Parking Master Plan

Downtown and Entertainment District Parking and Mobility Study 

Background

The City of Fayetteville is invested in improving how residents, employees, and visitors travel around Fayetteville - whether you drive and park, bicycle, walk, or use public transit.

In 2016, the City partnered with a consulting team, Nelson\Nygaard, to prepare a comprehensive Mobility Plan. You can also explore the Existing Conditions Factbook.

As parking is a key element of a multimodal transportation system, Nelson/Nygaard has completed a dedicated Parking study and offered subsequent parking management strategies and recommendations. Fayetteville's long term success will be supported by an effective parking management plan that helps to strategically maximize existing parking assets while preparing for future growth.

Key Recommendations of the Parking Master Plan

New parking wayfinding sign reading "Public Parking: West Ave"

Streamline Signage for User Clarity

  • Implement consistent signage and wayfinding for parking:  
  • Pursue City-sponsored and standardized signage at privately-owned and publicly-accessible lots
Streetside Bike Parking Corral

Improve Multimodal Infrastructure

The compact nature of the Downtown and Entertainment Districts can further be enhanced by multimodal improvements that will make the core areas of the districts more walkable, allowing parking demand to spread more easily to underutilized areas, while encouraging more pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users throughout downtown.

Parking agent helping man use a parking meter

Treat Parking as a Customer Service

The goal of a well-managed parking system should be to serve its customers, not to make money or inconvenience its users. To clarify this sentiment, the City can make some key changes that will improve overall perception:

  • Train parking enforcement officers to serve as ambassadors who actively provide parking, transportation, and other downtown information.  
  • Make more, relevant parking information available online and accessible to users
  • Bolster the information system for customers before they arrive, at arrival, and during their stay
Spring Street Parking Deck south view

Increase Publicly Accessible Parking Supply

  • Pursue partnerships with private parking lots
  • Add on-street parking where possible
front view of Parking Pay Station from PayByPhone reading "Pay by Space; Enter Stall Number"

Implement Current Parking Technology

Create a more user-friendly customer and visitor parking experience through the use of current parking technology.

  • Expand pay-by-phone to the Downtown Business District and privately-owned lots
  • Provide more payment options
  • Integrate parking-availability data into multiple web-based platforms
  • Pursue pay-by-plate systems to allow for prepayment
Large crowd sitting on the lawn in front of the gazebo during the Gulley Park Concert Series

Improve Event Parking Management

  • Bundle event parking with ticket purchases
  • Provide more payment options at point of entry
  • Explore valet parking services
Artist's rendering of the Fayetteville Public Library south wing expansion

Prepare for Future Development

  • Pursue and broker shared parking agreements 
  • Adopt Transportation Demand Management (TDM) measures where appropriate.
Woman sitting on a bench within a Parklet on Dickson St.

Implement Responsive Pricing

Responsive Pricing uses the cost of parking to achieve ideal parking availability by setting the cost of parking to allow users to pay more for the most desirable spaces and less for spaces that are less convenient. Industry standards for “optimal” availability levels are no less than 15% per block face for on-street spaces and 10% per lot or facility off-street.

At these targets, parking is well used but availability remains, so customers can find parking anywhere they go, including the most convenient and desirable spaces. As a result, prime spaces are typically more expensive, and remote spaces are cheaper or even free.

Parking Supply map for the City of Fayetteville (no legend or discernable text)

Create a Residential Parking Benefit District

that reinvests parking revenues accrued in residential areas directly into those areas.

What is the Current Status?

Implementation of the Parking Master Plan is currently in Phase One.

 Customer Service

  • Train parking enforcement officers as parking ambassadors to promote a friendly and informative customer service approach to enforcement.  COMPLETE

Upgrade Event Management

  • Coordinate with Walton Arts Center and TheatreSquared to implement pre-paid parking bundled with ticket purchase.  COMPLETE
  • Explore the viability of valet parking.  ONGOING

Upgrade Technology

  • Update enforcement software and hardware to system that allows real-time access to support friendlier enforcement methods.  COMPLETE
  • Implement ability to take credit card payment in the field for event parking.  IN PROGRESS
  • Implement permitting system that expands permit options and time frames and gives end-users control. ONGOING 
  • Research options for expanding mobile parking apps in the Downtown Business District. COMPLETE

Streamline Signage

  • Redesign signage for consistent, easy to understand rate information for publicly owned lots. Identify areas to install additional parking wayfinding signage.  COMPLETE 

Multimodal Transportation Improvements

  • Identify pedestrian improvements needed to connect parking facilities (with Transportation and Engineering departments).  IN PROGRESS
  • Study feasibility of shuttle to remote parking and work with transit providers to determine potential routes. ONGOING

Customer Service

  • Develop a communication and outreach plan for parking constituents. Partner with Dickson Street Merchants Association and Experience Fayetteville on communications efforts centered around parking and downtown experience. IN PROGRESS AND ONGOING

Increase Publicly Accessible Supply

  • Add additional on-street parking by converting portions of restricted Residential-Only parking along Locust Avenue and Lafayette Street and portions of Paid-Only on-street parking along Vandeventer Ave., Lafayette Street, and Church Ave to Mixed-Use parking. This allows increases the supply of public parking for area businesses and increases the number of spaces where residential permits are valid. COMPLETE. 
  • Begin shared parking agreement negotiations with owners of underutilized private lots. Install consistent signage in private lots and add to database as agreements are made.  ONGOING

Parking Study Documents and Presentations: 

The City, our consulting team, and a host of community stakeholders have been working since Spring 2016 to build this master plan. Read through the documents below to learn about the past, present, and future of parking in Fayetteville: