Town Hires Consulting Firm To Study Parking Use Downtown, Recommend Changes

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The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday voted unanimously to enter into a $25,000 contract with a Hartford-based consulting firm that will study the use and turnover of parking spaces throughout the downtown and make recommendations on future use. 

The work of Fitzgerald & Halliday will be divided into three separate tasks, according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann: Taking an inventory of current municipal parking, studying utilization and turnover of parking over three weeks and providing guidance on how New Canaan could better serve visitors and workers who park downtown.

First Selectman Kevin Moynihan said New Canaan must understand how many parking spaces it has and how they’re used “so we can decide what can we do differently.”

“This parking picture has gotten so complicated with the addition of Boxcar and based on what is happening with Town Hall and Locust, we really need to make decisions over the next three months and need input,” he said at the Board’s regular meeting, held in Town Hall.

Moynihan and Selectmen Kit Devereaux and Nick Williams voted in favor of the contract. 

The study comes as New Canaan weighs a proposal from Williams to eliminate metered parking downtown while still enforcing time limits. Moynihan said the objective of the new study is to make it free to park up to two hours—as on-street parking already is throughout downtown New Canaan—and also to study the budget implications of doing so. 

Members of the Parking Commission have said the change would amount to a loss of about $200,000 in revenue annually. The town last year took in more than $300,000 in parking infractions, officials have said.

Mann said the consultants will study on-street parking downtown as well as commercial and commuter lots—Center School, Locust Avenue, Morse Court, Park Street, Pine Street, Playhouse, Railroad, Richmond Hill, Lumberyard, St. Aloysius (Boxcar spaces), Talmadge Hill, Telephone Co. and Town Hall. The firm has conducted parking studies for New Canaan in the past, he said.

Moynihan said Fitzgerald & Halliday also has done similar studies recently for the towns of Darien and Greenwich.

“They come highly recommended in this field,” Mann said.

7 thoughts on “Town Hires Consulting Firm To Study Parking Use Downtown, Recommend Changes”

  1. It might be worth looking into how many people actually take the train every day as well. Has there ever been a study of how many people board or exit each train that comes and goes from New Canaan and the other stops on the line?

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      • Andrea – thanks for posting this. A couple of reflections from the studies 1) The branch line numbers – despite figures from more than 10 years ago appear to show limited overall volume growth – it would be good to have the state / metro-north update these to see really where we are at with the various stations 2) The operating plan for 2030 (as outlined back in 2008/9) appears to show the branch line operating with essentially the same schedule as we have today. Based on this it appears like the state / metro north has really not focussed on an improved New Canaan branch line over the last 10 plus years nor did / does it have any plans to do that for the next 10 years – as the operating plan for 2030 for New Canaan appears the same today as it was 10 plus years ago (i.e. 20 years with no change). It is very good the town has hired this parking consulting firm (as parking remains a huge challenge for new commuting residents) and it is very good Kevin was up in Hartford last week talking with the State about the need to invest in the branch line. Also the Town Council has taken a strong position on the importance of improving the branch line. Hartford is the one that decides as they own the line – so our Rep’s there really need to make the case for us. In any of these studies we need to look at current use, bottlenecks and the real potential market so we know where and how to invest.

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  2. As part of this report – I would like to request a study of:

    1. Removing parking meters/timed parking entirely in some lots – to promote shopping and restaurant visits. Please include Chamber of Commerce in this. I refuse to have lunch in town any more. It’s nerve wracking for everyone at lunch – to keep looking at the time for everyone to run out to the meters. You get indigestion – and if you don’t run out in time – a big ticket. It only has to happen once and that’s it for lunch in New Canaan. Also – FREE parking for people attending all Town Hall meetings.

    2. Study “Fee in Lieu of” – parking option for developers – where they pay a fee for not having required number of parking space. The fee is NEVER enough to cover creating a parking space some where else. Wrongly implemented a lot by Planner – Steve Kleppin – this is a State option – for BLIGHTED areas of CT to try to draw in development. It was never meant to be used in a highly desired town like New Canaan. I suspect study of the use of this will show it caused parking problems for the Town. Could the Study include documenting all times when it was used – it’s impact – and suggestions going forward.

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    • Andrea – For as long as I have lived here (going on 17 years), I will never understand people like you who complain about not being able to eat lunch or shop in town without worrying about a meter or a time limit. Take some responsibility for yourself and plan accordingly. It is that simple. Do you want to have a leisurely 3 hour lunch? Park in the Locust St lot and pay a whopping $1.50 for your spot. Even better? Meet a friend to eat and shop at 1:15 and you can park FOR FREE for as long as you would like in the Lumberyard Permit Lot which is free after 1:15pm every weekday and all day Sat or Sun. It is possible and, frankly, quite easy to support our town while simultaneously avoiding a parking ticket.

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