HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda_HARC_04.28.2016Notice of Meeting for the
Historic and Architectural Rev iew Commission
of the City of Georgetown
April 28, 2016 at 6:00 PM
at Council and Courts Building 101 E. 7th Street Georgetown, TX 78626
The City o f G eo rgeto wn is committed to comp lianc e with the Americans with Dis abilities Ac t (ADA). If yo u
req uire as s is tanc e in participating at a p ublic meeting d ue to a disability, as d efined und er the ADA, reas onab le
as s is tance, ad ap tatio ns , or acc o mmo d ations will b e provid ed up o n req uest. P leas e c o ntact the City at leas t
fo ur (4) d ays prior to the sc heduled meeting d ate, at (512) 930-3652 or City Hall at 113 East 8th Street for
ad d itional informatio n; TTY users ro ute thro ugh Relay Texas at 711.
Regular Session
(This Regular S es s io n may, at any time, b e rec es s ed to convene an Exec utive S es s io n fo r any p urpose
authorized b y the Op en Meetings Act, Texas Go vernment Co d e 551.)
A The His to ric and Architec tural Review Commis s ion, ap p o inted by the Mayo r and the City Counc il, is
respons ible fo r hearing and taking final ac tion on applic ations , b y is s uing C ertific ates o f Des ign
Co mp lianc e b as ed up o n the City Co uncil adopted Do wntown Design Guid elines and Unified
Development C o d e. Commission may, at any time, recess the Regular Ses s ion to c o nvene an Executive
Ses s io n at the req uest of the Chair, a Commis s ioner, the Direc tor o r legal c ouns el fo r any p urpose
autho rized b y the Open Meetings Ac t, Texas Government Code Chap ter 551.
Welcome and Meeting Procedures:
Staff P res entation
Applic ant P res entation (Limited to ten minutes unles s stated otherwis e by the Commission.)
Q ues tio ns fro m Co mmis s io n to S taff and Ap p licant
Comments fro m Citizens *
Applic ant Res p o nse
Commis s ion Delib erative Pro ces s
Commis s ion Ac tion
* Tho s e who s peak mus t turn in a speaker fo rm, lo cated at the b ack of the ro o m, to the rec o rd ing
sec retary b efo re the item they wish to add res s begins. Each speaker will b e permitted to ad d res s the
Co mmis s ion one time only fo r a maximum o f three minutes.
Legislativ e Regular Agenda
B Co nsideration and possible actio n to approve the minutes o f the March 24, 2016 meeting.
C No mination and elec tion of Vice-Chair and S ecretary o f Co mmis s io n.
D Dis cus s ion and pos s ible actio n to ap p oint the members o f the HARC Demolitio n Sub committee.
E P ublic H earing and possible action on a request for a Certificate of A ppropriateness for exterior
alterations and infill construction for the property located at 1104 S outh Church S treet bearing
the legal description of G lasscock A ddition, B lock 22 ½, L ot 1, 2 (P T ), 0.27 acres
Page 1 of 154
F Dis cus s ion and pos s ible actio n to s p ecify a materials list for ap p licants to inc lud e in HARC p ackets for
COA.
G Review and update of the Do wntown Overlay Dis trict P arking Study
H Up d ates from s taff o n future meetings and c urrent p ro jects
Adjournment
CERTIFICATE OF POSTING
I, Shelley No wling, C ity S ecretary fo r the C ity of Geo rgeto wn, Texas , d o hereby c ertify that this Notice of
Meeting was p o s ted at City Hall, 113 E. 8th Street, a p lace read ily acc es s ible to the general p ublic at all times ,
on the ______ d ay o f __________________, 2016, at __________, and remained so p o s ted fo r at leas t 72
c o ntinuo us ho urs p receding the sc heduled time o f s aid meeting.
____________________________________
S helley No wling, City Sec retary
Page 2 of 154
City of Georgetown, Texas
Historic and Architectural Review
April 28, 2016
SUBJECT:
The Histo ric and Arc hitectural Review Commis s io n, appointed b y the Mayor and the City Co uncil, is
res p o nsible for hearing and taking final ac tion o n ap p licatio ns, by issuing Certific ates of Design
Compliance bas ed upon the City Counc il ad o p ted Downto wn Des ign Guidelines and Unified Develo p ment
Code. Co mmis s ion may, at any time, rec es s the R egular S es s io n to convene an Executive S es s io n at the
req uest of the Chair, a Commissioner, the Direc to r or legal counsel fo r any purp o s e autho rized by the
Op en Meetings Ac t, Texas Go vernment Code Chap ter 551.
Welcome and Meeting Procedures:
Staff Pres entatio n
Applic ant Pres entatio n (Limited to ten minutes unless s tated otherwis e b y the Co mmis s io n.)
Ques tions from Commission to Staff and Applic ant
Comments from Citizens *
Applic ant Res pons e
Commis s io n Deliberative Proc es s
Commis s io n Actio n
* Those who s p eak mus t turn in a s p eaker form, loc ated at the bac k o f the room, to the recording
s ecretary b efore the item they wis h to ad d res s b egins . Eac h s p eaker will be p ermitted to address the
Commission o ne time o nly for a maximum of three minutes .
ITEM SUMMARY:
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
na
SUBMITTED BY:
Karen Fro s t, Rec o rd ing S ecretary
Page 3 of 154
City of Georgetown, Texas
Historic and Architectural Review
April 28, 2016
SUBJECT:
Cons id eration and p o s s ib le ac tion to approve the minutes of the Marc h 24, 2016 meeting.
ITEM SUMMARY:
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
na
SUBMITTED BY:
Karen Fro s t, Rec o rd ing S ecretary
Page 4 of 154
City of Georgetown, Texas
Historic and Architectural Review
April 28, 2016
SUBJECT:
Nomination and electio n o f Vic e-Chair and Sec retary of Commission.
ITEM SUMMARY:
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
NA
SUBMITTED BY:
Matt Synatsc hk, His toric P lanner
Page 5 of 154
City of Georgetown, Texas
Historic and Architectural Review
April 28, 2016
SUBJECT:
Disc ussion and p o s s ib le ac tion to appoint the memb ers of the HARC Demo lition S ubc o mmittee.
ITEM SUMMARY:
The HARC Demolitio n Sub committee reviews COA ap p licatio ns fo r demo lition prior to the review b y the
full commissio n. The Demo lition S ubc o mmittee is c o mp ris ed of the City of Georgetown's Chief Build ing
Official, a member o f the HARC and an arc hitec t.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
NA
SUBMITTED BY:
Matt Synatsc hk, His toric P lanner
Page 6 of 154
City of Georgetown, Texas
Historic and Architectural Review
April 28, 2016
SUBJECT:
P ublic H earing and possib le action on a request for a Certificate of A ppropriateness for exterior
alterations and infill construction for the property located at 1104 S outh Church S treet bearing
the legal description of G lasscock A ddition, B lock 22 ½, L ot 1, 2 (P T ), 0.27 acres
ITEM SUMMARY:
The City o f G eo rgeto wn is in receipt of a req ues t for a COA for exterio r alteratio ns and infill cons truction.
Ac cording to the s ubmitted letter of intent, the ap p licant wishes to c o nstruc t an attac hed carport, a new
garage and ins tall an additio nal p o rch c o lumn o n the front p o rch.
Staff rec o mmend s approval with c o nditio ns of the reques t b as ed on the find ings that the req uest does not
meet all the approval c riteria o f S ectio n 3.13.030 o f the Unified Development C o d e (UDC), as outlined in
the attac hed S taff Report.
The affirmative vote of the majority o f the HAR C memb ers is req uired to approve the COA req uest.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
NA
SUBMITTED BY:
Matt Synatsc hk, His toric P lanner
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
COA-2016-007 Staff Report Backup Material
COA-2016-007 Exhibit 1 Backup Material
Page 7 of 154
Planning Department Staff Report
Historic and Architectural Review Commission
COA‐2016‐007 1104 Church Street Page 1 of 6
Meeting Date: April 28, 2016
File Number: COA‐2016‐007
AGENDA ITEM DESCRIPTION
Public Hearing and possible action on a request for a Certificate of Appropriateness for exterior
alterations and infill construction for the property located at 1104 South Church Street bearing the legal
description of Glasscock Addition, Block 22 ½, Lot 1, 2 (PT), 0.27 acres
AGENDA ITEM DETAILS
Project Name: The McCulley Residence Garage Addition
Applicant: J. Bryant Boyd
Property Owner: Jerry & Billie McCulley
Property Address: 1104 South Church Street
Legal Description: Glasscock Addition, Block 22 ½, Lot 1, 2 (PT), 0.27 acres
Historic Overlay: Downtown, Area 2
Case History: This is the first public review for this case.
HISTORIC CONTEXT
Date of construction: CA. 1916
Historic Resources Survey Level of Priority: 1984 – Medium
2007 ‐ Medium
National Register Designation: None
Texas Historical Commission Designation: None
APPLICANT’S REQUEST
The applicant is requesting a Certificate of Appropriateness for the following items:
1. Construction of a carport on the rear façade facing East 11th Street
2. Construction of a 25 foot high detached 1.5 story two car garage on the south side of the
property, facing Church street
3. Installation of a new porch column on the primary facade
APPLICABLE DESIGN GUIDELINES
The following guidelines are applicable to the proposed scope of work in accordance with the adopted
Downtown and Old Town Design Guidelines:
GUIDELINES FINDINGS
4.1 Avoid removing or altering any significant
architectural detail.
1. Complies
2. Complies
3. Does not comply – The front porch design is
an integral component of the architectural
Page 8 of 154
Planning Department Staff Report
Historic and Architectural Review Commission
COA‐2016‐007 1104 Church Street Page 2 of 6
GUIDELINES FINDINGS
style and should be preserved.
4.2 Avoid adding elements or details that were
not part of the original building.
1. Complies
2. Complies
3. Does not comply – The proposed porch
column is not a component of the
original structure.
4.3 Protect and maintain significant stylistic
elements.
1. Complies
2. Complies
3. Does not comply – The porch and its historic
arrangement is a significant stylistic
element.
4.4 Repair only those features that are
deteriorated.
Does not comply – The porch should be
repaired in a manner that respects the
historic configuration.
4.11 Avoid adding decorative elements, unless
thorough research indicates that the building once
had them.
Does not comply – The additional porch column
is not justified by previous research.
7.2 Properties designated by the City as a High
or Medium Priority Historic Structure should be
preserved and their historic character retained.
1. Complies
2. Complies
3. Does not comply ‐ The front porch design is
an integral component of the architectural style
and should be preserved.
7.3 An addition shall be compatible in scale,
materials, and character with the main building.
Complies
7.6 Design a new addition such that the original
character can be clearly seen.
Complies
7.7 Place an addition at the rear of a building or
set it back from the front to minimize the visual
impacts
Complies
7.8 Do not obscure, damage, destroy, or re‐ move
original architectural details and materials of the
primary structure.
Complies
7.9 An addition shall be compatible in scale,
materials, and character with the main building.
Complies
13.17 A building shall fit within the range of
yard dimensions seen in the block.
Complies
13.18 Buildings shall convey a sense of human
scale
Complies
STAFF ANALYSIS
Page 9 of 154
Planning Department Staff Report
Historic and Architectural Review Commission
COA‐2016‐007 1104 Church Street Page 3 of 6
The applicant is requesting a Certificate of Appropriateness for the Medium Priority structure located
at 1104 Church Street. The property is located in Area 2 of the Downtown Overlay district and most
recently served as a professional office. The current owner wishes to return it to residential use. The
request includes the addition of a carport along the western wall of the structure, the construction of a
new 1.5 story detached garage and the installation of an additional column on the front porch.
The carport design incorporates simplified interpretations of the structures style, utilizing a different
type of brick to differentiate the new construction from the original house. The roof height will not
extend beyond the height of the current roofline, creating further differentiation for the project.
The proposed accessory structure will incorporate modern interpretations of the existing style, but will
utilize new windows and materials to differentiate the new construction. The size and massing for the
infill project is appropriate for the site, and it will be set back from the primary structure. The structure
measures 26’ wide by 26’ long, with an approximate height of 25’ at the peak. The structure will be clad
with hardi‐siding with modern windows and a metal roof. The use of modern materials, including
windows and the garage door will help differentiate the structure from the existing historic structure.
In addition, the proposed structure will utilize square columns, contrasting with the tapered columns
on the original house.
The proposed porch column is not appropriate for the project. Virginia McAlester states in A Field
Guide to American Houses that “[Craftsman] columns for supporting the porch roofs are a distinctive and
variable detail.” The porch design often incorporates one or more middle low piers without a column,
as seen on this structure. In addition, UDC Section 4.08.050.A states that “The historic character of a
property shall be retained and preserved. The removal of historic materials or alteration of features and
spaces that characterize a property shall be avoided,” while UDC Section 4.08.050.D states “Distinctive
features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a
property shall be preserved.” The middle pier without a porch column is a distinctive feature of the
architectural style and should be preserved to protect the historic integrity of the structure.
Page 10 of 154
Planning Department Staff Report
Historic and Architectural Review Commission
COA‐2016‐007 1104 Church Street Page 4 of 6
The applicant states that the new column is required to support the roof structure; however, there are
other construction methods available to accomplish the desired outcome. These methods include
replacing the structural beam or adding additional support structure within the porch roof, not visible
from the street.
CRITERIA FOR APPROVAL
In accordance with Section 3.13.030 of the Unified Development Code, the HARC must consider the
following criteria:
SECTION 3.13.030 CRITERIA FINDINGS
A. The application is complete and the information
contained within the application is correct and
sufficient enough to allow adequate review and
final action;
The application has been deemed to be
complete by staff.
Page 11 of 154
Planning Department Staff Report
Historic and Architectural Review Commission
COA‐2016‐007 1104 Church Street Page 5 of 6
SECTION 3.13.030 CRITERIA FINDINGS
B. Compliance with any design standards of the
Unified Development Code;
The application complies with the design
standards of the Unified Development Code.
C. Compliance with the adopted Downtown Design
Guidelines, as may be amended from time to time,
specific to the applicable Historic or Overlay
District;
The proposed porch column does not
comply with Section 3.13.030 of the UDC,
and does not comply with the Downtown
and Old Town Design Guidelines, as
outlined above.
D. The integrity of an individual historic structure is
preserved.
The proposed column installation
diminishes the historic character of the
structure by altering an architecturally
significant detail.
E. New buildings or additions are designed to be
compatible with surrounding historic properties.
The proposed carport and accessory
building do not have an adverse effect on
the Downtown Overlay District.
F. The overall character of the Historic or applicable
Overlay District is protected.
The project does not negatively impact the
overlay district.
