SEPTEMBER 2008
Community Paper
From: Diane DeWalt, Director, Downtown College Park Partnership
Subject: College Park Parking Study
The Downtown College Park Partnership, College Park residents, stakeholders, and business owners met with City Officials on Monday, August 11, to discuss street parking regulation on Edgewater Drive. The current posted parking limits on Edgewater Drive vary. The Edgewater Drive Task Force “supports parking turn over to benefit pass-by customers and businesses by returning and expanding time-limited parking restrictions on Edgewater Drive, yet reduce any potential spillover parking into surrounding neighborhoods.” This public meeting served as an open forum with the neighborhood to discuss a means to accomplish this recommendation.
A Parking Study performed by the City indicated that the main area of concern is between Harvard Street and Bryn Mawr Street. The City suggested the adoption of a two-hour time limit standard for this section of Edgewater Drive that would be enforced by the City as a first step to managing on-street parking.
Some business owners expressed concern that enforcing two-hour parking restrictions would impact private parking lots with unauthorized vehicles that currently park on Edgewater Drive. In answer to this concern, the City stated that it will conduct a door to door survey of affected businesses to determine that there is ample off-street parking available for employee parking or other long-term parking.
Others asked if the parking restriction would be Monday through Friday or Monday through Saturday. Some business owners did not think that Saturday should be included, others did. The days of the week, the hours during the day, and the time-limit, two-hour parking or three-hour parking are still under consideration. The City wants to hear from those being affected in order to make an informed decision.
Since adding parking lots or multi-level garages is not a current option, the City would assist businesses and property owners by providing language that can be used to communicate why employees and tenants should not park in spaces intended for customers. The City will also monitor parking pattern changes after the enforcement policy is in place to see what change in parking patterns takes place.
Citizens that were unable to attend the meeting are encouraged to send comments regarding this change to the following address trafficstudies@cityoforlando.net Topic: Edgewater Drive Parking Study.
Some of the suggestions:
PARKING & TRANSPORTATION
Draft Objectives & Recommendations
• Support parking turnover to benefit pass-by customers and businesses by returning and expanding time-limited parking restrictions on Edgewater Drive, yet reduce any potential parking spillover into surrounding neighborhoods.
• Create increased incentives and remove barriers to providing off-street parking where it is needed the most, and at critical times of the day, for customers, employees and residents.
• Establish a system of alleyways and cross-access easements to allow local traffic to access existing and new development, without allowing regional cut-through traffic impacts.
• Construct a system of medians to calm traffic, control access, discourage cut-through traffic, provide landscaping opportunities and create a Main Street “feel.”
• Install a parking wayfindingsystem to advise patrons of parking options and bike parking.
• Support Transportation Engineering’s efforts to create solutions to the VasserStreet intersection to reduce traffic time delays and protect the pedestrian environment.
• Allow shared parking between complimentary uses.
PEDESTRIAN FRIENDLINESS
Draft Objectives & Recommendations
• Create a system of arcades in the center core, and/or a system of awnings inside and outside the core, to provide shade and protection from the elements and encourage walking.
• Install shade trees where possible along the corridor to calm traffic and create a more inviting environment.
• Expand the sidewalk in the short-term in critical areas where the sidewalk is substandard, by collecting easements from property owners.
• Create an ideal 13-foot streetscape for new projects consisting of a 5-foot furniture zone, a 7-foot pedestrian through zone and a 1-foot shy zone and similar standards for arcades.
• Reduce pedestrian conflicts with autos by minimizing both size and location of curb cuts along Edgewater Drive to create a continuous pedestrian experience.
• Create mid-block crossings where the interval to cross is greater than 600-feet.
• Form a recognizable transit stop system that minimizes impacts to on-street parking, creates identifiable places to catch the bus, and may potentially provide protection from the elements.
URBAN FORM Draft Objectives & Recommendations
• Preserve property rights of businesses and land-owners along Edgewater Drive and adjacent neighborhood environs based on existing “by-right” zoning intensities and densities.
• Manage future growth (density bonuses, master plans, conditional uses, Planned Development rezoning, etc.) through a long-term vision for plausible building envelopes so that development proposals can be assessed to fit into a larger vision.
• Incorporate appropriate transitions between the residential neighborhood and activities along Edgewater Drive to reduce monotony and provide opportunities for compatible development.
• Respect and protect the residential neighborhoods, especially those zoned exclusively for single family uses, to reduce the possibilities of commercial intrusion into the neighborhood.
• Encourage a mix of uses along the corridor to create an environment conducive to living all stages of live (retirement, empty nesters, families, singles, students, and children) and provide short trips to offices, services, restaurants and shopping.
