The Future of Parking in Broward County November 2001 A guide for the development of a County Parking Policy. A report to the Transportation Planning and Air Quality Divisions of the Broward County Department of Planning and Environmental Protection Parking garages can be beautiful. Before you begin - a word about the format. One unique feature of this report is that, as befits an organization looking to create the future, it has been posted on an Internet site as it has been produced and comments have been welcomed as we have proceeded. We feel comments have greater value while the study is being conducted rather than after it's completed. Further, we do not consider that turning over a finished product completes our work. Indeed, we believe that current technology will allow this type of report to go on into the future, as needed. We intend to maintain the report on a web site together with all follow-on comments -- and perhaps even our responses to them - for an indefinite period. Should Broward County create, as we suggest, a Parking Information Network, then this report could be maintained on that web site. Thus, the report could remain readily available to interested parties electronically, in addition to sitting on a shelf. Even then a hard copy could be made available by downloading rather than reprinting, and it would have up-to-date comments and changes. A second unique feature is that the report will be available in CD format, allowing random access to specific portions in an audio visual presentation. This format is also easily reproduced, if there is a need. Finally, even the written hard copy of the report is being presented in a format that is similar to the web site presentation: text along one side, pictures adjacent, and references to back-up data next to the text. (Eventually, when most materials are presented on a screen, readers will return to the vertical scroll format of ancient times. The more things change, the more they change, but also remain the same.) Thank you, Jack Latona Steve McCrea www.roadlovers.com www.freeenglishlessons.com www.letterfrommexico.com www.findasmallschool.com This report has been researched, written, photographed, videoed, typed and produced by Jack Latona and Steve McCrea of The Center for Creating the Future, Inc. Many people inspired and assisted in many ways and we thank them all but especially Molly Hughes, Bruce Wilson, Mike Sherman, Enrique R. Zelaya, Kathy Chagnard, Ossama Al-Aschkar, Bill Leonard, Daniela Banu and Cindy Corbett-Elder (Department of Planning and Environmental Protection), Robert Baldwin (Town Manager, Lauderdale by the Sea), Paul Carpenter (Downtown Fort Lauderdale TMA), Doug Gottshall and John Hoelzle (City of Fort Lauderdale), Ed Davis, and Patrick Rutter (advisor to City of Weston). None of these people should, however, be held responsible for any of our mistakes or omissions. Executive Summary Introduction Broward County's Division of Transportation Planning asked the Center for Creating the Future, Inc., to look at the future of parking issues in Broward County, including a study of current parking conditions in Broward County, the impact of these conditions on drivers and the environment, options for responses to anticipated parking conditions, and recommendations. The Center has presented this report in an innovative fashion, maintaining its work on an on-going basis on its web site, www.creatingthefuture.org, and publishing it on a compact disk as well as in print format. The print format has been designed to approximate a web site in its appearance, with many pictures. Parking presents more issues than just "Do we have enough places to park?" In addition to the objective reality of sufficient spaces, perceptions of sufficiency, ease of access and environmental impact must also be considered. Further, while we have focused on parking, parking issues are inextricably linked with traffic issues and, to that extent, we have addressed that link. Simply put, if parking is plentiful, more people will drive; if parking is difficult, fewer people will drive (or they will go elsewhere). Put another way, the better the parking, the more likely traffic will increase: if you build more parking facilities, just as if you build more roads, they will come. Restricting parking, coupled with providing options to driving (e.g., remote parking and shuttles or more and better public transportation) will reduce demand for parking. Presently, there is not an objective shortage of parking in Broward County except for certain peak times at popular commercial locations and in the area surrounding the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale. There is, however, a perception of a parking shortage, resulting from the rapid development of certain areas, and a lack of adequate information about parking locations. Also, drivers, accustomed to surface parking, are reluctant to use parking ramps, especially the higher floors of those ramps. Stress on many drivers results from these conditions. This report also emphasizes the environmental damage resulting from too many cars driving around, looking for the perfect parking space. Methods for reducing this environmental damage are presented. The study concludes that demand for parking is most likely to increase as the population increases. It presents a wide variety of options in response to those increased demands ranging from providing better information about parking options, to diversion of drivers to public transportation or remove parking and shuttles into impacted areas.Providing more parking downtown will increase traffic and congestion, but that gives all the more reason for public policy makers to maximize the use of existing spaces rather than just allowing more spaces to be built. The Center recommends creation of a Parking Information Network which would provide local officials, developers and individuals with more information and more accessible information about parking options. A comment about the role of public policy in the evolution of parking: "Public policy today determines the environment of 2010 and beyond." We live today with the restrictions and rules decided at least 10 years ago. Each local government has standards that impose requirements for parking, ranging from upper-end suburban cities where every car is required to be in a garage, to Fort Lauderdale, where there is no requirement for parking in the downtown. If asked, most residents of Fort Lauderdale would probably be surprised that their city does not require parking for new buildings downtown, but this is not as dramatic as it sounds. A developer wouldn't be able to get financing or tenants if there were no parking. The market, not the city, sets the amount of parking needed. The recommendations in this report can be put in place at the discretion of policymakers to diminish the negative impacts of additional parking that will be added in the coming years. Estimates of the Parking Space Inventory in Garages in Downtown Fort Lauderdale MORE (+ 10%) This estimate suggests that the inventory in garages will grow by 1100 spaces, or a total of 12,100. MUCH MORE (+ 20%) This estimate suggests that the inventory in garages will grow by 2200, or a total of 13,200 spaces A WHOLE LOT MORE (+ 40%) Broward County is projected to grow by 41% in twenty years, in increase of about 666,000, going from roughly 1.6 million in 2000 to 2.29 million in 2020. This estimate is linked directly to the countywide population growth estimate generated by the Bureau of Economic and Business Research (June 2000) and available in a graph by the South Florida Regional Planning Council at www.sfrpc (http://www.sfrpc.com/region/demographics.htm, (click on "County Decennial Population Estimates and Projections, 1920-2030). This estimate suggests that the inventory in downtown Fort Lauderdale's garages will grow by 4400 to 15,400 spaces. Conclusion The Center emphasizes that parking solutions require less capital and shorter lead times than other traffic-related actions and can be adopted as needed. However, since we can anticipate these future needs, we have the opportunity to act before they become critical and can become even better able to anticipate the future by developing better information. Most urban planners know that we need to pursue "smart growth" in order to balance pressures for development with citizen desires for low-density or no development. We should seek "Smart Parking" policies to provide the greatest service to the community with the least damage to the environment. These issues should be studied in small schools where the specifics can be better analyzed without the prejudice of "groupthink." Jack Latona Steve McCrea www.roadlovers.com www.freeenglishlessons.com www.letterfrommexico.com www.findasmallschool.com
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