CSPS Executive Summary

The Central Salem Parking Study was initiated by City Council in August 2002 in response to years of piecemeal creation and expansion of Residential Permit (RP) parking districts around the Central Salem area and continuing conflicts between residents and commuters concerning on-street parking in core-area residential neighborhoods. In addition, this study provided the City an opportunity to examine how its on-street parking supply interfaces with institutions such as the State of Oregon, Willamette University, Salem-Keizer School District, and others.

The recommendations of the Central Salem Parking Study are designed to efficiently manage the City's on-street parking supply, promote alternative modes of travel, support the City's adopted land use goals and policies for the Central Salem area, and balance the needs of different users-including central area residents, students, commuters, businesses and visitors. Following is a summary of the study recommendations; see Table 1 in the Final Study Report for a complete list of recommendations.

Downtown Parking District

Recommend that the Downtown Parking Advisory Board implement the Downtown Salem Parking Study (2001), including restricting on-street parking and pursuing measures to promote the use of alternative modes of travel. These measures would respond to existing and anticipated increased pressure to abuse the free customer parking.

Parking for Residential Uses Downtown

Support City policies to promote residential uses downtown by reducing the number of required off-street parking spaces for residential uses downtown from two to one parking space per dwelling unit. The study also recommends allowing residential uses the option of providing parking off-site and through lease agreements - tools that are already available for non-residential uses downtown.

Pay-to-Park District

Designate the area surrounding downtown and the Capitol Mall as a "Pay-to-Park District." Work with neighboring users to develop metering plans for block groups that include a mix of time limits arranged in a consistent manner. Use a streamlined implementation process that relies on the Pay-to-Park District policy as the basis for metering. Pursue alternative parking payment technology for appropriate locations such as high use areas and areas with slope constraints.

On-Street Carpool Parking Program

Improve the administration of the City's on-street carpool parking program to better serve carpools and to eliminate a perception of cheating. Specifically, allow carpools to be more selective in choosing parking areas (within certain constraints) and improve internal monitoring of new and continuing carpools. Eliminate confusion in this program by terminating the existing practice that allows individual, single-occupant vehicles to purchase a permit to park in a carpool parking zone. Coordinate the City's carpool parking program with the State to make the programs as consistent as possible.

Residential Permit Parking Program

Revise the Residential Permit Parking Program to balance the needs of central area residents with the needs of non-residents. Remove loopholes in the program design that currently allow some people to circumvent the intent of the RP Parking Program. Improving management of the on-street parking resources within these core area neighborhoods, including consolidated boundaries and more consistency in regulations. One specific change proposed is to limit non-permit parking to 90 minutes once per day along most streets in the central Salem RP parking districts. Another key recommendation is to institute a pilot program to allow a limited number of non-residents to purchase permits to park within a given RP parking district to provide options for people displaced through the Pay-to-Park District. See Table 1 for a complete list of recommendations.

Promoting Alternative Travel Modes

Rely on existing programs to promote the use of alternative modes of travel in the Central Salem area. Mid-Valley Rideshare and the Salem Area Transit District work throughout the region to promote alternative modes of travel. The Parking Study can assist in these efforts by identifying these resources as alternatives to parking downtown.

Parking Management

Designate a point person for managing parking in Salem. A Parking Manager designation, which could be an existing staff member, would ensure that the parking in the Central Salem area is monitored and that adopted recommendations are appropriately implemented to pro-actively manage parking. This person would also help the City improve its coordination with other institutions, such as the State of Oregon, Willamette University, Salem-Keizer School District, and others. Further analysis is needed to determine how this role would be funded and in which department it would be located.

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