G. Signs that are out of keeping with the adopted
design standards, and are not in character with
the site or landmarks within the Historic or
applicable Overlay District in question will not be
permitted.
No signage is proposed with this project.
H. The following may also be considered by the
HARC when determining whether to approve a
Certificate for Design Compliance:
1. The effect of the proposed change upon the
general historic, cultural, and architectural
nature of the site, landmark, or District.
2. The appropriateness of exterior architectural
features, including parking and loading
spaces, which can be seen from a public street,
alley, or walkway.
3. The general design, arrangement, texture,
material, and color of the building or structure
and the relation of such factors to similar
features of buildings or structures in the
District, contrast or other relation of such
factors to other landmarks built at or during
the same period, as well as the uniqueness of
such features, considering the remaining
examples of architectural, historical, and
cultural values.
The project respects the residential character
of the property by accentuating the primary
historic structure. The proposed accessory
building is set further back from the street
and detached from the primary structure.
The carport is visible from the street, but is
placed at the rear of the structure, reducing
the overall impact. The proposed porch
column creates a negative impact on the
structure, diminishing the historic integrity
of the site.
Page 12 of 154
Planning Department Staff Report
Historic and Architectural Review Commission
COA‐2016‐007 1104 Church Street Page 6 of 6
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Based on the findings listed above, staff recommends the following:
1. Construction of the Carport – Approval as presented
2. Construction of the accessory garage – Approval as presented
3. Installation of additional porch column – Denial
The recommendation for denial is based upon the findings that the proposed porch column does not
comply with the criteria outlined in Section 3.13.030 of the UDC and with Guidelines 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4,
4.11 and 7.2.
As of the date of this report, staff has received no written comments regarding this application.
ATTACHMENTS
Exhibit 1 – Plans and Specifications
SUBMITTED BY
Matt Synatschk, Historic Planner
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Page 13 of 154
City of Georgetown
Planning and Development Services/HARC
Georgetown, TX 78626
Page 14 of 154
HARC submittal for CDC
March 29th, 2015
Page 15 of 154
VIEW OF FRONT ENTRY FACING S. CHURCH STREET VIEW OF BACK OF HOUSE
VIEW OF SOUTH SIDE OF HOUSE FROM WEST VIEW OF SOUTH SIDE OF HOUSE FROM EAST
VIEW OF NORTH SIDE OF HOUSE FACING 11TH STREET
HARC submittal for CDC
March 29th, 2015
Page 16 of 154
HARC submittal for CDC
March 29th, 2015
Page 17 of 154
HARC submittal for CDC
March 29th, 2015
Page 18 of 154
HARC submittal for CDC
March 29th, 2015
Page 19 of 154
HARC submittal for CDC
March 29th, 2015
Page 20 of 154
HARC submittal for CDC
March 29th, 2015
Page 21 of 154
City of Georgetown, Texas
Historic and Architectural Review
April 28, 2016
SUBJECT:
Disc ussion and p o s s ib le ac tion to spec ify a materials lis t fo r applic ants to inc lude in HARC pac kets for
COA.
ITEM SUMMARY:
There are many c hapters and paragrap hs througho ut the Design Guidelines that referenc e the character of a
b uilding o r neighborho o d as well as c o mp atib ility. Guid elines fo r improvements vary in the d ifferent
d is tric ts b ut they all reference materials used as well as appropriate design c hoic es whic h inc lude wind o ws ,
d o o rs , lighting, p o rches , ro o f lines . All applic atio ns s hould includ e arc hitec tural rend erings as well as
s amp les or cut s heets to p ro vide this info rmatio n to the Co mmis s io n without having to as k o n each projec t.
Examp les include:
Chap ter 14 - pgs 145-147
Chap ter 6 - pg 52 - talks ab o ut importanc e o f windows and doors - the s ample o f what that looks like is a
p art o f overall d es ign and is rep eated thro ugho ut the guid elines fo r new b uild ings , renovations and
ad d itions .
The checklis t that applic ants us e for making applic ation sho ws exac tly whic h projec ts s hould includ e
material s amples and what tho s e samples s ho uld entail. A c o p y o f the chec klis t is inc luded fo r reference.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
None.
SUBMITTED BY:
Nancy Knight, C o mmis s io ner
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
COA Checklis t for s ubmittal Backup Material
Page 22 of 154
UDC Development Manual Georgetown, Texas CoA Checklist
Revised: July 2015 www.georgetown.org Page 1 of 11
Certificate of Appropriateness (CoA) Checklist
This Checklist is intended to assist you in preparing a complete application for submittal. Occasionally, additional
items may be required to complete the review. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.
Please indicate the level of Review Authority for the application being submitted (check one; please see Pages 2-6
to determine your Review Authority):
HARC Review HPO Review Renewal of an expired CoA (Original Project #: )
Digital Submission Requirements
The City of Georgetown utilizes a digital review system called MyPermitNow, which requires certain digital submittal
standards. For more detailed information and troubleshooting, please review the separate MyPermitNow User Guide
available at https://planning.georgetown.org/mypermitnow/.
• All applications must be submitted on a CD/DVD or Flash Drive that will not be returned. Discs or drives
must be clearly labeled with the Project Name.
• All items must be submitted in flat PDF format (no layers) with no digital signatures or passwords. The
maximum file size is 50 MB with a 300 dpi resolution preferred. JPEG is not an acceptable format.
Submittal Documents
The following is grouped into the electronic documents that will be required for submittal. The bulleted list below
each document heading shows the individual items that are to be combined to form that PDF document in the order
that they are to be combined. The wording in italics is the name that particular PDF document must be given to
expedite the intake of your application.
PDF Document 1: Application Information
• Master Application Form
• Submittal Authorization Form (provided at the Pre-application meeting)
• Page 1 of this CoA Checklist
PDF Document 2: Letter of Intent and Supporting Materials
• A Letter of Intent describing the proposed Project(s), and how it meets the Design Guidelines and UDC. For
applications with multiple Projects (signage, paint, addition, etc.) include each item being sought as a part of
the application using the applicable Additional Items Required for Submittal as specified below.
• Plans, drawings, specifications and other supporting materials of the proposed Project(s) as identified in the
Additional Items Required for Submittal below.
In addition to the digital items listed above, the following paper copies must be included in the submittal packet:
Material(s) Samples
• 1 copy of each material sample (i.e. paint chip samples, wall panel samples, etc.), as specified in the
Additional Items Required for Submittal below. Additional copies of all m aterial samples may be required.
Please Note:
• One application is required for each type of review (HARC or HPO). However, one application may include one or
more Projects as identified in UDC Table 3.13.010, and shall be subject to one fee for the review of that application.
• All dimensional drawings shall be to scale and include dimensions (height, area, etc.), label, scale, and north arrow.
• All color renderings and samples shall be an accurate representation of the proposed or existing color.
• All renderings provided shall be an accurate representation of the property and any proposed changes.
• If accurate materials are not provided or clearly explained, a delay may occur in processing your application.
Page 23 of 154
UDC Development Manual Georgetown, Texas CoA Checklist
Revised: July 2015 www.georgetown.org Page 2 of 11
Additional Items Required for Submittal
Project (Scope of Work)
Below is information that is required to be included
in the application packet for each project. An “X” in
the column at the right indicates that item is
required for that project.
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HARC = Historic and Architectural Review Commission | HPO = Historic Preservation Officer A B C D E F G
New Construction (Infill Development)
1 New building construction All Historic Overlay
Districts HARC X X X X $265
Additions
2 To create or add to an existing street facing
facade
Historic Landmark
HARC X X X X X $265 Contributing
Historic Structure
Non-Contributing
Historic Structure HPO X X X X X $160
3 Non-street facing façades
Historic Landmark HARC X X X X X $265
Contributing
Historic Structure HPO X X X X X $160
4 New addition does not comply with the zoning
standards of the historic overlay district
Historic Landmark
HARC X X X X X X $265
Contributing
Historic Structure
Non-Contributing
Historic Structure
5 Awning or canopy
Historic Landmark
HARC X X X X X $265 Contributing
Historic Structure*
Non-Contributing
Historic Structure* HPO X X X X X $160
6 Porch, patio or deck
Historic Landmark
HARC X X X X X $265 Contributing
Historic Structure*
Non-Contributing
Historic Structure* HPO X X X X X $160
Reconstruction, Alterations, Changes
7 Restoring historic architectural features
Historic Landmark
HPO X X X $160 Contributing
Historic Structure*
Page 24 of 154
UDC Development Manual Georgetown, Texas CoA Checklist
Revised: July 2015 www.georgetown.org Page 3 of 11
Additional Items Required for Submittal
Project (Scope of Work)
Below is information that is required to be included
in the application packet for each project. An “X” in
the column at the right indicates that item is
required for that project.
Historic
Significance Review
Authority
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HARC = Historic and Architectural Review Commission | HPO = Historic Preservation Officer A B C D E F G
Reconstruction, Alterations, Changes (continued)
8 Replacing a historic architectural feature with a
non-historic architectural feature
Historic Landmark
HARC X X X X $265 Contributing
Historic Structure*
9 Replacing roof materials with different roof
materials
Historic Landmark HARC X X X X $265
Contributing
Historic Structure HPO X X X X $160
10 Modifications to exterior steps, stairways and
ramps using in-kind material
Historic Landmark
HPO X X X X X $160 Contributing
Historic Structure*
11 Modifications to exterior steps, stairways and
ramps
Historic Landmark
HARC X X X X X $265 Contributing
Historic Structure*
Non-Contributing
Historic Structure* HPO X X X X X $160
12
Paint removal from historic and significant
architectural features (back to original
condition; does not include repainting)
Historic Landmark
HPO X X $31 Contributing
Historic Structure*
13
Changes to paint color on previously painted
surfaces (includes repainting or new paint on
previously painted surface)
Historic Landmark
HPO X X X X $31
Contributing
Historic Structure*
Non-Contributing
Historic Structure*
14 New paint on unpainted historic and other
significant architectural features
Historic Landmark
HPO X X X X $31 Contributing
Historic Structure*
15 Changes in color to awning fabric
Historic Landmark
HPO X X X X $31
Contributing
Historic Structure*
Non-Contributing
Historic Structure*
Page 25 of 154
UDC Development Manual Georgetown, Texas CoA Checklist
Revised: July 2015 www.georgetown.org Page 4 of 11
Additional Items Required for Submittal
Project (Scope of Work)
Below is information that is required to be included
in the application packet for each project. An “X” in
the column at the right indicates that item is
required for that project.
Historic
Significance Review
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HARC = Historic and Architectural Review Commission | HPO = Historic Preservation Officer A B C D E F G
Reconstruction, Alterations, Changes (continued)
16 Exterior lighting that is attached to the building
or structure
Historic Landmark
HPO X X X X $31
Contributing
Historic Structure*
Non-Contributing
Historic Structure*
17
Rooftop HVAC, mechanical or communication
equipment that result in no modifications to the
building façade
Historic Landmark*
HPO X X X $31
Contributing
Historic Structure*
Non-Contributing
Historic Structure*
18
Rooftop HVAC, mechanical or communication
equipment that result in modifications to the
building façade
Historic Landmark
HARC X X X $265 Contributing
Historic Structure*
Non-Contributing
Historic Structure* HPO X X X $160
Removal, Demolition or Relocation
19 Removal of awnings or canopies
Historic Landmark
HARC X X X $265 Contributing
Historic Structure*
20 Removal of exterior non-historic architectural
features
Historic Landmark
HPO X X X $160 Contributing
Historic Structure*
21 Removal of exterior siding to unencapsulate
historic siding materials
Historic Landmark
HPO X X X $160 Contributing
Historic Structure*
22
Removal, stripping, concealing, or destruction
of any historic and architectural feature that is
integral to the historic character of the building
or structure, or historic overlay district
Historic Landmark
HARC X X X X $265 Contributing
Historic Structure*
Non-Contributing
Historic Structure* HPO X X X X $160
Page 26 of 154
UDC Development Manual Georgetown, Texas CoA Checklist
Revised: July 2015 www.georgetown.org Page 5 of 11
Additional Items Required for Submittal
Project (Scope of Work)
Below is information that is required to be included
in the application packet for each project. An “X” in
the column at the right indicates that item is
required for that project.
Historic
Significance Review
Authority
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HARC = Historic and Architectural Review Commission | HPO = Historic Preservation Officer A B C D E F G
Removal, Demolition or Relocation (continued)
23 Demolition of non-historic additions that are
made of non-historic materials
Historic Landmark
HPO X X $160 Contributing
Historic Structure
24 Demolition of an attached carport, porch, patio
or deck
Historic Landmark
HARC‡ X X X $265 Contributing
Historic Structure*
25 Demolition of an attached carport, porch, patio
or deck made of non-historic materials
Historic Landmark
HPO X X $160 Contributing
Historic Structure*
26 Reopen enclosed porch, patio or deck to
original condition
Historic Landmark
HPO X X X X $160 Contributing
Historic Structure*
27 Demolition of a street facing façade
Historic Landmark
HARC‡ X X X X $265 Contributing
Historic Structure
28
Demolition that results in the reduction or loss
in the total square footage of the existing
structure
Historic Landmark
HARC X X X X $265 Contributing
Historic Structure
29 Relocation of a building or structure on the
same lot
Historic Landmark
HPO X X $160
Contributing
Historic Structure
Non-Contributing
Historic Structure
30
Relocation of a building or structure to a historic
overlay district (includes relocation of buildings
or structures within the same historic overlay
districts)
Historic Landmark
HARC X X X $265
Contributing
Historic Structure
Non-Contributing
Historic Structure
31
Relocation of a building or structure (located
inside the district) to outside of the historic
overlay district
Historic Landmark
HARC X X X $265 Contributing
Historic Structure
Page 27 of 154
UDC Development Manual Georgetown, Texas CoA Checklist
Revised: July 2015 www.georgetown.org Page 6 of 11
Additional Items Required for Submittal
Project (Scope of Work)
Below is information that is required to be included
in the application packet for each project. An “X” in
the column at the right indicates that item is
required for that project.
