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Note: This is the first of five articles proposing an overall parking plan for the Grant-Ferry commercial district.

Parking: Planning Now for the Future

One of the great challenges in ensuring the economic viability of a neighborhood commercial district is to deal with the ever-present issue of parking. While the district can, at least to some extent, survive based on the presence of a relatively dense surrounding population, that should not be a limitation to either prosperity or exposure.

What's more, to compete with shopping malls and supermarkets, as well as to extend the draw of the commercial district beyond the immediate neighborhood, the automobile must be accommodated. To enhance the commercial streetscape and create an attractive, pedestrian-oriented experience, we must deal with parking at a very strategic level.

It should be noted that nothing in this article is unique. The concepts and suggestions all reflect proven strategies in urban commercial district design. The question, like so many issues we face in Western New York, is whether we have the political and social will to achieve excellence.

Community parking versus private parking

When retail parking is private and provided onsite (usually in front of the shop), owners tend to discourage customers from traveling anywhere elsewhere on foot (if they don't, their parking could quickly be filled by people shopping at other establishments and limit the convenience for their own customers). As a result, such shops are designed to discourage the pedestrian activity that is the lifeblood of the district.

When retail parking is public, however, the reverse occurs. Because all customers arrive on foot, shop-owners are more likely to focus on making their establishments attractive and accessible to pedestrians, in the process contributing to the common good of the district and the community. For a district where revitalization requires significant improvements in its external aesthetic quality, this is an important strategy to encourage.

What should public parking look like?

Looking ahead, it is not hard to see that Grant-Ferry will require additional off-street parking. Though the need is not currently pressing, a little forethought now will yield significant return later.

A few key concepts are important to our approach in developing off-street parking:

1. Don't take street frontage for parking lots. Parking should be relatively hidden from the view of the streetscape, though its location should be obvious and well-marked. Taking valuable street-frontage for surface parking is an absolute no-no when it comes to sound design principles in urban commercial districts.

2. Parking must be safe, clean and well-lit. Lighting should be sufficient to illuminate the entire area, but must not be of an intensity that disturbs residential areas. Enough trash receptacles should be provided to mitigate litter. More importantly, the lot must be monitored and maintained.

3. Pedestrian connections. Attractive and well-lit outlets leading directly to Grant and West Ferry should be incorporated whenever and wherever possible.

4. Signage and other wayfinding devices should clearly mark the availability of off-street parking.

Where do we go from here?

As we seek a good plan for an efficient and expeditious revitalization of the Grant-Ferry commercial district, we'll need to ensure that we make realistic plans for public parking that is both cost-effective and easy to implement.

As with all planning for revitalization, we'll have to be creative enough to ensure we are always addressing more than one need at a time. In the next article, we'll show how a public lot can be constructed with the side benefit of removing a major source of blight.

Other articles in this series…
Part Two: Between West Delavan and Lafayette
Part Three: Between Lafayette and Auburn
Part Four: Between West Ferry and Breckenridge
Part Five: West Ferry

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