Draft Guiding Principles June 2012

Parking Management Program City of Houston Parking Management Program Guiding Principles “Setting the Right Course” 2

City of Houston Preliminary Project Goals The following draft program goals were developed by the project team based on a review of project background materials and input from the initial round of stakeholder input: Assess the current parking management program Develop parking policies and programs that support the larger community strategic and transportation plan objectives insuring that mobility within the City remains a primary focus of the transportation system. Provide tools and strategies to make public parking easier, more accessible, sustainable, and more visitor friendly Coordinate public and private as well as on-street/off-street parking interests Frame a long-term parking management plan, identify new parking program development goals and related funding strategies Maximize the use of existing parking resources and evaluate the potential benefits of a targeted public off-street parking development strategy linked to economic and district development goals Develop specific parking plan action items and the resources needed for implementation 3

City of Houston Parking Strategic Plan Objectives The strategic parking plan should accomplish the following overall goals and priorities: Support a vibrant community Encourage patrons to park once and access all of downtown via other transportation modes Provide consistency in way-finding and signage for public parking Promote a system that is user-friendly; utilizing technology to advance this goal Address the different needs of various users and districts Provide for coordination between publicly and privately owned parking facilities Develop safety and security measures for facilities offered to the public Balance the provision of public parking with private parking interests Evaluate the development of a public off-street parking development program to be used in conjunction with other community and economic development strategies 4

City of Houston Parking Strategic Plan Objectives - continued The strategic parking plan should accomplish the following overall goals and priorities: Adopt “Green Parking” strategies to help promote the City’s larger sustainable community program goals Management of on-street parking in such a way that overall mobility is enhanced. 5

City of Houston Guiding Principles - “Setting the Right Course” Draft Vision Statement: The City of Houston Master Parking Plan Program will strive to develop a superior, customer-oriented parking system, responding to the current and future needs of parkers, including visitors, employees, employers and property owners through active planning, management, community partnerships and communications. The Master Parking Plan Program will be considered an integral component of the community’s economic development and sustainable transportation programs. The Master Parking Plan Program will provide customized parking management plans and services not only to the downtown area, but also for the unique urban neighborhoods and business districts throughout central Houston. 6

City of Houston Guiding Principles - “Setting the Right Course” Draft Mission Statement: The City of Houston Master Parking Plan Program is committed to enhancing the parking experience for the City of Houston’s customers and stakeholders. Parking policies and programs will effectively support the larger community’s strategic and economic development goals and objectives by developing a focused, comprehensive strategy to manage the issues that are important to the city’s patrons.

City of Houston Guiding Principles - “Setting the Right Course” Service Areas: The City of Houston’s Master Parking Plan Program will address parking management needs beyond the central business district, providing specific parking management programs to meet the unique needs of the urban neighborhoods and business districts in the Houston area.

City of Houston Draft Guiding Principles: Guiding Principles - “Setting the Right Course” Draft Guiding Principles: Organization/Leadership Customer Service Orientation Community and Economic Development Comprehensive Mobility Management/Sustainability Leveraging Technology Communications/Branding Community Education Program Development/Responsiveness Information Clearinghouse/Coordinated Programs Planning /Urban Design Safe, Attractive & Well-Maintained Facilities Effective Management/Accountability 9

City of Houston Guiding Principles - “Setting the Right Course” ORGANIZATION/LEADERSHIP The Parking Management Division will be organized to be “vertically integrated” with responsibility for: Managing on-street parking Coordination of off-street parking Parking enforcement Parking planning and development Parking demand management   Consolidating the various parking functions under a single parking management organization will establish a consolidated system that is action-oriented, responsive, and accountable with improved coordination and operating efficiencies. Importance of a strong leader is a key element for success. The program leader must have strong vision and communications skills, specialized parking and planning expertise and be capable of educating other community leaders, stakeholders and private sector partners on the importance and relevance of a strong parking management program. Strong general management and financial program development skills are also required. 10

City of Houston Guiding Principles - “Setting the Right Course” CUSTOMER SERVICE ORIENTATION Parking will support the Houston area as a desirable destination for businesses, shopping, dining, and recreation by making parking a positive element of the overall parking experience.   The parking management organization will develop and coordinate private and publically owned parking facilities that are clean, convenient and safe. Parking enforcement program staff will present a friendly and professional appearance and receive on-going customer service and ambassador training. Parking enforcement will adopt new technology and more customer friendly parking enforcement policies Responsiveness to community needs, openness to fresh ideas and active participation in community planning and events will be among the ongoing goals of the parking management organization. The Master Parking Plan Program will create an easy to understand and easy to access parking program. This will be accomplished through the use of branding/ marketing/education programs, an integrated signage plan, validation programs, a web-based information clearing house, special events programs, teaming with transit riders, etc. 11