Historic
Significance Review
Authority
Si
t
e
D
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s
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n
(
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Signage
32 Master Sign Plan
All Historic Overlay
Districts
HARC X X X X X $265
33 New signage, to include new signage that is
consistent with an approved Master Sign Plan HPO X X X X X $31
34
New signage that is inconsistent with an
approved Master Sign Plan or applicable
guidelines HARC X X X X X $265
35
Changes in content or configuration (re-facing)
that do not involve changes in sign location,
dimensions, lighting or total sign area
HPO X X X X X $31
36 Amending an approved Master Sign Plan HARC X X X X X $265
Fences
37
New fence, railing or wall that is inconsistent
with the overlay district’s characteristics and
applicable guidelines
All Historic Overlay
Districts HARC X X X X $265
Miscellaneous
38 HARC exceptions (building height, setback and
FAR variations pursuant to Section 4.08)
All Historic Overlay
District HARC X X X X X $265
39 Renewal of an expired Certificate of
Appropriateness
All Historic Overlay
Districts HPO X $160
Historic Landmark
*Only applicable to a street facing façade
†Only applicable to fences along a street lot line or located in a street yard
‡CLG demo delay period and Demolition Subcommittee review not applicable
A. SITE DESIGN (PLOT) PLAN
Site Design or Plot plans must be dated, drawn to scale and have north arrows and directional labels. In
addition, Site Plans must include the following information:
Graphic Scale
Dimensions of the site and all improvements, to include setbacks (existing and proposed) and building
separation
Location of property lines, streets, walkways, parking, driveways, mechanical equipment, fences, and
other hardscape features.
Page 28 of 154
UDC Development Manual Georgetown, Texas CoA Checklist
Revised: July 2015 www.georgetown.org Page 7 of 11
Existing and proposed buildings and additions
Portion(s) of structure to be demolished (if applicable)
If signage is included, location and dimensions of existing and proposed signage
If relocation of a building or structure is included, a Site Design Plan showing the new location of the
building or structure to be relocated, in addition of the information listed above
DISCLAIMER: Please note that the drawing above is only for reference purposes on information and details that must be included on a Site Plan, and
does not necessarily show compliance with applicable requirements of the UDC, Downtown and Old Town Design Guidelines, or building codes. For
other graphic samples, please refer to the Downtown and Old Town Design Guidelines.
B. ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS (ELEVATIONS)
Elevation of each building façade subject to an application must be dated, drawn to scale and have
directional labels. In addition, Elevations must include the following information:
Graphic Scale
Dimensions of the building and architectural features, including overall building height, width and depth
of doors, windows and other openings
Page 29 of 154
UDC Development Manual Georgetown, Texas CoA Checklist
Revised: July 2015 www.georgetown.org Page 8 of 11
Roof Pitch
Existing and proposed materials
Types of windows, doors and dormers (i.e. aluminum, vinyl, wood, one over one, etc.)
If signage is included, location and dimensions of existing and proposed signage
DISCLAIMER: Please note that the drawing above is only for reference purposes on information and details that must be included on an Elevation, and
does not necessarily show compliance with applicable requirements of the UDC, Downtown and Old Town Design Guidelines, or bui lding codes. For
other graphic samples, please refer to the Downtown and Old Town Design Guidelines.
C. SPECIFICATIONS AND DETAILS
Specifications and details of architectural features, doors and windows, lighting, signage and other
applicable features and improvements must be included in the submittal packet. Details must be dated,
drawn to scale and labeled accordingly. All details must include dimensions, materials, type, color, and
proposed location.
For proposed replacement and/or installation of windows, doors, dormers, awnings or shutters, please
provide a window and door opening schedule. The schedule should consist of a sketch of each floor and/or
elevation of the structure with openings clearly defined as existing in terms of quantity, size, style and
material corresponding appropriately to a proposed window and door schedule as a result of the requested
action.
Page 30 of 154
UDC Development Manual Georgetown, Texas CoA Checklist
Revised: July 2015 www.georgetown.org Page 9 of 11
DISCLAIMER: Please note that the drawing above is only for reference purposes on information and details that must be included on specifications and
details, and does not necessarily show compliance with applicable requirements of the UDC, Downtown and Old Town Design Guidelines, or building
codes. For other graphic samples, please refer to the Downtown and Old Town Design Guidelines.
Source: Building Elevation – City of Georgetown Downtown and Old Town Design Guidelines.
D. PHOTOGRAPHS/RENDERINGS
Photographs of all sides of the structure and site, as well as of the sign structure and all other
improvements must be included in the submittal packet. Photographs must be in color and no smaller
than 4” by 6”; or
A three-dimensional sketch or drawing of the Street View or Street Elevation. All renderings provided
shall be an accurate representation of the property and any proposed changes.
E. MATERIAL(S) SAMPLES
A minimum of one sample of each material to be used in the proposed scope of work, such as paint color
chips or wall panel samples, shall be submitted with the application packet. All color renderings and
samples must be an accurate representation of the proposed or existing color and feature. In the event that
material samples are not available, photographs or catalog pictures and specifications identifying the
proposed material may be submitted. All material samples must be submitted in an 8” by 10” envelope or
small container (not to exceed 7-1/2" x 5-1/8" x 14-3/8") with the name of the project and address written
on the top right corner of the envelope or narrow side of the container.
Page 31 of 154
UDC Development Manual Georgetown, Texas CoA Checklist
Revised: July 2015 www.georgetown.org Page 10 of 11
F. OTHER INFORMATION
The following projects (scope of work) must include the following additional information:
Project (Scope of Work) Additional Information Required
4 New addition does not comply
with the zoning standards of the
Historic Overlay District
W ritten statement addressing how the addition complies with the approval
criteria for granting a Certificate of Appropriateness, as well as how the
addition meets the spirit and intent of the regulations and adopted Design
Guidelines.
24 Demolition of an attached
carport, porch, patio or deck
In the event the proposed demolition is due to Loss of Significance,
supporting documents demonstrating the items listed below shall be
required:
The building or structure is no longer historically, culturally or
architecturally significant, or is no longer contributing to the Historic
Overlay District.
The building or structure has undergone significant and irreversible
changes, which have caused the building or structure to lose the
historic, cultural or architectural significance, qualities or features
which qualified the building or structure for such designation.
The building or structure were not caused either directly or indirectly
by the owner, and were not due to intentional or negligent
destruction, or lack of maintenance rising to the level of a demolition
by neglect; and
Demolition of the building or structure will not cause significant
adverse effect on the Historic Overlay District or the City’s Historic
Resources.
In the event the proposed demolition is due to Economic Hardship,
supporting documents demonstrating the items listed below shall be
required:
The property owner cannot take reasonable, practical or viable
measures to adaptively use, rehabilitate or restore the building or
structure, or make reasonable beneficial use of, or realize a
reasonable rate of return on a building or structure unless the
building or structure may be demolished or relocated; and
The building of structure cannot be reasonably adapted for any other
feasible use, which would result in a reasonable rate of return.
27 Demolition of a street facing
façade
28 Demolition that results in the
reduction or loss in the total
square footage of the existing
structure
30 Relocation of a building or
structure to a Historic Overlay
District
Detailed description and plans addressing the following:
The architectural compatibility of the relocated building or structure
with adjacent buildings according to the applicable Downtown and
Old Town Design Guidelines and UDC standards for new
construction.
The proposed siting, setback and other applicable site-specific
treatments according to pertinent Downtown and Old Town Design
Guidelines and UDC standards of the applicable Historic Overlay
District.
Relocation will not damage existing contributing historic buildings or
structures, or the character of the Historic Overlay District.
31 Relocation of a building or
structure outside of the historic
overlay district
Supporting documentation to demonstrate Loss of Significance or
Economic Hardship as listed above for demolition.
Page 32 of 154
UDC Development Manual Georgetown, Texas CoA Checklist
Revised: July 2015 www.georgetown.org Page 11 of 11
Project (Scope of Work) Additional Information Required
38 HARC exceptions (building
height and setback exceptions
only)
In the event of a Building Height Exception, supporting documentation
shall include a visual analysis that identifies the following:
The extent to which the building would impact views to and from the
Courthouse, and to what extent the building will be visible from four
directions.
How the building will relate to the context of the surrounding
structures and the character of the District.
A summary of the conclusions of the visual analysis as to how the
proposed building will impact the District, specifically the immediate
surroundings.
In the event of a Setback Exception, supporting documentation shall
include the following:
Aerial of block to demonstrate the contextual arrangement of
structures within the block.
Current appraisal records indicating existing structures on site within
the past year.
G. FEES
Required fees must be paid to the City at the time of application submittal. Applications that are not
accompanied with the appropriate fee will not be accepted by the City. Fees may be paid in person by
check (payable to the City of Georgetown) or credit card.
Assessed fees are per application and not per type project (scope of work).
Certificate of Appropriateness Application Fee
HPO Review - Minor Projects (signage, paint color, changes in color to awning fabric,
exterior lighting and mechanical equipment) $31
HPO Review, save and except Minor Projects as noted above $160
HARC Review $265
Page 33 of 154
City of Georgetown, Texas
Historic and Architectural Review
April 28, 2016
SUBJECT:
Review and up d ate o f the Downto wn Overlay Dis tric t Parking S tud y
ITEM SUMMARY:
In FY 2013/2014 C ity Co uncil ap p ro p riated funds to complete a comprehens ive s tud y and conceptual
d es ign related to d o wntown p arking and a do wntown p arking s tructure. An RF Q was issued on Sep tember
18, 2014 and c los ed o n Octo b er 1s t. Five propos als were s ubmitted.
On September 23, 2014 City Co uncil ap p roved the s electio n committee to review the proposal. Interviews
were held o n No vember 4th and Carl Walker, Inc . was unanimo usly c hosen as the mo s t q ualified p ro p o s er.
On Dec emb er 9, 2014, Co uncil ap p ro ved co ntrac ting with Carl Walker, Inc . fo r P ro fes s io nal Services for a
Comprehensive Parking S tud y & Conceptual Des ign of Parking S tructure.
Carl Walker has :
· Co nducted O nline S urvey and Stakeho ld er Outreach
· Co nfirmed Exis ting P arking Invento ry
· Observed and Doc umented Exis ting Parking Oc c upancies & Turnover during:
o Holiday S eas o n Saturday (Dec emb er 20th)
o Typ ical Weekday Daytime (February 4th, 5th)
o Firs t F rid ay (February 6th)
o Red Poppy F es tival (Ap ril 24th, 25th)
· Reviewed Exis ting Parking P o licies and Management Prac tic es
On June 9, 2015, Carl Walker, Inc . p ro vided an overview of their parking stud y p lan, as well as
recommend atio ns o n s hort-term management s o lutio ns .
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
NA
SUBMITTED BY:
Matt Synatsc hk, His toric P lanner
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
Carl Walker, Inc. Parking Study Backup Material
Page 34 of 154
PREPARED BY:
5136 LOVERS LANE, SUITE 200
KALAMAZOO, MI 49002
(269) 381-2222
www.carlwalker.com
CITY OF GEORGETOWN, TX
DOWNTOWN PARKING STUDY
July, 2015
Page 35 of 154
1 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
Table of Contents
I. Executive Summary…………………………….…………….Page 1
II. Introduction……………………………………….…………...Page 5
III. Project Approach & Methodology……………..…………Page 6
IV. Current Parking Inventory………………………..………….Page 7
V. Observed Parking Utilization……………………….……..Page 10
VI. Review of Parking Enforcement Program……….……..Page 14
VII. Summary of Stakeholder Interviews……………………..Page 15
VIII. Results of Online Parking Survey……………………….…Page 16
IX. Design and Layout Issues With Existing Lots…………….Page 17
X. Red Poppy Festival Observations………………………...Page 21
XI. Branding, Marketing & Communications………………Page 27
XII. Summary of Key Recommendations………………...…Page 30
Exhibit A – Online Survey Summary Reports
- Customer Survey Summary Report
- Business Owner Summary Report
- Employee Summary Report
Page 36 of 154
1 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Overview
Having some level of a "parking problem" can actually be a good thing for most downtowns
because it indicates a high level of interest, vitality and commercial activity. However, if the lack
of reasonably available parking becomes a major issue (whether r eal or perceived), it can hurt
the downtown by driving away interest and economic activity. The City of Georgetown has been
considering the development of structured parking in the downtown area for some time. The 2014
Downtown Master Plan Update and the Georgetown City Center Plan both identify structured
parking as a key element to support the continued redevelopment of the core downtown area.
Currently, the parking situation in and around the historic Town Square area is viewed by many to
be particularly difficult.
Considering the above, Carl Walker, Inc. was retained by the City of Georgetown to analyze sites
for structured parking and to develop concept designs for the preferred site identified through our
site analysis. Phase one of our consulting work includes a downtown parking study and analysis.
The primary purpose of this parking study is to focus specifically on short-term policy and
management enhancements that can be implemented in the immediate to near term that will
"buy some time" for the downtown area to improve parking conditions until structured parking can
be brought online. Specifically, our analysis focuses on current parking conditions in terms of
overall capacity, utilization of existing parking assets, current parking policies, physical design
issues, management practices, and marketing, branding and communications.
Following is a brief summary of our primary findings that are documented and discussed in greater
detail in the main report document. The summary below lists our primary findings more or less in
order of importance, with the understanding that some issues may overlap . Our key
recommendations to address the issues identified are included in Section XI.
Current Parking Supply & Utilization
Our analysis looked at all public parking within the Downtown Overlay District, but focused
primarily on the nine (9) block Town Square area and adjacent public Library/City Center areas.
Our field observations showed that both on-street and off-street public parking in the core Town
Square area was effectively full during typical weekday lunchtime periods. The only parking within
the 9-block Town Square area that was not effectively full during the peak weekday daytime
period was the private Bank of America lot. All of the public City lots serving the Town Square
were observed to be effectively full, operating at 95% to 100% of capacity. Likewise, on -street
parking within the core 9-block area was observed to be full, with most block faces parked at
100% of effective supply.
It should be noted that the Williamson County Tax Office generates a significant amount of
customer traffic during weekday daytime periods, with an average of 1,500 to 2,000 visitors per
week during normal activity periods. During the peak tax season in late December and early
January, as many as 1,000 customers a day are served by the County Tax Office. The City public
lot at 9th and Main Streets is therefore well utilized during typical weekday daytime periods.
Conversely, this 136-space public lot showed ample parking availability during evening periods
that were observed during the prime holiday season on Saturday December 20th, 2014 and during
Page 37 of 154
2 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
the First Friday event that was observed on February 6, 2015. On-street parking utilization within
the Town Square area remained very high at 90% or greater occupancies during all of the evening
events that were observed.
Location of Public Parking Lots
While the City lot at 9th and Main showed good daytime utilization, the 126 -space north City lot
at 4th and Austin showed relatively low utilization during all periods observed. Even during the
peak daytime period at noon on February 5, 2015 the north City lot was observed to be operating
at only 53% of capacity, with 55 parking spaces open and available. The north City lot was
observed to be operating at an average of 33% of capacity during the evening observation
periods. This low level of utilization is due pri marily to the lack of proximity of the north City lot to
the primary parking demand generators located within the Town Square core area. As Figure 3
on page 8 clearly illustrates, there is a large amount of surface parking west of Austin Avenue, but
a very scarce amount of off-street public parking east of Austin Avenue within the immediate
Town Square area.
