Downtown Parking Working Group

NEW:



Final Report

(submitted to the Town Council on November 18, 2019)

August 28, 2019, Public Forum #2


April 11, 2019,

Public Forum #1


Town of Amherst Parking System, Parking System Users, and Parking System Staff: Reference Charts

(February 8, 2019)

DPWG Press Release Announcing New Parking Consultant (January 22, 2019)

DPWG Recommendations and material to Select Board, July 17, 2017

June 22, 2017 Public Forum Meeting Material



June 22 Public Forum Forum Flyer

Meeting Packets

To view the meeting packets, follow this link: http://ma-amherst3.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/Index/3151

Nelson Nygaard Parking Report-2016

Scope of Work
Report and Presentation

Other downtown parking resources


To view the wealth of information available from the 2015-16 downtown parking forums - as well as the final Downtown Parking Report, click here.

Committee charge summary

:
The Downtown Parking Working Group will use the Downtown Parking Report dated 10-23-15 to refine and present prioritized parking recommendations to the Select Board for action, which often includes legally mandated public hearings. The Downtown Parking Working Group’s first actions will include: 
  1. Review existing materials, including the Downtown Parking Report dated 10-23-15, Transportation Plan 2015, Master Plan, parking utilization studies, and current parking fees, permits, and fines revenue and usage patterns, in order to effectively
  2. Identify short, medium, and long range strategies to maximize the efficiency and availability of the existing downtown parking supply, and present those strategies to all sending bodies, as well as
  3. Identify the necessary baseline information required prior to further consideration of a new downtown parking facility
Members are responsible for regularly communicating the work of the Downtown Parking Working Group to their designating bodies and other stakeholders, and in turn regularly bringing the concerns of their designating bodies and other stakeholders to the Downtown Parking Working Group. All members are responsible for substantive public outreach and stakeholder input, including residents and partner organizations e.g., the Lord Jeffrey Inn, University-Town of Amherst Collaborative, the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Amherst Business Improvement District (BID), prior to recommendations being made to the Select Board. Members will maintain their webpage. 

The issues related to parking are complex, involve multiple property owners and stakeholders with often disparate needs and requirements, and are intertwined with various regulations controlled by different authorities. Creating significant changes to one set of regulations could result in unintended consequences. Parking outside of the downtown area can also be impacted by downtown parking adjustments, e.g., influence on rental permit parking plans, potential licensing of private parking currently taking place in the public way, etc., but the Downtown Parking Working Group is focused only on downtown parking at this time.
*Former Select Board member Connie Kruger has remained involved as a non-voting member of the DPWG. 7 members, each with 1-year terms. Composition: (1) current member from, as designated by: Select Board, Planning Board, Public Works Committee, and one downtown commercial property owner; one downtown business owner or manager; one downtown residential tenant or homeowner; and an at-large resident preferably with parking management or related experience
Member Name
Appointed
Expiration
Designation
Wendy Jones Boisseau 2016 2019 Commercial Property Owner
Christine Gray-Mullen (Chair)
 2016 2019 Planning Board Rep.
Vacant*

Select Board Rep.
Sarah LaCour 2017 2019 Downtown Resident
Catharine Porter 2017 2019 At-large
Sharon Povinelli  2018 2019 Business Owner
Vacant  
Public Works Rep.