So making things better will require some groundbreaking thinking, according to a national parking consultant who has researched the city's needs. But in a presentation to about 30 people Wednesday evening, Carl Walker Parking vice president Dennis Burns said the economic benefits of improving parking can be felt citywide.
“If you're familiar with parking authorities back East, many of them exist just to keep themselves going,” Burns said. “That's not what we want for Missoula.”
But he added the Missoula Parking Commission could be more open about its decision-making and accounting, enforcement officers could concentrate more on repeat offenders who hog space rather than the occasional visitor who overstays the meter, and the city could rethink the way it uses its parking to get people in and out of downtown.
For example, he suggested building more partnerships between the parking commission and the private owners of lease lots, so those spaces might be made available to the public on evenings or during festivals. He also encouraged more collaboration with the city's Mountain Line bus system to better serve people getting to and from parking areas.
The forum also prompted lots of ideas from the audience. There was debate on the merits of parking garages compared with street space, and how future garages might incorporate rooftop gardens or mechanical car handling that would boost capacity and security.
Another area begging for more research was an understanding of who needs downtown parking and what they need it for. Low-wage employees who work evening shifts have different priorities than midday shoppers, for instance. They can't afford to pay for leased spaces and don't have secure ways to get to their cars late at night when they go home.
Burns said one tension in the parking discussion runs between encouraging people to visit a shopping district and discouraging overcrowded parking areas. Some cities offer free or cheap parking as an enticement, while others make it expensive so price-conscious visitors will use park-and-ride systems or distant parking garages.
Either way, Burns said effective parking strategies will get more people to a downtown, and that's good for the community's business and quality of life. He cited recent research that public investment in historic downtown areas brings better returns to the community as a whole than spending the same money on other parts of town.
“We have to remember, this is a process,” he added. “It's not a snap-your-fingers, one-time task.”
The Carl Walker Parking study is getting wrapped into a larger review of the downtown business area. Missoula Downtown Association executive director Linda McCarthy said the research will be turned into proposals for significant change in the near future.
“We could see some activity before the end of the calendar year,” McCarthy said.
Some of the topics include ways to attract additional big stores to the area; stir up the mix of commercial, residential and recreational space; and set up funding sources to keep the area well-maintained and attractive.
Copies of the draft Missoula Parking Assessment are available on the Internet at www.missouladowntownbid.org.
Reporter Rob Chaney can be reached at 523-5382 or at rchaney@missoulian.com.
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