In Wichita, KS, city officials are making big changes to the downtown parking system — increasing hourly rates and fines, reducing the amount of free parking, upgrading parking meters, and tightening up enforcement.
Despite some push-back, Assistant City Manager Troy Anderson says that the changes are necessary for the overall health of the downtown.
He notes that some 60 percent of downtown real estate is occupied by parking, but the average occupancy rate is just 40 percent.
“Our intent is to minimize the number of parking stalls to maximize the occupancy,” Anderson said.
Additionally, revenues generated from increased rates and fines will go toward supporting the parking fund and will help tackle “significant deferred maintenance on existing assets,” as well as increased security, safety, and cleanliness of facilities.
More on Wichita’s efforts to right-size its parking system appear in the February issue of Downtown Idea Exchange newsletter. Click to learn more about Downtown Idea Exchange and other resources for revitalizing downtowns and commercial corridors.