking spaces will be shared. The projected demand and location of the spaces must be shown along with written consent of the owner of the parking spaces. If the tenants generate parking needs at different times, parking requirements can be lowered by 20%. In hopes of encouraging more walking, and recognizing the proximity to the University and the availability of transit, we have also lowered the parking standards that DeKalb County uses in most places. We also tilted the standards to favor retail uses over eating establishments. The residential requirements are 1 space for a 1 bedroom, 1.5 spaces for a 2 bedroom unit, and 2 spaces for a 3 bedroom.
Seems to me that James and Kyle both make sensible suggestions that go well together. I can walk to downtown from my house, but downtown businesses can’t survive on people like me and MARTA travelers; they need drivers and drivers need to park. If more people used the existing parking decks — free on evenings and weekends, well-lit, well-posted and city-promoted — they would take advantage of Decatur’s walkability and take it from there. Then questions about parking minimums at sites like the old Voila needn’t arise and the regulations can be more intelligently tailored to promote walkability.
I’m curious about what people object to most: the cost of parking or the challenge of finding a space close to one’s destination, or the challenge of finding a space at all?
Doing away with the parking meters is not a good idea, because downtown retail and restaurant patrons are not only competing with each other for parking spaces, we are also competing with the people who work in the stores and restaurants. That’s why raising the price of the metered spaces to match the deck price improved the situation–it’s no longer worthwhile for people working downtown to feed the meter in front of the salon all day long.
Two points already made in this thread that can’t be said too often or in too many different ways, until we all internalize the concepts: (1) free parking is not an inalienable right, and (2) nobody owns the street in front of their house.
There may not be a clear answer to this question, but I wonder how much our downtown merchants and restaurateurs really compete with the malls, versus competing with their counterparts in Va-Highland, East Atlanta, Little 5 Points, etc. Is someone who wants to go to the Brick Store really going to choose Applebee’s intead because it’s easier to park? Not sure this changes anything (assuming there’s anything to it), but it’s a different way to think about it all.
But, carrying your Applebee’s comparison to its logical conclusion, wouldn’t it be cool if BSP started offering all you can eat riblets?
And does anyone know what a ‘riblet’ is? On second thought, don’t tell me.
Oh, one more thing. I TOTALLY agree with suggestions about signage for the parking that is available. I lived in Decatur for TWO YEARS before I discovered the City parking deck off Church Street. Yes, I can be oblivious, especially when trying to pay attention to traffic signals and errant pedestrians while scanning for a parking space. But really, we need to make it more obvious that it’s there and how to get in and out of it. Ditto the courthouse deck if we can make it less spooky and want to encourage use. (I didn’t know it was available after hours until this past Labor Day (during the Book Fest), and used it but thought it was scarey even in the daytime.)
I assume you’re referring to the parking deck behind Town Center. It’s not a City deck, it’s privately owned and operated.
Oh. I stand corrected.
The city deck is off Clairemont, behind the Holiday Inn, and mostly serves the convention center.
huh? i am more oblivious than i thought.
And it’s tremendously expensive. It’s the easiest parking I have found most times, but $5 flat on weekends is ridiculous.
Yesterday, my wife, daughter and I decided to head downtown with the intention of visiting only Heliotrope for a gift and Yogurt Tap for a snack. Because we were walking and not driving straight to our destination, we ended up buying a coffee at Starbucks, buying a book at Little Shop of Stories, buying a toy at Salon Red Kids and eating lunch at Brickstore. Oh, and we also walked to both our original destinations. Had Heliotrope been in a strip mall, we probably would have parked right in front, gotten what we need and driven back home, not visiting any other shops. I think that’s a great example of the benefits of having a walkable destination downtown area.
I will say the city can do a better job with signage for parking, however. And the lighting and safety perception issue needs to be improved in the city deck and surrounding area.
You make a very good point.
Once again, though, (note reply to Smalltowngal above), it’s not a City deck you’re referring to. I imagine this time you’re referring to the County deck behind the courthouse.
Don’t forget there is valet parking off of McDonough by Eddie’s Attic in the evenings for those who do not wish to park and walk. The cost is currently $3.
Two reasons for parking meters
1. Revenue
2. To have vehicular turnover and to keep store owners/employees from using all the available parking and leaving little or none for “Customers”
Solutions: Instead of cell phone meters ( in my less than humble opinion, these are the pinnacle of technologic intoxication) Why not a registered sticker that any Decatur resident can purchase from City Hall ($100-$300 per year) that gives that same resident 1 or 2 hours at any meter in Decatur.
The city gets the money up front. There is no equipment purchase cost. There is no additional maintenance and repair costs. And, the biggest benefit for me, if I want a cup of coffee or to run into a store to make a purchase I do not have to waste my time phoning in a $1 -$2 parking fee or chase quarters etc.
To all bureaucrats, I know you are in it to take my money, just don’t waste my time as well.
I would like to know the cost of meters, regular and the high tech cell type plus uniforms, equipment, staffing costs salaries etc compared to actual revenue both from meters and parking tickets.
Lucrative? or not!
I hear you about the employees and residents taking up the spaces. Not sure how to solve that if meters were removed.
