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CITY OF CHARLOTTESVILLE <br />I RICH AND ASSOCIATES, INC. – PARKING CONSULTANTS <br /> www.parkingdesign.com <br /> <br />Executive Summary <br /> <br />The purpose of this Comprehensive Parking Master Plan is to guide Charlottesville through <br />the process of mitigating present day parking shortages and to preemptively deploy <br />techniques and strategies for developing future parking and parking alternatives that will <br />compliment the community’s long-term development goals. The report body summarizes <br />the findings of an extensive analysis of the parking conditions present in downtown <br />Charlottesville. Based upon the findings of this analysis, exhaustive interviews, broad <br />community survey samplings and investigative research, a plan for evolving the quality and <br />quantity of Charlottesville’s parking was developed. The culmination of the efforts of a great <br />number of individuals from the city and community, as well as professional consultants, are <br />presented in this document. <br />The initial study involved subdividing Charlottesville’s downtown into three districts or areas <br />for analysis. Each area was felt to have unique characteristics that would influence the <br />parking demand either seasonally or daily in a different manner from an adjacent zone. The <br />first zone (Court Square) we classified as a Government/Court district. The primary <br />characteristic of this zone is that demand fluctuated with the Court caseloads and overall <br />occupancy was very high, especially on-street. The second zone (Main Downtown) consists <br />primarily of business or commercial uses that have a continuously high demand during the <br />day. This zones parking demand is partially driven by overflow from the Court Square area. <br />The third zone (West Main Downtown) is influenced by the University of Virginia and its <br />Hospital, which has a strong impact on the parking demand. This zone experiences <br />increased demand during the day, which tapers off as evening approaches (please see the <br />parking influences map on page 91. <br />Special consideration needs to be given to the parking needs of the West Main Downtown <br />area. This zone experiences a great deal of demand influence from the University of <br />Virginia and the University Hospital. The linear nature of this area and the fact that the <br />demand related to the University Campus fluctuates throughout the year creates a unique <br />situation. The best method of dealing with parking need in this area is by examining <br />development on a case-by-case basis and using minimum requirements and incentives for <br />parking development. <br />The recommendations presented in this report are intended to benefit the entire downtown. <br />Some of the recommendations deal specifically with one area, however by dealing with the <br />parking need of one area we can influence the need in an adjacent area. As the parking <br />need of one area is met, an adjacent area will benefit through the trickle down effect. The <br />operational recommendations are intended to optimize the use and availability of the existing <br />parking supply in meeting current and future needs. All of the recommendations made in <br />this report are intended to work together in creating an overall balance between parking <br />need and supply.