Lack of Dedicated Parking Enforcement
Our parking turnover analysis was performed during a weekday on February 4, 2015 and included
a total of 213 on-street parking spaces within the immediate Town Square area. The results of our
turnover analysis revealed that 7.5% of the on -street spaces observed had cars parked all day,
with 6.1% of cars parked over five hours and 9.9% of cars parked for over four hours. This represents
a total violation rate of 23.5%. This translates to 50 prime on -street parking spaces that were
consumed by long-term parkers. As of June 30, 2015 there were a total of 57 parking tickets issued
since the beginning of the calendar year. This an extremely low number of tickets issued, even for
a relatively small downtown like Georgetown.
The lack of dedicated enforcement stems largely from t he current vendor contract that has an
unrealistically low manpower budget. However, the fact that there is no parking enforcement
technology in place is a compounding factor. The current non-computerized paper-based ticket
writing system that utilizes physical chalking of tires is extremely time consuming, inefficient and
prone to abuse. The purchase of modern parking enforcement technology, revised fine structures
and a more dedicated level of manpower effort are among the primary recommendations
included in Section XI of this report.
Business Owners and Employees Parking in Prime On-Street Customer Spaces
Largely due to the lack of dedicated parking enforcement, our field observations verified that
there is a high degree of business owners and employees parking on -street within the core Town
Square area. In fact, we believe our turnover analysis results may have been skewed by the fact
that many shop owners and employees observed our field technicians recording license plate
numbers and in response moved their cars during the course of the day.
The results of the online parking survey confirmed the parking behaviors of business owners and
employees to a rather startling degree. When the survey results were filtered between customers,
business owners and employees, it was eye opening to see that 60% of business owners indicated
that they typically park on-street. As a group, business owners also showed the lowest tolera nce
for walking from their parking spot to their destination , with employees showing a slightly higher
Page 38 of 154
3 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
tolerance for walking more than one block . Interestingly, it was the customer group that
demonstrated the highest level of tolerance for walking more than one block to their destination.
These negative parking behaviors from business owners and employees can be addressed
through a combination of increased parking supply, more dedicated and consistent parking
enforcement, and through consistent messaging and communications.
Physical Layout Issues of Existing City Lots
One issue that we observed early in our analysis was the rather poor functional layouts and internal
traffic circulation patterns of the existing public parking lots. Both the south lot a nd north lot
contain numerous "dead end" parking bays that hamper access to end-bay parking stalls and
which negatively impact internal circulation and traffic flow. The City lot at 6th and Main has a
one-way traffic pattern that we believe is laid out in the wrong direction. As a result, there are "Do
Not Enter" signs and no access to this lot to serve 7th Street businesses and customers. The main
Library parking lot also has a one-way traffic pattern and numerous "Do Not Enter" signs that we
believe are confusing and uninviting to those visiting the Central Library.
Section VIII addresses these physical design and layout issues and includes very preliminary revised
layouts that we believe will result in better access and traffic flow in the existing City lots. It should
be noted that the revised layouts that we are showing result in no net loss of parking.
Branding/Marketing/Communications
Main Street Georgetown and the Georgetown Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) do a very good
job with marketing and communications material promoting the downtown. All of the printed
material we reviewed was high quality, visually appealing and very professional. However, none
of the printed material we examined included any information on parking. For example, the
"Guide for New Downtown Business Owners" published by Main Street Georgetown includes good
information on permitting through various City departments, available grant and loan programs
and design assistance services - but no information about downtown parking regulations.
Likewise, the "Visit Georgetown" brochure produced by the CVB contains a wealth of information
on the history, attractions, lodging, dining, retail and special event opportunities downtown - but
no information or maps about downtown parking. Neither the CVB website nor the Downtown
Georgetown Association website have any information about parking. The Main Street
Georgetown website does have some information on directions to downtown and information on
parking time limits, but there is no parking map to show specifically where public parking is
located.
We believe that a more concerted effort to brand, market and communicate parking locations
and regulations could help the overall parking situation. This would include naming the public
parking lots, signing individual locations, installing better wayfinding signage, and preparing better
web-based and hard copy parking maps. Examples of good websites and parking maps from
other downtown parking programs are included in Section X.
Red Poppy Festival Observations
Our final Phase I trip to Georgetown was to observe the annual Red Poppy Festival, which was
held this year on April 24th - 26th. We were very impressed with the quality and turnout for this
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4 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
wonderful community celebration event. City, CVB and Main Street staff all did a masterful job
with event planning, programming, set-up, logistics and overall coordination. However, from a
parking and traffic standpoint, we observed a number of areas where we believe the festival
could be enhanced in the future. In addition to some traffic re -routing recommendations and
enhancements to the remote shuttle operation, our primary recommendation is to provide more
active event parking management by using parking flaggers to direct parkers to fill parking areas
in a more planned and organized manner.
Additional recommendations center on safety improvements to better separate pedestrians from
vehicles, and nighttime lighting improvements west of Austin Avenue along Rock Street and at
Williamson County surface lots that are heavily used during the Poppy Festival. Our Red Poppy
Festival observations and specific recommendations for parking and traffic enhancements are
included in Section IX.
**END OF SECTION**
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5 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
II. Introduction
Downtown Georgetown is a vibrant and active destination area that features a beautiful historic
Town Square that includes a variety of quality restaurants, retail shops and personal service
businesses. Cultural and entertainment venues are also located downtown that include the very
active Central Library and Palace Theater. The downtown and Town Square host a number of
popular events and festivals such as the First Friday events, the Georgetown Swirl, Market Days, art
festivals, and the very popular annual Red Poppy Festival.
The downtown area also serves as an employment center for both City and County government.
Williamson County has a significant physical and employment presence in the downtown area,
with most of its services concentrated in the northwest quadrant of the Downtown Overlay District.
Primary County buildings include the historic Central Courthouse, the Justice Center and County
Jail, the County Sheriff's Office and Emergency Medical Services. The County Tax Office is also
located downtown and is served by the City public lot located at 9t h and Main Streets. Aside
from the Central Courthouse and Tax Office, most of the County buildings are self -contained in
terms of parking, served by County-owned surface lots and the 500-space parking structure
located at 4th and Rock Street.
City government is also located downtown, but is not currently centralized in a single location.
Instead, City staff and services are dispersed throughout the downtown area and located in the
City Hall building at 8th & Main Streets; the Municipal Court building loc ated at 7th & Main Streets;
the Georgetown Art Center building 9th & Main; and in the GCAT building located on 9th Street
between MLK and West Streets. In February of 2015, the City's Department of Public Safety (DPS)
moved from the Historic Light and Water Works building at 9th and MLK to a new facility
constructed approximately seven blocks east of the downtown area. This move by DPS is one of
the first elements of a City Center Master Plan that will centralize City services into a new campus
featuring a renovated old library building that will serve as a New City Hall.
In early 2014 the City updated the Downtown Master Plan. A major element of the Update was
the City Center Master Plan mentioned above. Both of these master planning documents include
recommendations for creating structured parking in order to accommodate additional growth
and development in the Downtown Overlay District. Recognizing this need for structured parking,
Carl Walker, Inc. was retained by the City of Georgetown to provide site analysis and concept
design services for the preliminary planning and design of a parking structure to serve the
downtown and Town Square areas.
Realizing that the actual construction of a parking structure may take time to be brought online ,
the first phase of our consulting work involves performing a parking study of the downtown core
area. Specifically, our analysis focuses on current parking conditions in terms of overall capacity,
utilization of existing parking assets, current parking policies, physical design issues, management
practices, and marketing, branding and communications. The desired outcome of the p arking
study is a set of recommendations that can be implemented in the immediate and near-term that
will improve parking conditions in the downtown area, with specific emphasis on the core 9-block
Historic Town Square area.
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6 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
III. PROJECT APPROACH & METHODOLOGY
Our parking analysis includes observations of public parking facilities and activity patterns in the
entire Downtown Overlay District, but the primary focus area for the parking study is the core 9 -
block Town Square and the proposed City Center campus to the immediate west of the Town
Square (see Figures 1, 2 below). The first step in our process was to document the existing parking
supply and inventory. Once the parking supply was confirmed, field technicians observed and
documented actual parking occupancies on-street and at all surface lots to include both public
and private off-street parking facilities. These parking occupancy surveys were performed during
four different time periods in an effort to document parking activity during norm al daytime
conditions, as well as downtown special events. Our field observations were conducted on the
following dates/times:
A Holiday season Saturday on December 20, 2014
Two weekday daytime periods on Wednesday/Thursday February 4th & 5th, 2015
The First Friday evening event on February 6th, 2015
The Red Poppy Festival held April 24 - 26, 2015
The parking study field observations included an on-street parking turnover analysis on primary
streets within the Town Square core three -hour parking area. For this analysis, field technicians
performed hourly patrols every hour on the hour from 8:00am to 5:00pm to record partial license
plate numbers of parked cars. License plate logs were then analyzed to determine how many
vehicles were parked longer than the permitted time limit of three hours. The results of our parking
occupancy surveys and turnover analysis are included in Section V below.
Stakeholder outreach was a very important element of our overall parking study work effort. Our
outreach efforts included an online survey that received a very high response rate, and extensive
one-on-one and small group interviews. The stakeholder interviews were conducted over the
course of a full day of "office hours" where the consultant team reserved meeting space in the
Central Library and allowed interested stakeholders to set up appointments to speak directly with
the parking consultants. A summary of the stakeholder interviews and online survey results are
included in Section VII and Section VIII. A summary of the online survey results and a brief review
of some of our preliminary findings was also presented in a well-attended public workshop held at
the Central Library on March 11, 2015.
One of the final elements of our analysis included a fourth field trip to Georgetown to observe
parking and traffic activity during the annual Red Poppy Festival. Section X summarizes our
observations, key findings and recommendations regarding possible enhancements and
improvements that we believe can help to relieve traffic congestion and improve parking access
at future Red Poppy Festivals.
Additional elements of the parking analysis that are included in the following sections of this report
include a review of the parking enforcement program, commentary on the physical design and
functional layout of the existing City-owned public parking lots, and observations and
commentary on parking branding, marketing and communications.
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7 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
Figure 1 - Downtown Overlay District Showing Parking Study Focus Area
Figure 2 - Parking Study Focus Area
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8 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
IV. CURRENT PARKING INVENTORY
On-Street Parking Inventory
On-street parking in the 9-block Town Square core area consists primarily of angled, pull-in parking.
Side streets outside of the square and to the west of Austin are primarily parallel parking. All of the
on-street parking surrounding the Town Square is free, time limit ed parking with a three-hour time
limit. On-street parking outside of the immediate Town Square area is free, no time limit parking.
It should be noted that 9th Street between Rock and Main Streets was under construction during
our data collection field observations due to the construction of new sidewalks as part of the City's
ongoing sidewalk improvement program. Based on our inventory counts, there were a total of
640 on-street parking spaces within the parking study focus area. Figure 4 on the following page
shows on-street parking spaces by block face, with red lines indicating no parking areas.
Off-Street Parking Inventory
Off-street parking includes public surface lots owned by the City of Georgetown, parking lots
owned by Williamson County, and privatly owned lots serving individual land uses. Some of the
parking spaces in the County lots are reserved for police or other County employees, but most
are unassigned parking that is open to the general public. As shown in Figure 5 on the following
page, there are a total of 1,069 off-street parking spaces in the parking study focus area, with a
breakdown as follows:
City Public Parking Lots: 610 Spaces
County Lots: 237 Spaces
Private Lots: 222 Spaces
Total Off-Street 1,069 Spaces
Total On-Street 640 Spaces
TOTAL STUDY AREA 1,709 Spaces
As Figure 3 below clearly illustrates, a significant parking challenge for the Town Square is the
overall lack of off-street parking capacity east of Austin Avenue within the 9-block core area.
Figure 3 - Surface Parking Directly Serving the Town Square
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9 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
Figure 4 - On-Street Parking Inventory
Figure 5 - Off-Street Parking Inventory
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10 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
V. OBSERVED PARKING UTILIZATION & TURNOVER
As the series of "heat maps" below and on the following pages visually demonstrate, parking
demand is very high within the 9-block Town Square core area. Daytime parking demand is
especially high. In fact, the overall peak parking period observed at Noon on Thursday February,
5, 2015 showed that the Town Square area was effectively full, with nearly all of the public parking
operating at 90% or greater utilization. The only off-street lots showing available parking capacity
during this peak demand period were the private bank lots at First Texas Bank south of the Square,
and at the Bank of America lot located at the northwest corner of the Square.
It should be noted that industry standards consider parking facilities to be effectively full when
operating above 90% of total parking capacity. This is due to parkers getting frustrated circulating
a facility looking for the few remaining open spaces. Parking facilities are considered to be
operating at maximum efficiency when peak demand remains at or below 85% of total capacity.
Figure 6 - Peak Parking Utilization Observed Saturday December 20, 2014 (6:00pm)
Numbers in text boxes indicate available/open spaces
On-street parking shows overall high utilization during peak demand
Some blocks parked at over 90%, but many blocks operating below maximum capacity
Note that the City lot at 9th & Main shows ample available parking
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11 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
Figure 7 - Peak Parking Utilization Observed on Thursday, February 5, 2015 (12:00pm)
Most on-street parking in the Town Square and all City surface lots effectively full
Some on-street availability along Church Street and Austin Avenue
9th & Main City lot and Central Library main lot effectively full
Bank of America lot had 27 open spaces at Noon peak demand period
First Texas Bank lot had 21 open spaces at Noon peak demand period
**THIS SPACE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK**
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12 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
Figure 8 - Peak Parking Utilization Observed on First Friday, February 6, 2015 (6:00pm)
Bank of America lot nearly empty with 60 open spaces at 6:00pm peak demand period
First Texas Bank lot effectively full due to event at Palace Theater
9th & Main City lot had 54 open spaces during peak demand period
Grace Church lot had 16 open spaces during peak demand period
Central Library main lot well utilized due to event at Palace Theater
All County and City lots west of Rock Street were essentially unused
Figure 9 - Existing Signage at First Texas Bank vs. Bank of America Lot
First Texas signs allow for open parking during non -banking hours
Bank of America signs threaten 24/7 towing for non-bank parkers
First Texas Bank Sign Bank of America Sign
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13 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
North City Lot
The City public lot located between 4th and 5th Streets along
Austin Avenue was observed to operate at consistently low
utilization levels. The highest utilization observed at the North Lot
during the Noon peak demand period on Thursday, February
5th was 53%. This translates to 57 open and available parking
spaces. The average utilization observed during the evening
count periods on December 20, 2014 and the First Friday event
on February 6, 2015 was 33% of total supply. This translates to a
total of 84 open and available parking spaces on average
during observed evening peak demand periods .
