The Ardmore Initiative (AI), the business improvement district missioned to support downtown Ardmore Pennsylvania, commissioned Econsult Solutions, Inc. (ESI) to assess public parking availability and usage within the downtown commercial district. The study area includes seven parking areas, including Schauffele Plaza, the site proposed for development into a multipurpose pedestrian and event space.
For the purposes of this study, the project team temporarily limited parking capacity at the focus lot, Schauffele Plaza The study analyzes the total number of metered public parking spaces occupied within each specified location at three separate times of day, 11:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 4:00 PM, across a carefully selected series of Fridays and Saturdays in the months of October, November, and December. The project team, which consisted of ESI and Ardmore Initiative staff, also conducted a parallel but separate analysis for Saturday evenings. The project team applied a graduated approach in the number of spaces eliminated, restricting access to 15, 30, and 35 spaces.
In conducting its parking study, the project team concluded the following key results:
- The network’s parking supply is sufficient in that it exceeds total usage during periods of peak demand when parking supply in Schauffele Plaza is reduced by 15, 30, and 35 spaces, across a series of test scenarios. The network is at equilibrium when 358 of 421 spaces are occupied.
- In testing overall capacity by temporarily restricting access to priority areas, the project team concludes that drivers made use of comparable supply within the defined study area.
- Notably, utilization of Cricket Garage, which accounts for nearly 29 percent of the study area’s parking capacity and is generally underutilized, increases considerably with reductions in supply.
- To reach the equilibrium point of and thereby optimize network utilization without presenting a shortage, the network may reduce its supply by up to 64 spaces.
ESI produced a technical memo, including detailed tables and visualizations, to show its findings and convey its key conclusions. Through its scenario analysis, the project team has observed that the study area contains adequate supply of parking. Through its scenario analysis, the project team observed that the study area contains surplus capacity, and that the network may reduce its supply by up to 64 spaces.
