Poll: Thoughts on On-Street Parking Downtown
The expectation of drivers to get free parking amuses me. You think the you don’t end up paying for the massive parking garages at malls like The Galleria & West County Center?
Parking downtown is very cheap but still some advocate completely free parking on the street.  The argument is downtown must compete with the malls and big box centers. Really? They are different animals. Downtown isn’t going to win big box shoppers and  the mall isn’t going to win the person seeking character & history. We could pay someone to park but the Bed, Bath & Beyond shopper still wouldn’t come downtown.
Now that we are into the holiday shopping season I figured downtown on-street parking is a good poll topic. The poll is in the right sidebar.
– Steve Patterson
Steve, why are there no metered spots on the north side of Washington between 11th and Tucker? There used to be spaces there but after the Flamingo opened parking was eliminated. This would provide continous parking for an entire block. It would also help slow traffic and create a barrier for sidewalk diners at Il Posto and Flamingo. How can we get parking added to this section?
Steve, why are there no metered spots on the north side of Washington between 11th and Tucker? There used to be spaces there but after the Flamingo opened parking was eliminated. This would provide continous parking for an entire block. It would also help slow traffic and create a barrier for sidewalk diners at Il Posto and Flamingo. How can we get parking added to this section?
I thnink were it is at is best for the moment. I agree that free parking is a step backwards as you are not and should not be competing with box stores and malls. Nor do I think you will downtown businesses and employers any favors by ratching up the parking fee with the idealistic believe that the surface parking lots will magically become more valuable and therefore downtown will explode with infill. St. Louis is not Manhatten, Chicago or San Fran and so on.
Instead, keep working towards a bigger residential presence and filling the existing space. Once you get enough demand to generate infill will you get the desired value and premium on parking will come. However, it would help if the city and powers to be would quit building new parking garages. That is simply not waranted and is a determint to the land values.
I thnink were it is at is best for the moment. I agree that free parking is a step backwards as you are not and should not be competing with box stores and malls. Nor do I think you will downtown businesses and employers any favors by ratching up the parking fee with the idealistic believe that the surface parking lots will magically become more valuable and therefore downtown will explode with infill. St. Louis is not Manhatten, Chicago or San Fran and so on.
Instead, keep working towards a bigger residential presence and filling the existing space. Once you get enough demand to generate infill will you get the desired value and premium on parking will come. However, it would help if the city and powers to be would quit building new parking garages. That is simply not waranted and is a determint to the land values.
meant to say, you will not do downtown businesses and empoloyers any favore by ratching up the parking fee…
meant to say, you will not do downtown businesses and empoloyers any favore by ratching up the parking fee…
While I agree that downtown offers a different shopping experience than a suburban mall or big box store, I think you’re missing a couple of important points. One big one is that many consumers ARE very price sensitive. The whole Black Friday phenomenon is one huge example. Another is the rapid growth of the many online retail sites that allow buyers to avoid paying some or all local sales taxes, saving 3%-10%. So while paying to park may “amuse” you, for many shoppers, it’s a real turn-off. And it boils down to whether one is seeking a generic, mass-market item versus some unique, hand-crafted item – if you can/want to shop price, many people will; if your goal is something other than lowest price, downtown becomes more competetive. Macy’s doesn’t discount their prices downtown because they don’t have to directly pay for the adjacent, available on-street parking spaces; parking, here and elsewhere, is just one component / line item in their total real estate equation, just like taxes, CAM fees and rent, that need to be offset against gross receipts- sell more and you can afford to pay for more.
Two, there are two reasons both government and private operators charge people to park, to attempt to balance supply and demand and to generate revenues. Downtown has a finite supply of parking spaces, most suburban shopping centers attempt to create an infinite supply. If the government did not impose time limits in congested areas, most spaces would be occupied by the first-arriving workers, leaving few for later-arriving customers. And in city budgets, revenues generated from both meters and tickets can and have become significant line items. Unfortunately, most governments don’t do a very good job of managing their inventory (as this poll hints at). True management would require a range of rates and hours of operation closely tied to the ebb and flow of adjacent businesses – for example, the parking demands around City Hall are distinctly different from those on Washington Avenue – one size doesn’t fit all. That’s why I’m one of the “other” votes – the best solution is a dynamic one, one that directly reflects supply and demand.
While I agree that downtown offers a different shopping experience than a suburban mall or big box store, I think you’re missing a couple of important points. One big one is that many consumers ARE very price sensitive. The whole Black Friday phenomenon is one huge example. Another is the rapid growth of the many online retail sites that allow buyers to avoid paying some or all local sales taxes, saving 3%-10%. So while paying to park may “amuse” you, for many shoppers, it’s a real turn-off. And it boils down to whether one is seeking a generic, mass-market item versus some unique, hand-crafted item – if you can/want to shop price, many people will; if your goal is something other than lowest price, downtown becomes more competetive. Macy’s doesn’t discount their prices downtown because they don’t have to directly pay for the adjacent, available on-street parking spaces; parking, here and elsewhere, is just one component / line item in their total real estate equation, just like taxes, CAM fees and rent, that need to be offset against gross receipts- sell more and you can afford to pay for more.
Two, there are two reasons both government and private operators charge people to park, to attempt to balance supply and demand and to generate revenues. Downtown has a finite supply of parking spaces, most suburban shopping centers attempt to create an infinite supply. If the government did not impose time limits in congested areas, most spaces would be occupied by the first-arriving workers, leaving few for later-arriving customers. And in city budgets, revenues generated from both meters and tickets can and have become significant line items. Unfortunately, most governments don’t do a very good job of managing their inventory (as this poll hints at). True management would require a range of rates and hours of operation closely tied to the ebb and flow of adjacent businesses – for example, the parking demands around City Hall are distinctly different from those on Washington Avenue – one size doesn’t fit all. That’s why I’m one of the “other” votes – the best solution is a dynamic one, one that directly reflects supply and demand.