Because of its lack of proximity to the Town Square, this City lot
is not in high demand. It mainly serves the Monument Café as
the primary nearby land use, and provides spillover parking for
Tamiro Place.
Results of On-Street Parking Turnover Analysis
The results of our parking turnover analysis indicates that there is a significant amount of abuse of
the on-street three-hour parking spaces. The documented
violation levels of the three-hour time limit was as follows:
Cars Parked All Day (16) = 7.5%
Cars Parked Longer Than Five Hours (13) = 6.1%
Cars Parked Longer Than Four Hours (21) = 9.9%
Total Cars in Violation of Time Limit = 23.5%
This 23.5% of cars parked in violation of the posted time limit
represents a total of fifty (50) parking spaces out of 213 total
spaces that were illegally used by longer-term parkers, and
likely not used by customers.
As stated earlier, we believe the results of our turnover
analysis may be skewed in that a number of business owners
and employees saw our field technicians recording license plate numbers and were observ ed to
be shuffling cars within the three hour zone to avoid violations.
**END OF SECTION**
Monument Cafe
North Lot
Turnover Analysis Area
213 Total Spaces
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14 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
VI. REVIEW OF PARKING ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM
Parking enforcement of the three-hour free zone is performed by a private security vendor under
a contract with the City of Georgetown. Main Street Georgetown administers the contract and
oversees the vendor on behalf of the City. The current vendor is operating under a two-year
contract that effectively began on January 1, 2015. The contract is based on total labor hours
and requires the vendor to perform an "estimated 25 hours a week" of parking enforcement by an
attendant, with an additional of five hours per week for a supervisor, for an annual total of $28,600.
The contract requires the vendor to supply any parking technology to be used, which is currently
a PDA (smart phone) that is used to access the spreadsheet of parking warnings and violations.
Actual parking tickets are paper-based and not computerized. There is no back-end ticket
management or processing technology, other than an Excel spreadsheet that is manually
updated to record warnings and tickets issued per license plate. Enforcement of the three-hour
parking zone is performed by enforcement patrols that physically chalk tires of parked cars.
Parking fines are established by City ordinance and include a graduated fine structure as follows
(based on tickets issued by license plate per calendar year):
First Violation: Warning Only
Second Violation: $20
Third Violation: $50
Fourth Violation: $100
As mentioned above, parking tickets are tracked by using an Excel spreadsheet that is accessed
in the field by the enforcement officer. When a vehicle is observed to be parked over the time
limit, the enforcement officer must review the spreadsheet to determine if the vehicle in violation
has had any previous warnings or tickets issued to determine what type of fine or warning to issue.
This process is time consuming and very inefficient. The physical chalking of tires is also very labor
intensive and prone to abuse by parkers who simply wipe the chalk mark off their tires. The graphs
below show the historic number of tickets issued for the past five years. (Note that the numbers
for 2015 are through June 30, 2015).
These are very low enforcement statistics in terms of the number of tickets issued per year. During
the course of our field work, we did not observe any active enforcement by uniformed
enforcement personnel. The high level of non-compliance that was documented during our
parking turnover analysis indicates that the current level of parking enforcement is insufficient. We
believe the lack of dedicated and consistent parking enforcement is the most significant
weakness in the Georgetown parking system at this time.
0
50
100
150
200
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
115
57
129 141
175
57
Total Tickets Issued
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15 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
VII. SUMMARY OF STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS
Individual & Small Group Meetings
Stakeholder outreach was an important element of our overall work effort for the parking study.
Carl Walker personnel met with key City staff as well as numerous stakeholders in both small groups
and individually to gain an understanding of prevailing parking issues, attitudes and perceptions.
The list of individual stakeholders/businesses/institutions interviewed is included below. With the
exception of the owners of the Monument Café and El Monumento, all of the individuals
interviewed expressed the belief that there is currently not enough parking to support the Town
Square. Most of the individuals interviewed supported the concept of structured parking.
The most common and prevailing belief expressed by stakeholders was that County Courthouse
employees are parking in the three-hour on-street spaces surrounding the Town Square for
extended periods. The other most common theme was that there is little to no parking
enforcement occurring. Other than these two predominate themes conveyed by most
individuals, there were no other strong opinions expressed regarding the current parking situation.
However, we did hear from some residents regarding concerns about building a parking structure
on the south lot at 9th & Main Streets. The primary concern being the potential for increased
traffic volumes in the residential neighborhood east of Myrtle Street.
List of Individuals, Businesses and Institutional Stakeholders Interviewed
Williamson County: Facilities Director & Tax Office Manager
Central Library: Library Director
Palace Theater: Executive Director
Georgetown Business Association: President
Tamiro Place: Francisco Choi
Developer: Sam Pfiester
Gumbo's Restaurant: Chris Damon, Sarah McGrew
Hummingbird Hollow: Erland Schulze
Inspiration Glass: Susan Dittmar
Monument Café: Rusty Winkstern
Resident: Larry Olson
The Union on 8th: Justin Bohls
The Escape: Len Lester
Roberts Printing: John Montgomery
Resident: Jackie Barnett
Public Workshop Meeting
A public workshop meeting was held on March 11, 2015 at the Central Library. The workshop was
well attended and focused primarily on initial observations from the consultant team and on the
results of the online parking survey. While it was a common belief from most in attendance that
employee and business owners display a tendency to park on-street in the three-hour spaces, the
actual statistics that were shown from the survey results surprised many in attendance in terms of
the number of employees and business owners who indicated that they typically park on-street.
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16 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
VIII. RESULTS OF ONLINE PARKING SURVEY
An online parking survey was conducted in February/March that was open for approximately
three weeks. The survey participation rate was extremely high, with a total of 570 completed
surveys. It is worth noting that the survey parameters were set up to allow for only one completed
survey per computer IP address to help assure that no one individual or group could skew the
survey results. The survey was able to filter responses by user group to include respondents who
identified themselves as: "Customer/Visitor"; "Business Owner"; "Employee"; and "Live Downtown".
The breakdown of completed survey responses by user group was as follows:
Customer/Visitor = 351
Employee = 86
Business Owner = 50
Live Downtown = 29
Other = 45
The survey results provide a wealth of information in terms of parking preferences, perceptions
and attitudes of the various downtown user groups. The results also help to confirm geographic
and demographic characteristics of the Georgetown customer and employment base. Some of
the more eye-opening results indicate that customers appear more willing to walk a greater
distance from their parking spot to their destination than business owners and employees. While
it was not surprising to see that 63% of customers indicate they prefer to park on -street, it was
surprising to see that 60% of the business owners and 53% of empl oyees indicated that they
typically park on-street, with many of them likely violating the three-hour time limit.
Other themes that came out of open-ended questions indicate that there is support for greater
parking enforcement during the day, but not after 5:00pm; and that customers appear to be
willing to pay at least some of the cost to build and maintain parking facilities through user fees.
Full summary reports for each user group are included in Exhibit A at the end of the main report
document.
Figure 10 - Survey Response to Q#10:
"What Distance is Acceptable to You for Walking from Your Car to Your Destination?"
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17 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
IX. DESIGN AND LAYOUT ISSUES WITH EXISTING LOTS
One of the first issues we noticed at the start of our field work was the functional layout and traffic
flow patterns of existing City of Georgetown public parking lots. Both t he south lot at 9th & Main
and the north lot at 4th & Austin have dead-end parking bays. These dead-end configurations
make end-bay parking spaces difficult to maneuver into and out of, and they restrict traffic flow
and ease of access within the lots.
We believe the Central Library main parking lot is confusing due to its one -way traffic
configuration, over-abundance of "Do Not Enter" signs and lack of traffic directional surface
arrows. Similarly, the Municipal Court public lot located along Main bet ween 6th and 7th Streets
has a one-way traffic pattern that we believe is not ideal, with "Do Not Enter" signs prohibiting
access from 7th Street. We believe all of the existing surface lots have layout and traffic circulation
issues that could be improved by modifying the functional designs. Very preliminary design
concepts for revised traffic patterns and functional layouts are included below.
Figure 11 - Central Library Main Parking Lot
Figure 12 - Municipal Court Lot 7th Street Access
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18 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
Figure 13 - North Lot Existing Layout
Figure 14 - North Lot Proposed Layout
Eliminates Dead-End Parking
Much Better Traffic Flow & Ease of Access
Net Gain of +2 Parking Spaces
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19 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
Figure 15 - Central Lot Existing Layout
Figure 16 - Central Lot Proposed Layout
Allows Cars to Enter From 7th Street
Eliminates "Do Not Enter" Signs
Better Internal Traffic Flow
Net Gain of +2 Spaces
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20 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
Figure 17 - South Lot Existing Layout
Figure 18 - South Lot Proposed Layout
Eliminates Dead-end Parking
Improves ADA Parking Spaces
Better Internal Traffic Flow
New Access from Main Street
Net Gain of +3 Spaces
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21 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
X. RED POPPY FESTIVAL OBSERVATIONS
The Red Poppy Festival is a wonderful event that is extremely popular. The event draws thousands
of people to the downtown area over the course of a three-day weekend. As mentioned in the
beginning of this report, City staff and event organizers should be commended for all of the hard
work that is involved in terms of pre-planning, organizing and logistical setup for this major annual
community event. Based on our attending and observing this year's festival, we did observe areas
where improvements could be made regarding parking and traffic management.
Our key Red Poppy Festival findings include:
There was no active special event parking management or manual traffic directing for
vehicles entering the event area and trying to park. Event attendees were left to circle
Rock Street and MLK searching for a close-in parking space when there was available
parking in County lots and in the County garage .
The Williamson County Garage was observed to be under-utilized at all times during the
event. There were a total of 240 open parking spaces during the peak demand period ,
which occurred at 11:00am on Saturday, April 25th (during the parade). During all other
car counts performed in the County garage, there was an average of 325 open parking
spaces throughout the entire three-day event.
The remote shuttle lot operation at the First Baptist Church had ample parking capacity
and great volunteer/vendor support, but the sh uttles were experiencing hour-long
headway times due to traffic backups at the traffic lights on University Avenue west of I -35
and Austin Avenue.
The Red Poppy webpage included some information on event parking and the remote
shuttle lot, but there was no online map of parking facilities. Similarly, the webpage traffic
information directed all people to the extremely busy intersection of University Avenue and
Austin Avenue, with no information provided on entering downtown from the much less
congested north approach.
The printed Red Poppy Festival program was well done graphically and it included great
information on the event schedule and list of vendors. However, we found the map to be
very confusing because it was oriented with the east direction at the top of the map,
instead of the more customary north direction at the top of the map. Also, the program
map had no references to event parking.
Rock Street and MLK were very congested with traffic caused by on-street parking. Rock
Street was especially congested with pedestrian/vehicula r traffic conflicts. We also
observed numerous instances of illegal parking that caused public safety concerns.
The general Rock Street/MLK area was also observed to be very dark during evening
periods. Rock Street itself has few street lights and no pedestrian lighting. The north City
lot had numerous light fixtures that were not functioning, and the County surface lights had
no lighting at all.
We observed unused, available parking at private lots that were remote lots, but located
closer to the festival area than the First Baptist Church shuttle lot. This would include the
old Albertson's lot north of downtown that was completely vacant (last year's shuttle lot),
and the commercial strip mall lot south of downtown at University Ave. and Railroad St.
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22 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
Figure 19 - Red Poppy Festival Webpage Information
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23 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
Figure 20 - Red Poppy Event Program Map
Existing Map Confusing - Oriented With East at Top of Page
Orient Map with North at Top, Show Event Parking Locations
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24 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
Figure 21 - Traffic, Parking, Pedestrian Issues on Rock Street and MLK
Rock Street Pedestrian/Vehicle Conflicts MLK Street Parking Hampering Traffic Flow
Figure 22 - Illegal Parking Causing Public Safety Concerns/Restricting Access
Figure 23 - Unused Albertson's Remote Lot
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25 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
Our key Red Poppy Festival recommendations include:
Initiate street traffic and access changes as follows:
Re-route northbound Austin Ave. thru traffic at 17th Street, use Scenic Drive as detour route
Re-direct event traffic as much as possible to enter downtown from the north
Restrict parking on the west side of MLK and use MLK to load parking facilities from the
west
Make Rock Street a pedestrian zone by restricting parking on-street
Figure 24 - Proposed Red Poppy Festival Traffic & Access Changes
A more comprehensive "Traffic & Parking Management Plan" needs to be developed in
advance and then staffed on event days. This would entail the use of flaggers directing
traffic into parking facilities to load the facilities in a more systematic manner. A supervisor
should be assigned to oversee flaggers and communications should be maintained
throughout the event via two-way radios. The plan and execution should anticipate the
ebb and flow of parking demand during various stages of the event.
Create a simple, but effective parking and traffic map to be used for the festival webpage
and hard copy brochures. The parking and traffic map should include written
recommendations and graphics to direct event traffic to enter downtown from the north
via Austin Avenue to avoid traffic on University Drive.
Provide a higher level of parking enforcement to ticket cars that are illegal ly parked,
particularly parked vehicles that are blocking access drives, sidewalks or causing other
public safety concerns.
Explore signalization changes for event days, or allow for manual over-rides of traffic signals
along University Drive at the I-35 overpass area to enhance traffic flow and to provide for
shorter headway times for shuttle busses to and from the remote lot(s).
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26 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
Attempt to gain approvals from private property owners to free up more closer-in remote
parking that could be used as additional shuttle lots (Old Albertson's lot, commercial lot at
Railroad & University Drive).
Expand shuttle operations to provide smaller "circulator" shuttles running cont inuously
along west side of festival area and serving the County garage, west lots, and the
additional remote lots.
Replace non-functioning lights at the north City lot and provide for temporary pedestrian
lighting along Rock Street at the Williamson County surface lots.
Provide better temporary directional and identification signage to guide vehicles to event
parking locations (in addition to active traffic flaggers).
Consider the use of time slots for initial vendor booth set up times to help reduce
congestion. All vendors trying to unload and setup at the same time causes congestion
and logistical challenges.
Figure 25 - Example of Temporary Parking Banner for County Garage
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27 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
XI. BRANDING, MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
The City of Georgetown, the Georgetown CVB and Main Street Georgetown all have done a
great job in branding the downtown and Town Square. Existing promotional material includes
high quality print, website and online media. However, when reviewing existing printed brochures,
we noticed there is little to no information about parking. While the Downtown Georgetown
Parking Guide was recently updated, we believe the map could do a better job of graphically
communicating the actual location of off-street public parking facilities and how to access
parking. The other two main downtown promotional brochures: "The Guide to New Downtown
Business Owners" and the "Visit Georgetown" are both professionally produced and contain good
information, however, neither of these two downtown brochures have any information about
parking.
