5.2. SR 09-17-2007 - Laserfiche WebLink

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~ak'~ Kivcr Downtown Parking Study those "reserved" residential spaces is not included in calculations concerning supply and demand. Typically the demand generated by downtown residential units ranges from 1.0 to 1.5 spaces per unit. However, the residential parking demand peaks in the evening. Currently there are about six residential units in the apartments above the commercial space. The peak demand for those residential units is estimated at six to nine spaces. The demand ratios reflect a shared parking concept that is similar to the Urban Land Institute's (ULI) Shared Parking publication. The approach accounts for variations in parking demand by time of day, day of the week, and by season. In addition, the approach also accounts for the natural reduction in parking demand by a "captive market". For example, in Downtown Elk River some of the noon time customers to the restaurants are employees of other downtown businesses. Their visit to the restaurant does not generate the demand for an additional parking space. Because the nature of the business that will be tenants of the new developments is unknown at this time, a demand ratio of 4.00 spaces / 1,000 s.f. is used to conservatively estimate demand. The unadjusted parking demand model developed for this study patterns the conditions observed in the study area on a Wednesday in June. However, parking demand can vary based upon the time of the year. For example, at most commercial centers the holiday shopping season generates the largest demand for spaces. However, it is uneconomical to design a parking system to accommodate the busiest day of the year. The resulting parking system would be overbuilt with an excessive number of unused spaces throughout the rest of the year. Using average conditions would result in a deficit of spaces for half of the year. The design day conditions should represent a typically busy day that occurs several times per month. For those same reasons, traffic engineers typically use an 85'" percentile ranking for the modeling and design of roads and intersections. The 85'" percentile is a common goal of design day conditions for a parking system. Data contained in Shared Parking indicates that visitor parking demand in June at Shopping Centers is typically 67% of the peak month. Employee demand during June is typically 80% of the peak month. To conservatively estimate demand an 18% (85 - 67 = 18) factor will be added to the modeled general commercial demand. This adjustment is conservatively high as the mix of businesses in Downtown Elk River does not reflect the largely retail mix found in shopping centers and is applied to both visitor and employee demand. The other land use categories included in the model are all above the 85'" percentile seasonal demand levels listed in Shared Parking. September 2007 Carl Walker, Inc. 10