Downtown Tampa Parking Study and Plan
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DOWNTOWN TAMPA PARKING STUDY AND PLAN UPDATED SPRING 2020 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 3 1 PARKING OVERVIEW 11 2 PARKING INVENTORY 19 3 PARKING UTILIZATION 27 4 MAJOR FINDINGS 45 5 RECOMMENDATIONS 53 DRAFT 1 DOWNTOWN TAMPA PARKING STUDY AND PLAN INTRODUCTION An overview of the study and summary of key findings and recommendations. DRAFT 2 DRAFT PHOTO CAPTION photo caption photo caption 3 DOWNTOWN TAMPA PARKING STUDY AND PLAN INTRODUCTION DOWNTOWN The Tampa Downtown Partnership, working with Strategic Property Partners, LLC, led this comprehensive study of parking in downtown PARKING AT A Tampa during most of 2018, with updates made based on additional data collected in late 2019. The Downtown Tampa Parking Study is GLANCE the first comprehensive analysis of parking in greater downtown, and is occurring at a time of unprecedented development for Tampa’s urban core. In the last decade, major changes in downtown have greatly changed its overall parking profile: the addition of major 24,000 residential projects in the central business district has brought a spaces covered in nighttime population; the addition of new hotels has increased the number of visitors to downtown; and major special events are an the study increasingly common occurrence with use of the Amalie Arena and the completion of the Tampa Riverwalk. 2018 and 2019 were continued years of major changes: vertical 8,000 construction began on the Water Street Tampa development, the of these spaces opening of Julian Lane Park greatly increased the number of special managed by the events held downtown, and the passage of the All For Transportation sales tax and subsequent delays to its implementation pointed to City of Tampa a future of expanded promise for multimodal transportation in the city—and the importance of securing reliable funding sources for it. Looking to the future, the development of Water Street Tampa will add significant daytime and nighttime population to downtown and 6,000 increase travel demand further, and the introduction of a micro- spaces are available mobility pilot program in 2019 brought another travel option to meet demand for short trips in the urban core. at downtown’s busiest time This study was commissioned to assess the impact of these changes surveyed and to provide a comprehensive inventory of downtown’s parking supply and use. It considered these relative to expected levels of parking demand based on current and future development, and it offers strategic recommendations for management and adding to parking supply. The study is not narrowly focused on providing additional parking, but views parking as a resource to manage and leverage with the larger downtown transportation system. DRAFT 4 WHAT DID THE STUDY INCLUDE? As a result, parking demand downtown is far more diverse than it used to be, and the supply of The study collected and analyzed parking parking downtown is expected to serve a greater information for an area bounded by Hillsborough number of uses in a given day. However, many of River on the west, Garrison Channel on the south, these new purposes and facilities have not added Meridian Drive on the east, and I-275 on the north. parking supply. The balance of daytime employment This includes Tampa’s historic central business and evening special-event uses suggests a scenario district and several major center city attractions, in which these can share a fixed supply of parking, such as the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, although as special events increase in number and Amalie Arena, and Curtis Hixon Park. It reviewed a downtown continues to attract jobs and residents, large sample of available parking within this district, this balance is becoming more challenging to meet. both publicly (City of Tampa) owned and operated In addition, continued land development downtown as well as parking operated by private companies is removing existing parking supply. Even though and/or directly serving private buildings. major portions of this supply are expected to be replaced with new parking facilities built with The study counted parking to represent three development, reduction in supply coupled with different types of typical day in downtown: a typical an increase in demand points to a potential future weekday with no special events, a weekday with a where downtown parking needs cannot easily be small number of minor events, and a Saturday with met. several public events occurring simultaneously in the evening. Additional counts performed in late However, there are other factors that underlie this 2019 added to these dates as well. general increase in demand for parking, and they point to the ways in which downtown parking is PARKING DEMAND AND HOW IT IS managed and made available: MET: WHAT DID THE STUDY FIND? • The market for downtown parking—or As one of the Tampa Bay region’s primary the means in which downtown parking employment centers, a major share of downtown customers access