The Georgetown Main Street website does have some parking information, but there is no parking
map currently available online. The Georgetown CVB and the Downtown Georgetown
Association have good quality websites, but neither website contains maps or information on
public parking. Also, none of the existing public parking lots have "official" names - which is why
we refer to the various lots as simply "north lot", "south lot", "central lot", etc. We believe efforts
should be made to name the various lots and to "brand" the parking system better. Once this is
done, the City, CVB and Main Street should coordinate efforts to develop a high quality parking
map for the downtown area. The parking map needs to be designed t o accurately communicate
actual locations of parking facilities, but also be graphically appealing and easy to understand.
Once the lots are named, a downtown parking "brand" logo is developed and a high quality
parking map is created, these marketing materials need to be distributed to all downtown printed,
web-based and special event media sources. The parking message needs to be constantly
reinforced through the various media and communication channels.
Figure 26 - Examples of Parking System Branding
NOTE: Any use of the official City of Georgetown logo must follow the official "City Branding and Logo Usage Guidelines"
as published by the City of Georgetown.
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28 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
Figure 27 - Existing Downtown Georgetown Parking Map
Figure 28 - Existing Downtown Business Brochure
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29 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
Figure 29 - Existing Visit Georgetown Brochure
Links to High Quality Downtown Parking Websites
http://www.downtownkalamazoo.org/Visit/Parking.aspx/
http://www.pensacolaparking.com/
http://www.a2dda.org/transportation/
http://downtownprovidence.com/getting-here-parking/
http://www.downtowntc.com/parking/
http://www.parkmilwaukee.com/
http://parksmart.org/
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30 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
XII. SUMMARY OF KEY RECOMMENDATIONS
The following recommendations are listed more or less in order of importance, with the
understanding that some issues overlap. The lists are broken down into Short-term; Mid-term; and
Long-term recommendations. A number of the recommendations will require the cooperation of
both public and private organizations and individuals. In particular, we believe the short -term
recommendations articulated below can help to better manage existing parking resources until
such time that structured parking capacity is able to be brought online.
Specific Short-Term Recommendations
Improve parking enforcement through the purchase of new computerized parking
enforcement technology and increase level of dedicated manpower for parking
enforcement. Computerized "electronic chalking" is much more efficient and less prone
to abuse that the manual chalking of tires. Back -end ticket processing will significantly
streamline the entire parking enforcement process.
Begin process to revise the parking fine structure to re duce penalties to be coupled with
increased enforcement efforts. Keep the first violation per year a warning only, with the
2nd violation at $10; 3rd - 5th violations at $20; 6th + violations at $50.
Seek the cooperation of Bank of America (BOA) to allow their parking lot to be used by
the general public after normal banking hours, and ask them to change their sign
messaging to less threatening towing language. This may require the City or Downtown
Georgetown Association to provide liability insurance and housekeeping services to clean
the lot after evening uses.
Create a public valet program on the north side of the Town Square on the Courthouse
side of the street to be offered during busy weekend evenings and for special events. If
permission is granted to use the BOA lot for evening use, this lot would serve as an ideal
valet lot due to its location near the Square. The cost of the valet program should be pro-
rated and shared, with private restaurants and retail stores helping to cover costs.
Start now to create a Parking and Traffic Management Plan for the 2016 Red Poppy
Festival. We believe a more active and robust parking management strategy and tactical
plan will significantly improve the customer experience and safety of future festivals and
major events. Seek out volunteer help from local service clubs or volunteer groups for
manpower assistance during the actual event.
Begin efforts to create a branding and marketing program for the public parking system.
Initial first steps should be the naming of public lots, installation of lot identification and
wayfinding signs and the creation of a better web-based and hard copy parking map.
Create short term, 15-minute pick-up and drop-off spaces at convenient locations on
each block face within the 9-block Town Square area. This will help to assure that at least
one space per block is available for short term transactions. These short term spaces tend
to be honored by customers and self-enforced by merchants and employees.
Work with Williamson County to encourage updates to their online and published parking
information for visitors and jurors and to inform the public that the County parking structure
is open and safe to use.
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31 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
Figure 30 - Potential Public Valet Operation
May Require Minor Revisions to existing Valet Ordinance
Should be Spear Headed by GBA or Main Street with Businesses Sharing Costs
Used for First Fridays and Other Special Events
Start as Pilot Program to Test Success and Buy-in From Downtown Businesses
Must Properly Promote Program and Give it Time to Succeed
Will Require Use Agreement with Private Lot Owner
Stuart, FL and Plymouth, MI Recent Examples of Public Valet Ordinances
**END OF SECTION**
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32 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
Specific Mid-Term Recommendations
Identify responsible City staff person to spearhead parking changes and implementation
of a more defined parking management plan.
Finalize Phase II parking structure site selection analysis and preliminary design concept
plans for a public parking structure (Carl Walker, Inc. currently proceeding with Phase II).
Complete construction of the Central Library overflow lot at 8th Street and MLK to provide
additional parking capacity.
Consider physical design changes to existing surface lots to eliminate dead -end parking
and to improve internal traffic flow and ease of access. (We recommend budgeting
$75,000 to $100,000 to fund these physical improvements).
Work with Williamson County to encourage the County to improve the physical condition
of County surface lots, with particular emphasis on better night lighting on the lots.
Explore feasibility and cost of providing a smaller shuttle circulator to gain greater utilization
of the western surface lots and County Garage for special events and festivals.
Continue to develop City Center consolidation plan to relocate City employees out of the
Town Square and into a New City Hall campus.
Once MLK overflow lot is completed, target sidewal k improvements along the north side
of 8th Street to improve pedestrian connection to the Town Square.
Specific Long-Term Recommendations
Finalize designs and construct public parking structure, preferably including mixed-uses,
such as commercial, retail, office and/or residential.
Implement sidewalk master plan physical improvements to improve pedestrian sidewalks
and crossings, with particular emphasis on Austin Avenue pedestrian crossings.
Communicate with Williamson County to understand their long -term buildout plan for the
downtown County campus and to explore opportunities to enhance the condition and
use of County owned parking facilities.
Implementation of the City Center Plan to consolidate City employees out of the Square
and into the new campus.
Target City north lot as a future development site and pursue development options that
would include structured parking and mixed -use development, preferably with a
residential component.
Aggressively pursue downtown residential development that is within walking distance to
the Town Square.
Continue to benchmark and monitor the parking system over time to be proactive and
"ahead of the curve" in supporting additional downtown development activity.
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1 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
EXHIBIT 'A'
ONLINE SURVEY SUMMARY REPORTS
Customer Survey Summary Report
Business Owner Summary Report
Employee Summary Report
Page 69 of 154
1 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
Customer Survey Summary Report
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1 of 41
Downtown Georgetown Parking Survey
1. Please describe yourself:
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Female 58.6%204
Male 41.4%144
answered question 348
skipped question 3
2. Please indicate which best describes your age group:
Response
Percent
Response
Count
17 or Under 0.0%0
18 - 24 1.7%6
25 - 34 7.1%25
35 - 44 14.0%49
45 - 54 12.5%44
55 - 64 19.1%67
65 or Older 45.6%160
answered question 351
skipped question 0
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2 of 41
3. Please indicate your postal zip code.
Response
Percent
Response
Count
78626 18.9%66
78628 28.9%101
78633 49.0%171
Other (please fill in your zip code)
3.2%11
answered question 349
skipped question 2
4. Please check the category below that best describes your interest in downtown
Georgetown.
Response
Percent
Response
Count
I am a Visitor/Customer 100.0%351
I live Downtown 0.0%0
I own a Business/Property 0.0%0
I work Downtown 0.0%0
Other (explain) 0.0%0
answered question 351
skipped question 0
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5. Typically, what is your main purpose for visiting downtown Georgetown? (Check all that
apply)
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Shopping 83.7%292
Personal Services (Salon/Spa)22.1%77
Attorney/CPA/Insurance/Finance 7.4%26
I work Downtown 0.6%2
Restaurants 90.8%317
City/Government 38.7%135
Doctor/Dentist 5.4%19
Parks/Recreation Facilities 25.2%88
Bars/Entertainment 40.7%142
Public Library 61.6%215
Festival/Special Event 75.6%264
Other (explain)
7.7%27
answered question 349
skipped question 2
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6. How often do you visit downtown Georgetown?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Daily (5 times per week)4.3%15
Infrequently (a few times per
month)
37.9%132
Frequently (1-4 times per week)54.3%189
Not often (a few times per year)3.4%12
answered question 348
skipped question 3
7. How important is parking as it relates to your decision to visit downtown Georgetown?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Parking does not impact my
decision to visit downtown
20.2%70
Parking is somewhat important
in my decision to visit
downtown
39.8%138
Parking is very important in my
decision to visit downtown
34.9%121
I avoid going downtown because of
the parking
5.2%18
answered question 347
skipped question 4
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8. If you drive to visit downtown, where do you prefer to park?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
On-Street 62.8%216
Off-Street Public Lot 32.3%111
Private Lot 0.9%3
Other (please explain)
4.1%14
answered question 344
skipped question 7
9. What is the length of stay during your typical visit to downtown?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Less than one hour 4.7%16
Four to six hours 2.3%8
One to two hours 45.9%158
Six to eight hours 0.3%1
Two to four hours 46.8%161
Greater than eight hours 0.0%0
answered question 344
skipped question 7
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10. What distance is acceptable to you for walking to your destination from where you
park?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Less than one block 14.0%48
One to two blocks 45.1%155
Two to three blocks 28.8%99
Three blocks or more 12.2%42
answered question 344
skipped question 7
11. Are you aware that there are posted three-hour time limits for on-street parking in the
Town Square area?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Yes, I am aware of posted time
limits
82.7%283
No, I am not aware of posted time
limits
17.3%59
answered question 342
skipped question 9
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12. Do you believe that parking time limits should be enforced more strictly?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Yes 42.2%144
No 44.6%152
Other (please explain)
13.2%45
answered question 341
skipped question 10
13. Are you aware that there is free parking available in City public lots, with no posted time
limits?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Yes 77.7%265
No 22.3%76
answered question 341
skipped question 10
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14. In your opinion, who should pay the cost of building and maintaining public parking
facilities? (Check all that apply)
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Parking Users/Customers 28.8%98
City Tax Dollars 79.4%270
Property Owners/Business Owners 31.8%108
Other (please explain)
5.0%17
answered question 340
skipped question 11
15. How would you characterize your ability to find a parking spot downtown on a typical
weekday/workday?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Convenient & Easy 13.0%44
Somewhat easy 48.4%164
Somewhat difficult 28.6%97
Difficult and inconvenient 8.0%27
I usually do not drive to go
downtown
2.1%7
answered question 339
skipped question 12
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16. How would you characterize your ability to find a parking spot downtown on a typical
lunchtime?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Convenient & Easy 6.0%20
Somewhat easy 26.3%87
Somewhat difficult 36.3%120
Difficult and inconvenient 25.7%85
I usually do not drive to go
downtown
5.7%19
answered question 331
skipped question 20
17. How would you characterize your ability to find a parking spot downtown on a typical
evening/weekend?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Convenient & Easy 12.5%42
Somewhat easy 37.1%125
Somewhat difficult 33.8%114
Difficult and inconvenient 13.6%46
I usually do not drive to go
downtown
3.0%10
answered question 337
skipped question 14
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18. How would you characterize your ability to find a parking spot downtown for a
festival/special event (Red Poppy Festival/Downtown Stroll)?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Convenient & Easy 0.6%2
Somewhat easy 5.3%18
Somewhat difficult 22.8%77
Difficult and inconvenient 67.5%228
I usually do not drive to go
downtown
3.8%13
answered question 338
skipped question 13
19. Does the availability of parking influence your decision to visit downtown Georgetown?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
No 51.6%175
Yes (please explain)
48.4%164
answered question 339
skipped question 12
20. Thank You! Please provide any suggestions you may have to improve parking in
downtown Georgetown.
Response
Count
143
answered question 143
skipped question 208
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Page 3, Q3. Please indicate your postal zip code.
1 78605 Mar 1, 2015 7:57 PM
2 78613 Feb 20, 2015 3:20 PM
3 78681 Feb 20, 2015 12:24 PM
4 78641 Feb 19, 2015 6:47 AM
5 78759 Feb 19, 2015 4:28 AM
6 78660 Feb 18, 2015 1:26 PM
7 76527 Feb 17, 2015 4:59 PM
8 75244 Feb 15, 2015 7:44 PM
9 78665 Feb 13, 2015 4:12 PM
10 78759 Feb 13, 2015 12:51 PM
11 78641 Feb 13, 2015 9:52 AM
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Page 5, Q5. Typically, what is your main purpose for visiting downtown Georgetown? (Check all that apply)
1 Ambiance Feb 27, 2015 3:36 PM
2 Viewing/buying/framing Art Feb 26, 2015 2:33 AM
3 Banking Feb 23, 2015 7:29 AM
4 quilt guild meetings Feb 20, 2015 2:34 PM
5 visitor center Feb 20, 2015 11:57 AM
6 museums Feb 19, 2015 7:52 PM
7 Palace Theatre Patron Feb 19, 2015 8:40 AM
8 For the scenery /ambiance Feb 19, 2015 8:04 AM
9 county govt Feb 19, 2015 6:48 AM
10 Palace Theater Feb 19, 2015 4:43 AM
11 Palace Theatre Feb 19, 2015 3:12 AM
12 Palace Theatre Feb 19, 2015 3:12 AM
13 bicycling, walking around the square and sitting on the benches Feb 18, 2015 10:37 PM
14 Theater Feb 18, 2015 9:50 PM
15 Theatre Feb 18, 2015 8:56 PM
16 Palace Theater Feb 18, 2015 8:48 PM
17 Palace Theater Feb 18, 2015 8:43 PM
18 Palace Theatre Feb 18, 2015 8:17 PM
19 Art Center Feb 16, 2015 3:05 PM
20 My wife works downtown & My son attends pre-school there Feb 15, 2015 11:04 AM
21 museum Feb 15, 2015 9:46 AM
22 The Palace Feb 14, 2015 8:40 PM
23 volunteer Feb 14, 2015 2:02 PM
24 Signs & printing needs Feb 14, 2015 7:33 AM
25 wineries & events Feb 13, 2015 5:35 PM
26 library Feb 13, 2015 1:06 PM
27 Volunteer work Feb 13, 2015 7:50 AM
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Page 8, Q8. If you drive to visit downtown, where do you prefer to park?
