The town has convenient on-street parking downtown.

The Board of Commissioners adopted a downtown and West Hillsborough parking study on Sept. 8.

The study, completed by Nelson Nygaard Consulting, found the town has enough parking, except on special event days.

“The consultant collected data on peak days and times throughout the week and concluded that we have sufficient parking,” Planning and Economic Development Manager Shannan Campbell said. “We could be managing what we have better by doing things like utilizing parking technologies to improve the overall parking experience.”

Recommendations

The parking study recommends some changes to the town’s parking management policies and operations. Additionally, the consultant recommended coordination with Orange County and private property owners to open up additional public parking opportunities.

Recommended updates to the town’s management policies include:

• Designating a staff member as the town’s parking manager.
• Facilitating shared parking agreements with private lot owners.
• Coordinating with Orange County to increase the number of available spaces.
• Providing more parking spaces that meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
• Managing and enforcing loading zones.

The study also recommends the following changes to the town’s operational procedures: 

• Optimizing the existing parking inventory with improvements like improved signage, real-time parking information, and increased short-term and drop-off parking.
• Encouraging other modes of transportation.
• Coordinating alternative transportation, like shuttles and public transportation, for large events.

Study

The parking study data collection was completed over several months and included vehicle counts, a survey, stakeholder interviews and pop-up events. The study area encompassed a significant portion of the downtown area and West Hillsborough.

Consultants counted vehicles in public and private parking lots and on streets within the study area in December and April. The study found that the downtown area has higher parking utilization — 65% on weekdays and 50% on weekends — than West Hillsborough — 46% on weekdays and 30% on weekends. The consultant noted in the study that drivers may have trouble finding a spot in specific lots, but parking generally is available throughout the town. 

Over 500 people completed the town’s parking survey, providing additional feedback on the driver experience. Responses showed that the average person parks for less than two hours in the downtown area or West Hillsborough to shop or dine. Drivers typically park no more than a block from their destination.