Officials discuss parking strategies at urban centers

County municipalities aim to attract visitors and residents

Parking options are an integral component for attracting people to shop, dine, or live in a borough or city. That was one of the key messages that local experts, consultants, and municipal officials discussed during a recent Urban Centers Forum titled “Parking Lessons Learned.”

“Parking is a catalyst for development,” said Timothy Haahs, president of Timothy Haahs & Associates, an engineering and architectural design firm that specializes in utilization of effective parking strategies.

Haahs, one of the panelists during the two-hour event at the Coatesville Courtyard Marriott on Dec. 14, provided some suggestions for parking to event attendees, including representatives from the City of Coatesville and the following boroughs: Atglen, Avondale, Downingtown, Elverson, Honey Brook, Kennett Square, Malvern, Modena, Oxford, Parkesburg, Phoenixville, South Coatesville, Spring City, West Chester, and West Grove.

For example, Haahs said there can be benefits to increasing parking fees slightly at meters and also making meter parking time limits shorter. When the meter time limit is two hours versus three hours, it allows for more parking turnover which promotes a positive image of convenience and generates more foot traffic in a borough or city, according to Haahs.

“Parking used to just be a necessity, but nowadays we must provide convenience,” he said.

On-street parking in the downtown is at a premium, and visitors can feel that there isn’t enough parking when these spaces are filled even though there is plenty of parking nearby that is less visible.

Phoenixville Borough Man-

ager Jean Krack and John Yurick, a senior project manager at the transportation engineering firm McMahon Associates, discussed the Phoenixville parking study as part of the panel discussion. The study focused on documenting existing parking options in the borough and included some strategies to address parking challenges and opportunities.

Not surprisingly — as it often is in a downtown — the online survey respondents expressed concerns about parking in Phoenixville. Yurick said some of his firm’s suggestions for short-term strategies included improving parking management, wayfinding signage, and walkability.

Some of the possible midto long-term strategies for Phoenixville included considering shared parking agreements; monitoring parking demands; studying garage feasibility; developing a future development build-out plan based on newer zoning; organizing a downtown valet parking program; continuing streetscape improvements; and developing private-public partnerships.

Yurick also noted that there are some unknown factors with parking these days, including autonomous vehicles and ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft. In addition, he pointed out that someone is always paying for parking – whether that is taxpayers or users of public parking spaces.

West Chester Business Improvement District Executive Director Malcolm Johnstone said a financial analysis of parking in the borough was done by Desman Design Management, an engineering and architectural firm that specializes in parking facilities.

Following discussions with West Chester residents and the business community, it was determined that a graduated rate scale would be preferred for onstreet parking and discounted parking should be provided in the garages, according to a memo authored by a Desman representative that summarized the findings of the study. The memo includes a suggested rate structure which would help achieve the following goals: promote turnover with on-street parking; provide a discount for short-term parking; incentivize utilization of garages for long-term parking; and encourage people to visit town center businesses.

Chester County Planning Commission Urban Planner Kevin Myers also spoke during the event and provided an analysis of existing parking facilities and services of the county’s 16 urban centers. In particular, the majority of these municipalities have marked street parking. While a majority of the urban centers also have zoning ordinances that allow for off-site parking and shared parking, other options are available but fewer of them are currently permitted.

Chester County Department of Community Development Director Patrick Bokovitz said the Urban Centers Forums have been conducted since the development of VISTA 2025, the county’s economic development strategy. The forums are the result of a partnership involving Bokovitz’s department, the Chester County Planning Commission, and the Chester County Economic Development Council. Past forums focused on implementation of economic development strategies in towns; the redevelopment of underutilized properties; and the mentality of marketing.

About 40 people attended the recent event, which concluded with a question-andanswer session.

“We always benefit from workshops that the county puts on, and parking is always an issue for a historic town,” said Historic Kennett Square Executive Director Mary Hutchins, adding that she was there to learn some insight and tips about parking strategies.

Coatesville City Manager Michael Trio thanked attendees for coming to the city for the forum. He discussed some of the ongoing revitalization projects in the city, including the Coatesville Gateway Redevelopment Project and the new Coatesville Train Station project.

SUBMITTED PHOTOS — CHESTER COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION In Downingtown, finding a parking spot along Route 30 can get tricky, especially in early morning and late afternoon.

Downtown parking in Oxford can sometimes be a challenge.

SUBMITTED PHOTOS — CHESTER COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION There was a big crowd during a recent Urban Centers Forum titled “Parking Lessons Learned.”

Coatesville’s business district along Lincoln Highway has always had parking challenges.

Local experts, consultants, and municipal officials discuss parking options during a recent Urban Centers Forum titled “Parking Lessons Learned.”