1 Wherever I can find a place to park….Feb 27, 2015 2:12 PM
2 Wherever I am able Feb 25, 2015 6:43 PM
3 Handi capped must park close or can not shop etc Feb 20, 2015 11:24 AM
4 Doesn't matter, where ever I can find a spot.Feb 20, 2015 11:18 AM
5 As close to my destination as possible Feb 18, 2015 8:48 PM
6 Where ever I can find a spot durig street closures that can be far away and I am
disabled.
Feb 13, 2015 8:55 PM
7 Free. On street or off street public lot that is easy walk to destination Feb 13, 2015 7:07 PM
8 Mkaes no differene to me where I park Feb 13, 2015 2:53 PM
9 On the square in front of the business Feb 13, 2015 1:54 PM
10 On-Street for everything except the Library Feb 13, 2015 1:39 PM
11 all of the above depending on purpose.Feb 13, 2015 1:31 PM
12 Disabled Parking Feb 13, 2015 1:13 PM
13 library lot Feb 13, 2015 1:07 PM
14 Any of the above as long as it is within close proximity (less than a block away)Feb 13, 2015 11:31 AM
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Page 12, Q12. Do you believe that parking time limits should be enforced more strictly?
1 I don't park in the limited spots, so I have no opinion on it.Mar 1, 2015 7:59 PM
2 shop owners should not park in customer parking on the square Feb 27, 2015 4:27 PM
3 Depends on time of year and day Feb 27, 2015 3:37 PM
4 Do not have enough information about current Feb 27, 2015 2:22 PM
5 I am not aware of the impact of the current policy on parking downtown Feb 27, 2015 2:13 PM
6 N/A Feb 27, 2015 1:49 PM
7 The city won't enforce it anyway! Never have.Feb 25, 2015 9:33 PM
8 this hasn't impacted me and I follow the 3 hour time limit Feb 23, 2015 9:30 PM
9 It should be on your honor Feb 22, 2015 12:12 PM
10 not sure how strictly they are enforced at this time. would be in favor of some
monitoring and issuing of warnings for those staying between 3 and 5 hours -
fines for those over 5 hours in same spot.
Feb 21, 2015 8:34 PM
11 No opinion Feb 21, 2015 8:36 AM
12 only day time Feb 20, 2015 12:48 PM
13 stop enforcing after 5pm Feb 20, 2015 12:31 PM
14 Discourages staying longer if there are unexpected delays in accomplishing what
you went downtown for.
Feb 20, 2015 11:21 AM
15 I don't know how strict it is now, but it should be monitored to keep parking
moving
Feb 20, 2015 11:20 AM
16 Shop downtown often because parking is easy Feb 20, 2015 5:47 AM
17 didn't know there was a problem...Feb 19, 2015 7:55 PM
18 Do not know level of abuse.Feb 19, 2015 8:32 AM
19 yes if the person works downtown and no if the person is just shopping Feb 19, 2015 7:43 AM
20 I believe all laws should be enforced. Whether this is a good law i another
question.
Feb 19, 2015 6:45 AM
21 need a better system. Too many people park on the street that could park off the
street
Feb 19, 2015 5:21 AM
22 It depends on the time of day Feb 19, 2015 4:30 AM
23 Yes, but only during 8:00AM - 5:00PM, Mon-Fri Feb 18, 2015 10:41 PM
24 i haven't noticed time limits being abused.Feb 18, 2015 10:40 PM
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Page 12, Q12. Do you believe that parking time limits should be enforced more strictly?
25 Yes during gov't business hours ... No during evening entertainment hours Feb 18, 2015 8:51 PM
26 Not sure Feb 18, 2015 8:30 PM
27 Are they enforced now Feb 18, 2015 7:54 PM
28 Yes, but with 'Reminders', not tickets!Feb 17, 2015 3:35 PM
29 I thought they were.Feb 17, 2015 8:47 AM
30 If you have time limits then they should be enforced strictly Feb 14, 2015 8:41 PM
31 No opinion Feb 14, 2015 6:42 PM
32 During busy times, yes. When there is little contention, plenty of available, don't
worry too much about it unless it gets abused.
Feb 13, 2015 7:10 PM
33 I am a rule follower, but not always. Sometimes a hair appointment runs over the
limit but I am busy at downtown business. Strict enforcement is more worrisome
than walking and being late!
Feb 13, 2015 6:53 PM
34 During events Feb 13, 2015 5:03 PM
35 It depends on the date. If there is a holiday/activity like Poppy Fest, I think time
limits should apply.
Feb 13, 2015 4:23 PM
36 Don't know if it is an issue.Feb 13, 2015 2:44 PM
37 no opinion Feb 13, 2015 1:19 PM
38 Don't know how well they are enforced now Feb 13, 2015 1:15 PM
39 theres no parking anyhow Feb 13, 2015 1:07 PM
40 Don't know how much of a problem it is. I usually park in the public lot.Feb 13, 2015 12:57 PM
41 unfriendly law.. repeal it Feb 13, 2015 12:55 PM
42 during peak times, yes so that there are spaces available for others Feb 13, 2015 12:55 PM
43 during high volume times, yes.Feb 13, 2015 12:54 PM
44 no idea how often they check Feb 13, 2015 12:38 PM
45 During busy times, yes, otherwise no Feb 13, 2015 11:32 AM
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Page 14, Q14. In your opinion, who should pay the cost of building and maintaining public parking facilities?
(Check all that apply)
1 Combination of Parking Users/Customers and City Tax Dollars Feb 27, 2015 2:23 PM
2 City/Businesses get benefit Feb 27, 2015 1:49 PM
3 Both customers and tax dollars Feb 27, 2015 7:24 AM
4 City tax dollars Feb 25, 2015 9:33 PM
5 To achieve desired density & walkability costs should be shared equitably Feb 24, 2015 10:19 AM
6 Business owners, not home owners. Businesses reap the benefits of having
parking that suits prospective customer needs, and therefore are likely to invest
in it.
Feb 22, 2015 12:15 PM
7 This can be a plan that involves all three groups....all three benefit Feb 20, 2015 1:10 PM
8 I think the free parking is an asset to downtown, pay to park by customers will
keep people from going downtown. However that is accomplished.
Feb 20, 2015 11:23 AM
9 shared % between property owners & city Feb 19, 2015 6:06 AM
10 All of the above Feb 18, 2015 8:10 PM
11 meters would help pay costs Feb 18, 2015 1:29 PM
12 combination Feb 13, 2015 9:02 PM
13 Owners should provide space commensurate with their needs, but city should
provide areas to accomodate peak times, events, supplement business clusters
that don't have adequate space.
Feb 13, 2015 7:13 PM
14 ALL OF THE ABOVE Feb 13, 2015 4:47 PM
15 U collect a city tax in the sales tax.Feb 13, 2015 1:56 PM
16 Combination of tax dollars and business owners Feb 13, 2015 1:22 PM
17 I do not see that there is a parking problem to begin with.Feb 13, 2015 12:56 PM
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Page 19, Q19. Does the availability of parking influence your decision to visit downtown Georgetown?
1 Need more garage space Mar 2, 2015 11:07 AM
2 I don't go to festivals sometimes because of the parking hassle.Mar 1, 2015 9:05 PM
3 we have a family of 5 w/ young children. Not good to walk a long ways with the
kids
Mar 1, 2015 7:24 PM
4 I usually avoid downtown festvals.Mar 1, 2015 7:07 PM
5 If parking is not readily available downtown, I will find other merchants, etc.
where parking is readily available.
Feb 28, 2015 3:01 PM
6 on festival days -I really have to think aboutthe difficult parking Feb 28, 2015 8:56 AM
7 I may decide not to go downtown.Feb 28, 2015 6:26 AM
8 If it's tough to find a spot then I will find other options outside of downtown
Georgetown to go
Feb 28, 2015 5:04 AM
9 I will go to restaurants elsewhwere Feb 28, 2015 4:26 AM
10 Won't go if too crowded Feb 27, 2015 6:59 PM
11 One of the dumbest things I have ever seen was to remove the on-street parking
on Austin Avenue.
Feb 27, 2015 3:47 PM
12 If there is no convenient parking I will go elsewhere. There are plenty of other
options.
Feb 27, 2015 3:43 PM
13 As one ages, they develop mobility issues even if not handicapped Feb 27, 2015 3:40 PM
14 I often drive, look for parking, give up, and return home.Feb 27, 2015 2:30 PM
15 Don't attend Festivals anymore as it is impossible to find parking within
reasonable distance of events
Feb 27, 2015 2:25 PM
16 Old Georgetown cannot support proposed growth - No place to expand/improve
infrastructure
Feb 27, 2015 1:51 PM
17 If walkin Feb 27, 2015 1:16 PM
18 I would eat downtown more if parking were better, and believe that is the reason
additional restaurants have had trouble surviving. Wolf Creek, stand alone spots
on I-35 much easier to find parking.
Feb 27, 2015 7:55 AM
19 Only on very high density occasions such as Red Poppy Feb 26, 2015 2:43 AM
20 Get real on the last question. Parking during Stroll or Poppy Fest is f****no
impossible.
Feb 25, 2015 9:36 PM
21 If I couldnot easily find a spot I'd take my business else where. I don't want to
spent a lot of time driving around looking for parking.
Feb 25, 2015 8:43 PM
22 Uncertainty about parking availability is a deterrence to visiting downtown during Feb 24, 2015 10:21 AM
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Page 19, Q19. Does the availability of parking influence your decision to visit downtown Georgetown?
high use times
23 If I can't find a convenient place to park I won't go downtown.Feb 24, 2015 8:07 AM
24 I have 3 small children so I need parking within one to two blocks of where I am
going with easy sidewalk access
Feb 23, 2015 9:31 PM
25 I do not want to park in front of someones house in a tight street and have my
family walk 5 blocks away. I would rather stay home.
Feb 23, 2015 11:17 AM
26 If I trhink that parking is going to be inconvenient or difficult, I do not go
downtown.
Feb 23, 2015 7:35 AM
27 KEEPS US AWAY.Feb 22, 2015 9:55 AM
28 For major events, as parking is not good Feb 22, 2015 12:48 AM
29 For special events only Feb 21, 2015 4:42 PM
30 We are both handicapped Feb 21, 2015 10:22 AM
31 Too much of a hassle. Do not like having to spend a lot of time looking for a
parking spot.
Feb 21, 2015 9:49 AM
32 Only at times of big events...otherwise even on weekend evenings in the
summer it is still somewhat easy. However it is attracting more and more people
so it will become more difficult.
Feb 21, 2015 7:25 AM
33 Need more convient handicapp parking locations.Feb 21, 2015 5:34 AM
34 Just not enough spots to park. You need more Parking lots with lights and a
parking garage would help also
Feb 20, 2015 8:50 PM
35 I try NOT to go on the Square unless I have to - even if the restaurant I would
prefer is there - and I'm hesitant to go to festivals
Feb 20, 2015 3:32 PM
36 If you don't offer ample parking that is convenient, then patrons will take their $$
& business elsewhere.
Feb 20, 2015 3:15 PM
37 If I can't find a spot in one of the lots, I will leave downtown.Feb 20, 2015 2:53 PM
38 during special events it is really hard to find good parking so sometimes I don't
bother to come
Feb 20, 2015 2:36 PM
39 sometimes Feb 20, 2015 2:17 PM
40 Without parking available near the business/restaurant, I will not drive around
looking for a parking spot. I will go to a business/restaurant in Wolf Ranch or
some location that has ample parking available.
Feb 20, 2015 2:14 PM
41 I try to time my downtown visits to make parking as easy as possible...arrive
early for a lunch...have meetings at coffee shops/bakery during mid afternoon
less busy times...
Feb 20, 2015 1:12 PM
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Page 19, Q19. Does the availability of parking influence your decision to visit downtown Georgetown?
42 Can't find a parking spot, then we go home Feb 20, 2015 1:09 PM
43 If I canot park within 2 blocks I go elsewhere to spend my $$Feb 20, 2015 1:00 PM
44 Won't shop/visit if no parking!Feb 20, 2015 12:58 PM
45 but just for special events Feb 20, 2015 12:50 PM
46 If too difficult or too far to walk will tend to avoid Feb 20, 2015 12:48 PM
47 safety of parking in a lighted area Feb 20, 2015 12:36 PM
48 If a cannot park near the restaurant or retailer, I will not visit.Feb 20, 2015 12:33 PM
49 I tend to avoid weekends Feb 20, 2015 12:00 PM
50 We have skipped Red Poppy the last few years- too big of a pain to park. Would
have skipped Stroll if our kids weren't in the parade.
Feb 20, 2015 11:36 AM
51 I have skipped festivals when I had limited time (less than 3-4 hours) because of
parking
Feb 20, 2015 11:32 AM
52 If I drive around twice if there is no parking I go home or I go to another city or
part of town to go out for dinner or drinks
Feb 20, 2015 11:32 AM
53 Handi capped Feb 20, 2015 11:29 AM
54 Frequent visitors of the library - terrible parking. Always try to come at "non peak
times". Same with restaurants. Would visit more for shopping but parking is
limited. Library should have been built on outer loop with plenty of parking -
especially sufficient handicap parking and large spaces for SUV's, trucks, and
vans. Love Georgetown Square but frustrating with parking limitations. Love the
wide sidewalks that have been built - makes for easy walking, browsing and
shopping.
Feb 20, 2015 11:26 AM
55 I go some place else, Round Rock, Leander, Cedar Park, Evan Austin.Feb 20, 2015 11:22 AM
56 Not at present, but if it was a long distance ot walk I would not go Feb 20, 2015 11:06 AM
57 If I am unable to find a parking place on or near the square, I simply go
elsewhere.
Feb 20, 2015 6:55 AM
58 Go there often due to easy and inexpensive parking Feb 20, 2015 5:48 AM
59 for special events, terrible time finding a place, long walk of blocks, cars
squeezing past cars parked in streets
Feb 19, 2015 6:55 PM
60 If parking were difficult, I would reconsider my options. I would, for instance, go
and have dinner where I can easily find parking space.
Feb 19, 2015 2:41 PM
61 Usually during the Poppy Festival. End up walking as much as a mile to
downtown Square from where we park.
Feb 19, 2015 1:28 PM
62 i try to avoid going downtown on the second saturday of the month because of Feb 19, 2015 1:14 PM
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Page 19, Q19. Does the availability of parking influence your decision to visit downtown Georgetown?
the unavailibility of parking
63 If I can't find a suitable parking place, I leave and go elsewhere...Feb 19, 2015 10:24 AM
64 Can't get around the crowds and the the blocked-off streets.Feb 19, 2015 9:56 AM
65 If I think I will have to park blocks away and walk to the event, I am more likely
not to go OR I will make arrangements to attend first thing in the morning.
