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WEST MAIN STREET PARKING OPPORTUNITIES AND ANALYSIS City of Charlottesville Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates Inc. | 11 Fifty-seven percent of businesses offer their customers dedicated spaces in private lots Forty- three percent indicated that parking was available to patrons either in a public parking lot or garage.1 Despite being in an urbanized location, the majority of business owners (over 80%) did not feel that parking was adequate and of an expected amount. Business owners generally felt that existing time limits (maximum 2 hours) were sufficient for their patrons to comfortably do business on the corridor. More than two-thirds felt parking enforcement was inadequate. Owners were divided as to whether “park once” strategies – where patrons can leave their car at one location and visit many places on the corridor – were good for business. Business owners reported that the majority of their employees – over 50%, or about 1,100 workers - get to work by car. Roughly equal portions (around 10%) arrive on foot or via public transit, and about 5% come by bike. Employees who drive are reported to primarily (68%) park in dedicated off-street spaces provided by the establishment, although over 40% may also occasionally or routinely park on-street and 15% in a public lot. Roughly a third of the businesses reported employees utilizing remote parking options.2 Owners were asked to provide their top 3 recommendations to improve patron access to West Main Street. Their responses are included in full within Appendix A, but the three primary responses were:  Building a paid public parking lot/garage  Enforcement of the existing on-street parking and public lots  Provision of extended duration parking (>2hr) PARKING AND TRAVEL SURVEY – VISITORS/RESIDENTS Two hundred and seventy-eight (278) individuals responded to an online survey primarily oriented toward retail and dining patrons of the corridor. Although 76% occasionally dine on the corridor and 54% have shopped there, less than one-third of the respondents identified their primary association with the corridor as being a retail or dining customer (31%). Large portions of survey respondents were employees or students (29%), residents of nearby neighborhoods (23%), or members of one of the local churches (12%). The remaining few (5%) used the corridor for commuting by bike or car, or for exercise. Over 88% of respondents were regular or frequent visitors coming to the corridor either daily or a few times a month. Over half typically visit two or more places when they come. Walking is overwhelmingly the mode of choice to move between destinations on the corridor (over 60%), however roughly 18% typically drive between locations, with the balance opting for bicycles, transit or varying their modes. The Main Street Market, Blue Moon Diner, Continental Divide, and Albemarle Bakery were the most commonly cited destinations. 1 Business owners were able to select more than one option thus the responses are not cumulative. 2 Owners could select more than one option for locations utilized for employee parking.