PARKING WOES. Just about every local's favorite thing to hate – downtown parking – will be seeing changes. A recent parking study noted there is ample off-street parking including two downtown parking ramps, though both are slated for demolition within three years.

The final draft of a study of parking in downtown Eau Claire calls for several significant changes, including charging for high-demand on-street parking spots, simplifying parking enforcement, and streamlining parking management into one city office.

The study, prepared by Michigan-based Fishbeck Consulting, was presented to the City Council on Feb. 10 at a public hearing that drew comments from numerous residents, many of whom were concerned about the potential loss of a parking lot on Farwell Street.

Jon Forster, parking and mobility planner with Fishbeck Consulting, told the City Council that one thing became obvious during his examination of downtown Eau Claire parking: “Your premium spots, your on-street spots, are also your least expensive,” he said. “And what that creates is a desire for parkers … to want to be there and not to pay to be in the less-convenient parking facilities and lots.” 

As a result, drivers frequently limit themselves to parking in one of a few hundred on-street parking spots rather than the more than 1,000 spots available in other facilities, he said. In the words of the parking study, “This situation has created the perception of a shortage of parking, even though there is ample supply of off-street parking.”

"You've got big questions facing you in the next couple of years about what to do about the two decks that are coming down. Are you going to spend upwards of $20 million to replace those?"

JON FORSTER

FISHBECK CONSULTING PARKING & MOBILITY PLANNER

The study found that 80% of respondents to a public parking survey said it is difficult to find parking downtown. Yet a spot-check of downtown parking found that only 43% of on-street spots were in use during daytime while 57% of on-street parking was in use on weekend evenings. The highest use came on weekend evenings in the core area of downtown – South Barstow Street and Graham Avenue – with 81% of on-street spots in use.

Meanwhile, downtown’s parking structures are usually only half full, leaving hundreds of parking spots vacant. But simply convincing more drivers to park in the ramps isn't a permanent solution, especially considering that two downtown structures – the Gibson Street ramp next to The Lismore hotel and the Riverside ramp on Graham Avenue – are at the end of their useful lives and are slated for demolition within three years. 

“You’ve got big questions facing you in the next couple of years about what to do about the two decks that are coming down,” Forster told the council. “Are you going to spend upwards of $20 million to replace those?”

In the meantime, Forster recommended charging $1 an hour for on-street parking in the core area of downtown, while charging less for off-street parking options, which will make them more attractive for people who live or work downtown and need predictability. 

Forster also recommended creating a centralized parking authority, either through one city department or by hiring a contractor. At present, the city’s Engineering Department manages on-street parking while the Neighborhood Services Department handles off-street parking enforcement.

Forster fielded several questions from council members, including Vice President Emily Anderson, who wondered what it was about parking that caused people to become so passionate.

“I believe it’s very personal,” Forster replied. “It’s my car, and it’s where I'm going. And the idea I can park where I want, it’s about freedom.”

View the parking survey summary and a presentation on the study's findings online • Learn more about parking in Eau Claire at www.eauclairewi.gov