I still think the revenue from the meters is minimal when you take salaries, equipment and maintenance into consideration. And, if that’s the case then why not revert to the previous meter rates? It takes a substantial amount of coins to run a small errand the way they are set up now. They are a deterrent right now. Even the City of Decatur website it states that “Parking meters are not intended to provide a source of revenue for the City of Decatur. They are a form of parking management that discourages long-term use of on-street parking.” I don’t know about you all, but I just don’t carry that kind of change with me. It’s too heavy, but well, then I wind up with a ticket. In turn, I just quit parking downtown and go to places where that’s not a problem (Dancing Goats for my coffee and restaurants with parking or the decks.)
Parking meters are designed to produce turnover in parking spaces, not produce revenue. And, to those who complain about the “new” rates, compare Decatur to Atlanta.
Rain, if the metered spaces are less expensive than the parking decks, then employees will occupy those spaces all day because it will be worth it to run back and forth and feed the meters. That’s the old situation. Now that the prices are consistent, it is actually possible to find an empty parking space on the street–it used to be impossible.
I stockpile change in the ashtray in my car. I don’t always have what I need, but that’s been a perennial challenge the whole time I’ve been driving a car (since it was worthwhile to use pennies!). Doesn’t a quarter give you 20 minutes? That’s a “quick errand” in my book.
If the City were reaping a profit from parking meters (which I don’t believe is the case), then I’d be all for it. Every way we can capture money through usage-based fees means some small (or tiny) relief from taxing ourselves across the board for it.
BTW, I thought the cell phone thing was a good idea, but the one time (so far) I was able to snag a space with one of those meters, I couldn’t get the registration process to work.
Most of the metered spaces have a 2 hour limit and the PALS check that. They will issue a ticket for overtime parking and it’s more expensive than expired parking.
A quarter gives you ten minutes. That’s a VERY quick errand.
As noted by the parking study linked to above, the overall “problem” with Decatur’s parking isn’t just that it’s viewed as “expensive” by some. It’s that there’s no consistency in pricing.
The study argues that street parking should be most expensive hands-down to promote turnover (as noted in comments here). That means that all other parking should be less expensive, but not free.
In Decatur, there are many cases where less-than-convenient deck parking is more expensive than the street, which causes folks to troll for street parking instead of just opting for a less expensive deck. “Free to customer” lots are also an issue, because it encourages shoppers to hop from location to location in their vehicles instead of parking once and then walking all over town.
I like the sticker idea. I would buy one in a flash.
Agreed. Would be at least as worth it as my Amazon Prime membership.
I’ve lived in Decatur four years and just this last Saturday I parked in the courthouse parking structure for the first time, while attending an event at Ebster gym. Super convenient and I believe free after 6p and maybe on weekends. I would vote on “dressing up” that parking structure as one solution.
The County deck is free on weekends. And, BTW, despite all the catcalls here about security, I am not aware of any incident that has ever occurred there. I do know that the police do pay attention to it during festivals.
The point is that the deck doesn’t feel very safe, even during a festival (the only time I’ve used it myself). Part of the problem was that practically nobody else was using it, so it felt isolated. I’ll bet if it was promoted as a site where free parking is available, more people would use it and it would then feel safer. I will certainly use it from now on, but only during the daytime if I’m alone, unless and until it starts feeling less empty and more secure.
It’s reassuring to know that the county parking deck may be fairly safe–after all, it’s next to a building full of heavily-armed law enforcement folks and fairly near the Decatur Police Dept. However, to change behavior, e.g. parking behavior, one has to change perceptions. And the county deck has a 1970s dingy, dim, uninviting concrete look without any retro charm. And the deck is devoid of people walking around after hours which in most cities is a red flag for pedestrian danger.
However, since the county owns the deck, we may be stuck with its uninviting ambience. Maybe the city can post a lot of charming signs directing folks to the deck to offset the negative perceptions.
[...] the hell out. Decatur Metro broaches one of the walkable wonderland’s touchiest of topics: [...]
I’ve used the free parking at the County deck for years, and I personally have no problems with it (except that it’s a real pain to get a kid and a stroller down those stairs to the MARTA plaza).
However, I’ve found it virtually impossible to direct visitors, and even other City of Decatur residents who aren’t aware of it, to the location. It really needs more directional signage. Couldn’t ‘Free After-Hours Parking at County Deck’ be added to those lovely directional signs the City installed a while back?
Also, the deck itself doesn’t explicitly advertise that it’s free after-hours. I guess they don’t want to confuse the daytime visitors with anything that says ‘free’. However, it really needs to be posted. Of the folks I’ve sent there that actually managed to find the County deck, many have still turned away because they weren’t convinced it was free.
Although it has never deterred me, I agree with others that a fresh coat of paint, better lighting and a more inviting entrance and walkway past the MARTA plaza would help. Maybe they could even install some of those blue Emergency phone boxes around and inside the deck.
However, I’m not sure how feasible any of these suggestions are, given that the County controls the deck.
Why is it that these discussions always seem to come down to comments attempting to distill complex issues like 200 spaces versus 195 spaces to a fool’s argument of winners and losers? It is neither.