spaces and meet Tampa’s parking demand has historically come their parking needs— remains highly from workers commuting to jobs. This employment focused on monthly permits. Even population has been expanding in recent years though many parking facilities strive to with an office market shift back to downtown and use a single space as much as possible the addition of major institutional facilities such as and not simply accommodate daytime USF Health. However, downtown Tampa has also customers, there is a diversity of parking emerged in the last two decades as a residential demand throughout the day that a strong neighborhood and a major events center—the focus on monthly parking impedes. Straz Center for the Performing Arts is one of • This market is manipulated by a the nation’s premier multi-venue performing arts difference in price, especially between complexes, the 16,000-seat Amalie Arena hosts facilities owned and operated by the hundreds of sports events and concerts per year, City of Tampa and those operated and the Curtis Hixon and Julian Lane Parks and by private companies. This drives the award-winning Tampa Riverwalk bring festivals customers to a strong preference for and events throughout the year. What was a 9-to- City facilities that are already heavily 5 downtown only a generation ago has evolved subscribed,DRAFT even though there is available into a dynamic urban center with many diverse parking in other parts of downtown. attractions. text continues on page 7 5 DOWNTOWN TAMPA PARKING STUDY AND PLAN PARKING UTILIZATION Ray Charles At the busiest times Laurel Orange Central Fortune llard Blanche Armwood Governor on weekdays, certain Harrison Ba parking facilities Royal Hank Nebraska are heavily used Doyle Carlton Jefferson while others nearby Pierce Mor Tyler Marion have ample unused gan space. However, Cass Franklin Polk unused space does not Hillsborough River Zack mean that parking Brush Twiggs is available— and Madison Florida this contributes to a Washington Kennedy perceived shortage of Finley parking downtown. Jackson Tampa Parker Walton Caesar Keller Cumberland Ashley Grand Central Whiting Parking Utilization Rates Eunice UNDERUTILIZED UTILIZED Folsom Cedar Cleveland Plant Channelside Cardy ater Old W 0 - 30% Beneficial 30 - 60% 60 - 80% 80 - 90% No Data Platt 90 - 100% Hyde Park Over 100% for this time Bayshore How Many How Many Total are Available are Available Public Garage/Lot ACCESS TO Spaces for Monthly for Transient PARKING Permits? Customers? Downtown’s parking Ft. Brooke Garage 2523 1967 556 market continues South Regional Garage 1140 350 790 to show a strong Twiggs Garage 890 400 490 preference for W.F. Poe Garage 932 782 150 monthly parking Regional/Royal Lot 315 315 Remaining access, which leads Scott Street Lot 309 309 spaces (after monthly customers (especially Selmon Expressway II Lot 168 168 customers) businesses and other Selmon Expressway Union 58 58 Open to organizations) to hold Station Lot monthly large quantities of Interstate Lot 200 DRAFT200 permit parking spaces even Whiting Garage 503 503 holders only if they are not being used regularly. 6 • The City’s less expensive facilities of transforming how parking works in downtown have long wait lists for a monthly Tampa. These are detailed below and in the diagram permit subscription, and there is no on the following page. incentive for parking customers not to join and remain on these wait lists. This Phase 1: Tampa Downtown Partnership takes an keeps new customers in the market— early lead to gather information and help to build such as new businesses or commercial a business case for making these adjustments to tenants—from being able to access parking management. It draws on its membership to desirable parking if it is not already build political support for the City making changes provided in their building or facility. that allow more nimble, strategic policy-making that • Neither the City of Tampa nor the private responds to parking needs. owners or operators who account for most of the parking supply are currently Phase 2: The City of Tampa responds to this showing interest in building new parking. advocacy by making key ordinance changes Private development may add parking and adjusting pricing, regulations, and other into the future, but this is expected to management methods to correct imbalances in the serve that development and not allow pricing market and help to demonstrate that there significant expansion of the supply that is a market for a broader range of parking options. can serve a broader public market. Key among these is: • The general public concern over access to parking has led customers in the • The City Council gives staff the market to purchase more than they may administrative authority to adjust prices, need. In addition, the City is currently regulations, enforcement hours and not overselling any of its facilities to a practices on spaces not encumbered significant degree, meaning that permit- by special agreements (such as in based access to parking that is not used the South Regional Garage).