City of Houston Guiding Principles - “Setting the Right Course” COMMUNITY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT The Parking System will be guided by community and economic development goals and City Council adopted policy directives that are the result of collaborative processes between Master Parking Plan Program staff, other agencies and involved stakeholders.   The Master Parking Plan Program will use its resources to promote mixed-use and shared-use parking strategies as well as promoting alternative modes through the creation of incentives, partnerships and programs to attract private investment. 12

City of Houston Guiding Principles - “Setting the Right Course” Guiding Principle # 4 - “Balanced Access” COMPREHENSIVE MOBILITY MANAGEMENT / SUSTAINABILITY The Master Parking Plan Program will support the Downtown Transportation Management Plan to promote a “Park Once” concept and a balanced of travel modes, including light rail, bus, streetcar, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian, to meet community-wide access goals. The Parking Management Plan will promote a “park once” strategy that uses parking supply efficiently and emphasizes “linkages” to other forms of transportation. “Green” strategies that can result in more efficient use of parking facilities and provide other benefits, including reduced congestion, improved transportation choices, more efficient land use, and improved streetscape aesthetics will be explored and supported. Smart parking technologies will be leveraged to advance performance-based pricing to balance varying demand within the fixed supply of parking resources and produce an on-street occupancy of about 85%. Coordination of on-street parking resources and programs will involve explicit coordination with the City Transportation Operations Division of Public Works & Engineering Department. 13

City of Houston Guiding Principles - “Setting the Right Course” LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY The Master Parking Plan Program will be an early adopter of technology solutions to enhance customer service and parking information options. A key goal is to make parking less of an impediment to visiting the desired areas and more of an amenity. Tools such as Pay-by Cell Phone (deployed in October, 2011) and wireless sensor technology to allow for increased customer options and flexibility will be considered and installed if practical. Technology will be leveraged to streamline and simplify access to available parking will be a key parking management strategy. Another key technology related goal is to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of parking management staff and programs.   14

City of Houston Guiding Principles - “Setting the Right Course” COMMUNICATION/BRANDING/MARKETING Parking management programs and facilities will be developed to function as a positive, marketable asset.   Parking management strategies and programs will be cross-marketed and support multiple access modes as a way to maximize total access capacity and to promote the City of Houston as a unique and visitor -friendly regional destination. Parking availability and program contributions will be well publicized to enhance the perception of parking as a positive element of the City’s experience. Reinvestment of parking resources back into the parking areas will be expanded and promoted. The Master Parking Plan Program will develop an effective branding program. A focus on enhanced communications strategies and on-going community engagement is recommended. Examples of this include a comprehensive web-site, the creative use of “how to” videos on-line, etc. 15

City of Houston Guiding Principles - “Setting the Right Course” COMMUNITY EDUCATION One important role that the Parking Management Collaborative will play is that of “community educator” on parking issues. In addition to web-based information, the Master Parking Plan Program will develop educational materials on topics such as: parking development trends, parking safety tips, transportation alternatives, etc. The program will also promote workshops for community groups, other City departments, private parking facility owners/operators on topics such as facility condition assessments, maintenance program development, parking management best practices, etc. Parking programs and information should be well promoted and marketed. The Master Parking Plan Program will work closely with the Central Houston, HoustonFirst Corporation, surrounding urban districts, community and economic development and other downtown agencies/stakeholders to promote, educate and market parking programs in the City of Houston. 16

City of Houston Guiding Principles - “Setting the Right Course” COMMUNITY EDUCATION - continued However, the Master Parking Program will not regulate, incorporate, impact or affect all, or any part of, the specific parking management programs in effect now or in the future related to properties managed directly or indirectly by Houston First specifically including, but not limited to, parking programs within, and in the vicinity of, the Convention District and Theater District.

