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WEST MAIN STREET PARKING OPPORTUNITIES AND ANALYSIS City of Charlottesville Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates Inc. | 7 Generally speaking, demand for on-street parking was highest in the segment from 6th Street to the rail overpass while off-street occupancy was highest in the segment from Ridge McIntire to 6th Street. On-street parking was at or above 90% on Friday and Saturday for most hours of the day in the 6th Street to 8th Street segment. This is over the 85% threshold for optimum parking occupancy. At the same time, publically available parking in the same segment (available at the Old Albermarle Hotel and Amtrak parking facilities) was underutilized with occupancies hovering between forty and sixty percent – a clear sign that better public parking management is needed. Public off-street parking is not presently available in the Ridge McIntire to 6th Street segment. Although private off-street facilities exist that are capable of absorbing demand should any on street spaces be repurposed, off-street occupancy presently is routinely at or above 75%, which is under the typical 85% threshold for optimum occupancy. The segment west of the rail overpass had the lowest demand for both on-and off-street spaces and abundant capacity to absorb demand during all hours of the day on both weekdays and weekends (typically less than 50% for off-street parking and less than 70% on average for on- street spaces) PARKING AND TRAVEL SURVEYS AND INTERVIEWS Two surveys were conducted as well as interviews with key agency and corridor stakeholders. Over 275 people responded to a survey geared toward parking consumers. The majority of respondents patronize West Main Street establishments at least occasionally (over 75%), however only 31% indicated that their primary purpose in coming to West Main Street was to support the commercial enterprises. The balance of respondents were bicycle or vehicle commuters, parishioners of corridor churches, employees of local offices, or local neighborhood residents. The survey indicated that a large proportion (70%) of business patrons typically drive and park on the corridor with smaller percentages accessing businesses primarily through walk, bike, or transit. Interestingly, a roughly equal proportion of respondents indicated that parking can easily be found on the corridor as did the proportion of people who stated that they had turned around or avoided West Main Street due to a lack of parking (about 1/3 of each). A large majority of respondents stated that they are willing to walk a block or more from a parking space to their destination (74% of retail consumers and 63% of the general populace). While parking is currently free on the corridor, just under half the respondents (and a greater proportion of commercial consumers) indicated a willingness to pay $1 or more per hour to park on the corridor. Roughly a quarter were unwilling to pay any amount for parking; however, of these, two-thirds did not identify themselves as primarily coming to the corridor to shop or dine. Fewer than a third of respondents felt that, as it is today, West Main Street is a nice street to walk along. Only one third of respondents indicated that they are generally satisfied with the corridor as it is today. Two dozen business owners responded to a survey targeted at their interests. Respondents comprised a good representation of the diverse mix of commercial enterprises on the corridor. Business owners highlighted a serious perceived need for additional patron and employee parking, better enforcement of on-street parking, and potentially the extension of the duration of permitted parking.