City of Houston Guiding Principles - “Setting the Right Course” PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT/RESPONSIVENESS Responsiveness to the Needs of a Diverse Customer/Citizen Base The Master Parking Plan Program should aim high and strive to achieve a “best-in-class” parking program. All aspects of City of Houston parking should reflect an understanding of what the customer desires in terms of a positive and memorable experience. Special programs to address retail enhancement initiatives, residential parking needs, shared-use parking, employee parking, special/large events parking, etc. will be developed. These programs will be developed in a collaborative manner and designed to support larger community goals and objectives. 18

City of Houston Guiding Principles - “Setting the Right Course” INFORMATION CLEARINGHOUSE/ COORDINATED PROGRAMS Parking Information Clearinghouse & Coordination of On-Street, Off-Street Programs The Master Parking Plan Program will take a lead role in parking and transportation program coordination. From a planning and information clearinghouse perspective, the Organization will be a unifying and centralized resource that will coordinate and distribute information related to parking supply, availability, planning, and special programs, event activities and other resources. This will be done through physical signage, branding and marketing, a robust planning function and a strong web-based information program. 19

City of Houston Guiding Principles - “Setting the Right Course” PLANNING / URBAN DESIGN The Master Parking Plan Program shall have an active and comprehensive planning function. The Master Parking Plan Program will be included in all downtown strategic and transportation planning efforts. The Master Parking Plan Program will work with City Planning staff to review and evaluate parking requirements, the development of parking design standards that promote good urban design principles related to parking structures and mixed-use projects, and the creation of transit oriented development parking standards. 20

City of Houston Guiding Principles - “Setting the Right Course” SAFE, ATTRACTIVE & WELL-MAINTAINED FACILITIES Clean, Safe, Attractive and Well-Maintained Facilities Emphasis will be placed on enhancing parking facility appearance, maintenance, safety and security. The Master Parking Plan Program will promote standards to encourage comprehensive and pro-active facility maintenance and security plans. Facility maintenance reserves and other maintenance best practices will be encouraged in City owned facilities. Publicly available parking facilities marketed through the Parking Management program will agree to a community developed set of parking facility standards. Participating facilities will be routinely monitored. The City of Houston already has some facilities that have incorporated public art and creative level identification/theming to enhance the parking experience. Continued development of these initiatives will be supported. 21

City of Houston Guiding Principles - “Setting the Right Course” BEST-IN-CLASS PROGRAM MANAGEMENT The Master Parking Plan Program will be a forward thinking, “best in class” parking and access management program.   The Master Parking Plan Program should anticipate future patron needs in the context of the Overall City Transportation Plan and other planning initiatives and seek to integrate supportive parking and multi-modal access strategies as appropriate. Evaluation of other parking management best practices and new technologies should occur on an on-going basis. Effective facility maintenance, infrastructure reinvestment and other system management fundamentals will be routinely addressed. This area will see increased focus in the next five years. 22

City of Houston Guiding Principles - “Setting the Right Course” EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT/ACCOUNTABILITY The parking system will work towards a goal of being a self-supporting enterprise fund, develop a parking management program that is responsive to community needs and that is “action oriented” and accountable to stakeholders.   By aligning all parking revenue streams from on-street, off-street, enforcement, (and potentially special assessment fees and fee-in-lieu programs), it is possible to develop a parking system that self-funds all operating and maintenance expenses, facility maintenance reserves, planning studies and future capital program allocations. A consolidated parking revenue and expense statement should be developed to document all parking related income streams and expenditures to give a true accounting of parking finances. Parking management strategies and programs should provide an integrated, action-oriented and accountable system of access that supports, facilitates and contributes to creating an ideal downtown. Parking management strategies will be developed honoring all prior financial and contractual commitments. 23

City of Houston Guiding Principles - “Setting the Right Course” Summary   These Guiding Principles will serve as a foundation for near and long-term decision making and implementation of parking management strategies in the community. These strategies are intended to support the on-going economic development and vitality of the community. This is a process not a one-time task. The consensus nature of these principles should provide a solid foundation from which to begin implementation of an effective program of strategies designed to support the community. 24

City of Houston Guiding Principles - “Setting the Right Course” Summary   It will be important for the City of Houston to codify the Guiding Principles for Parking and Access Management as part of the City or agency code to assure their on-going role in facilitating decision-making for the parking and access systems over time. Teamwork and collaboration between the Master Parking Plan Program, City officials, downtown and transportation agencies, HoustonFirst Corporation and other stakeholders will be a key for success moving forward. 25

City of Houston Guiding Principles - “Setting the Right Course”