Feb 19, 2015 9:30 AM
66 No longer attend some events because could find no place even in residential &
returned home
Feb 19, 2015 9:14 AM
67 I have limited mobility - won't visit if parking not convenient.Feb 19, 2015 8:59 AM
68 Avoid going downtown during events on the square because of restricted
parking.
Feb 19, 2015 8:45 AM
69 The Festival and Special Event weekends are impossible for me to attend. It is
also difficult if one is going through town to another area location and forgets that
these events are occurring!
Feb 19, 2015 8:36 AM
70 If I can't park conveniently, why would I go downtown?Feb 19, 2015 8:01 AM
71 Wolf Ranch has easy parking so if downtown parking is sparse then shoppers
will be sparse. Downtown needs to decide if they want to be a destination eating
location or a multi-purpose shopping.
Feb 19, 2015 7:47 AM
72 parking at library is very difficult!! Parking spots in library lot are too narrow!!Feb 19, 2015 7:37 AM
73 I often do not attend downtown events because of the poor parking options.
Shuttles from the mall would be an option.
Feb 19, 2015 7:00 AM
74 If the weather is not good the number of blocks I have to walk to get to a festival,
for instance, may discourage me from attending.
Feb 19, 2015 6:48 AM
75 We often go to Round Rock or Austin instead.Feb 19, 2015 6:42 AM
76 I have post polio and cannot walk long distances.Feb 19, 2015 6:34 AM
77 I go with visitors, to appointments, or when I absolutely must. Otherwise I stay
away.
Feb 19, 2015 6:08 AM
78 when parking was eliminated in front of stores, I stopped going downtown Feb 19, 2015 6:00 AM
79 If I can't find a close place to park and walk to the shops, or have to drive around
and around to find one, I might not stop and shop.
Feb 19, 2015 6:00 AM
80 I don't go to festivals and other high traffic events.Feb 19, 2015 5:42 AM
81 Why go downtown where parking is hard to find at various times Feb 19, 2015 5:24 AM
82 During festivals or other special events we tend to avoid downtown, unless we're
somehow involved
Feb 19, 2015 4:51 AM
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Page 19, Q19. Does the availability of parking influence your decision to visit downtown Georgetown?
83 I don't visit Austin for much of anything because of crappy parking and
expensive parking
Feb 19, 2015 4:47 AM
84 We usually don't go to the event Feb 19, 2015 4:34 AM
85 sometimes we have decided not to visit downtown because of no easily available
parking. Many times we have thought how convenient it would be to have a
parking garage where the public parking lot is to the south of downtown!
Feb 19, 2015 3:43 AM
86 If Public Parking is not available near the square, I would probably not come
downtown as often as I do.
Feb 18, 2015 10:45 PM
87 only during festivals when it is far away because i can't walk very far easily and
the streets/sidewalks;curbs don't accommodate a walker very well.
Feb 18, 2015 10:45 PM
88 avoid festivals even though we would enjoy attending Feb 18, 2015 9:05 PM
89 I don't like to go to big festivals because parking is very difficult.Feb 18, 2015 9:04 PM
90 I try to avoid festivals and First Friday's Feb 18, 2015 8:54 PM
91 If not available, then we have to give the event up.Feb 18, 2015 8:32 PM
92 Difficult to find parking Feb 18, 2015 8:20 PM
93 I avoid all major events because of difficult parking problems Feb 18, 2015 8:18 PM
94 If too difficult prefer not to bother going to events particularly not at night or
during bad weather.
Feb 18, 2015 8:17 PM
95 I do not attend events or festivals because of parking Feb 18, 2015 8:12 PM
96 Don't want to drive around looking for parking then have to walk a long ways.
The spots ate too small snd trucks stick out on street way too far
Feb 18, 2015 8:04 PM
97 Do not like to continue to drive in circles to look for parking Feb 18, 2015 8:04 PM
98 hard to find, street parking usually not convenient, time limits Feb 18, 2015 7:58 PM
99 I hate worrying about not finding a spot that is in comfortable walking distance for
me
Feb 18, 2015 7:57 PM
100 I appreciate the free parking. It's one of the reasons Georgetown is special.Feb 18, 2015 7:54 PM
101 It is difficult to find untimed parking during evening and weekend hours so I feel
rushed and avoid downtown, but I really enjoy the area.
Feb 18, 2015 1:32 PM
102 Go less Feb 18, 2015 7:44 AM
103 If I spend more time looking for parking than I do going to a shop/appointment,
I'll either change the time or look for alternate choices elsewhere
Feb 17, 2015 8:58 PM
104 Have turned around and left when couldn't find parking for events Feb 17, 2015 7:21 PM
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Page 19, Q19. Does the availability of parking influence your decision to visit downtown Georgetown?
105 I would be much more likely to visit downtown more often if parking was easier
and it took less time to find a spot.
Feb 17, 2015 5:07 PM
106 I'd almost rather find something more convenient / comparable "in town" than
mess with traffic and finding parking spot downtown.
Feb 17, 2015 4:45 PM
107 Don't need the aggrivation & hassle of driving around hunting for a space & then
hoping to find your car later.
Feb 17, 2015 3:37 PM
108 Depends on weather, time I have to do things, physical well being, patience Feb 16, 2015 10:08 PM
109 Time of day - Is need that great - Would eat downtown more often Feb 16, 2015 7:14 AM
110 If it's too inconvenient, I'll choose to go elsewhere Feb 15, 2015 8:03 PM
111 handicap Feb 15, 2015 2:23 PM
112 No parking means I usually don't come downtown.Feb 15, 2015 1:35 PM
113 Only special events create such a mess that it keeps me away Feb 15, 2015 11:10 AM
114 Sometimes we bring the grandkids. Long walks are hard on all of us.Feb 15, 2015 5:04 AM
115 I wish to attend the events in downtown but I usually don't because there is no
parking.
Feb 14, 2015 9:32 PM
116 Time consuming sometimes. Major events is sometimes near impossible
particularly for older adults.
Feb 14, 2015 7:47 AM
117 sometimes, it is very frustrating so I will go somewhere where parking is easier.
I feel more wanted by the shops if I can park and not struggle. if I find a shop
owner downtown parking in front of their shop I will REFUSE to shop there cause
they obviously do not want me or care enough to make sure I can park in order
to shop with them!
Feb 14, 2015 6:38 AM
118 If I couldn't find a place to park downtown, we'd go elsewhere to eat/shop.Feb 14, 2015 5:50 AM
119 During festivals I try to arrive early to avoid the parking headache Feb 13, 2015 10:22 PM
120 I will avoid downtown during festivals because I cannot walk the distance to get a
space.
Feb 13, 2015 9:09 PM
121 We pick our times to visit to minimize experiencing parking shortfalls Feb 13, 2015 7:15 PM
122 Unable to walk much distance so don't attend events Feb 13, 2015 7:08 PM
123 If I can't find a convenient parking place I go somewhere else.Feb 13, 2015 6:33 PM
124 try not to go during big events Feb 13, 2015 6:08 PM
125 may decide not to stop if convenient parking is not available Feb 13, 2015 5:39 PM
126 sometimes. bigger event definitely Feb 13, 2015 5:13 PM
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Page 19, Q19. Does the availability of parking influence your decision to visit downtown Georgetown?
127 When hot Feb 13, 2015 5:13 PM
128 Only during festivald Feb 13, 2015 5:10 PM
129 Sometimes I won't attend festivals because of not finding a parking spot Feb 13, 2015 5:05 PM
130 ALL TOO OFTEN THIS YEAR I'VE ELECTED NOT TO GO TO AN EVENT
BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF PARKING.
Feb 13, 2015 4:49 PM
131 Having a "walkable" downtown is nice but most of us live well outside a walking
distance to downtown and being a senior citizen makes it even more difficult.
Feb 13, 2015 4:33 PM
132 Depending on the event, it could factor into our decision as to whether or not we
attend .
Feb 13, 2015 4:31 PM
133 I choose to go downtown when I think there will be enough parking. At events, I
am willing to park a little farther away. But sometimes I cannot find any parking
at all.
Feb 13, 2015 4:26 PM
134 I've not gone to events because of the challenge of parking.Feb 13, 2015 4:18 PM
135 I will frequent downtown more often as long as parking is available and free.Feb 13, 2015 4:17 PM
136 Sometimes there are times we cannot find a spot in the evenings near a
particular restaurant so we leave the downtown area.
Feb 13, 2015 4:17 PM
137 Square is easy. Courthouse annex/library side very inconvenient, so I don't go
there much.
Feb 13, 2015 4:15 PM
138 Inadequate parking convenient to shops and restaruants and increased traffic
congestion.
Feb 13, 2015 4:10 PM
139 If I can't easily park downtown, I can't visit downtown.Feb 13, 2015 3:39 PM
140 Shopping more in Cedar Park, Liberty Hill, Round Rock (Hassle Factor)Feb 13, 2015 2:45 PM
141 Sometimes Feb 13, 2015 2:23 PM
142 If it gets unmanageable and not cost effective. Also I don't want to pay higher
taxes for workers availability to park.
Feb 13, 2015 1:59 PM
143 I visit BECAUSE it is easy and free to park. It makes Georgetown very attractive.Feb 13, 2015 1:42 PM
144 There have been times when we intended to dine downtown but found no
parking and went elsewhere.
Feb 13, 2015 1:41 PM
145 During large events I usually go very early if possible or avoid them.Feb 13, 2015 1:39 PM
146 I only go when I have to but I wish I could go more often and I would if I didn't
feel pArking was so hard!!!
Feb 13, 2015 1:23 PM
147 I don't like the hassle of finding one of a few spaces that may or may not be
reasonable to use because of others poorly parked.
Feb 13, 2015 1:22 PM
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Page 19, Q19. Does the availability of parking influence your decision to visit downtown Georgetown?
148 I do not go to some things that I would like to attend because of parking Feb 13, 2015 1:21 PM
149 I answered yes, but what really deters me on event weekends are the crowds.
Too many people, then parking eliminated where I prefer to park.
Feb 13, 2015 1:19 PM
150 Don't go if I think it will be overly busy Feb 13, 2015 1:18 PM
151 Usually avoid downtown altogether, unless absolute necessary....because of
parking
Feb 13, 2015 1:11 PM
152 Walking 8 blocks through a residential neighborhood is unacceptable.Feb 13, 2015 1:09 PM
153 why bother Feb 13, 2015 1:08 PM
154 I do not like having to drive around to find parking. I have sometimes just left
because of parking difficulties.
Feb 13, 2015 12:59 PM
155 We sometimes decide not to go downtown during special events bc herding the
family (kids, paraphernalia) is a pain when we have to park so far away
Feb 13, 2015 12:55 PM
156 time of day Feb 13, 2015 12:55 PM
157 Sometimes we skip events Feb 13, 2015 12:45 PM
158 i like to park near where i am going Feb 13, 2015 12:41 PM
159 if i expect it to be bust i wont go Feb 13, 2015 12:11 PM
160 Parking is doable, but if it wasn't, I wouldn't go.Feb 13, 2015 12:06 PM
161 I have two small children that walk with me and physical issues that will deter me
from visiting any place that I have to walk great distances for. I will just go
elsewhere.
Feb 13, 2015 11:43 AM
162 Can't find parking during festivals.Feb 13, 2015 11:35 AM
163 During special events (Red Poppy, Christmas Stroll, etc) diffululty parking is a
deterrent to my attending
Feb 13, 2015 9:44 AM
164 Parking would be less of an issue if Georgetown had a public mass transit
system (buses). Park and ride lots could be established further out from
downtown to reduce close in parking needs.
Feb 13, 2015 9:39 AM
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Page 20, Q20. Thank You! Please provide any suggestions you may have to improve parking in downtown
Georgetown.
1 There is a lot of space near the Library.Mar 2, 2015 11:07 AM
2 Free shuttles during events. Lots of place to park farther away. GHS. recreation
center. Walmart. Wolf ranch.
Mar 1, 2015 7:28 PM
3 Have downtown employees park off site, and keep parking for visiting/paying
customers.
Feb 28, 2015 8:28 PM
4 double deck the city surface parking -parking garage on land in front to Library -
merchants need to be able to park all day & not in front of their business so
customers can get in-shuttles from large parking areas on festival weekends-
Feb 28, 2015 8:58 AM
5 A multi-level parking garage.Feb 28, 2015 6:26 AM
6 Need more close by parking lots.Feb 27, 2015 7:00 PM
7 The City needs more parking on the west side of the square, especially at the
library!
Feb 27, 2015 4:13 PM
8 Put the parking back on Austin Avenue. Build a parking garage within one block
of the square. If you put in a parking garage more than one block from the
square it will be useless.
Feb 27, 2015 3:48 PM
9 We need a parking garage near the square. My first preference would be across
from the Williamson County tax office, near THUNDERCLOUD SUBS. The idea
of more parking down around the library is stupid -- us senior citizens would
have to walk too far and it would be uphill. I would never use it and I would
oppose building it.
Feb 27, 2015 3:45 PM
10 There is space available for a parking garage near the library.Feb 27, 2015 2:30 PM
11 Using a combination of City Tax funds for initial build plus moderate parking
fees, I believe a parking garage(s) should be build on/near the Square that
blends in with the existing architecture of the Square area. During high volume
usage periods, customers should not have to drive around looking for a place to
park and/or having to walk long distances to get to the Square.
Feb 27, 2015 2:28 PM
12 The city should build a parking garage on some current parking lot, such as the
one across the street from the old Grace church. Rates should encourage
longer-term parkers (perhaps through mag-strip cards) to park there, freeing up
spaces for shoppers, diners and other casual visitors.
Feb 27, 2015 2:20 PM
13 Stop the growth.Feb 27, 2015 1:51 PM
14 Communicate to residents via community impact or email Feb 27, 2015 1:17 PM
15 We need to develop parking -- a garage, perhaps -- down 8th St. in the library
vicinity.
Feb 27, 2015 8:42 AM
16 Better marking/pr on what are free lots, county parking, city parking, etc., might
help and not cost a lot of money.
Feb 27, 2015 7:55 AM
17 Remember ... Visitor to downtown are very important! Please do NOT install Feb 27, 2015 7:29 AM
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Page 20, Q20. Thank You! Please provide any suggestions you may have to improve parking in downtown
Georgetown.
parking meters as they tend to suggest visitors are NOT welcome unless they
pay to be welcomed. The downtown businesses and offices workers are what
keeps a downtown alive. Without them the downtown will die. Parking is a big
park of keeping people visiting and using the downtown. If you need an example
of a prosperous downtown, check out Missoula, MT.
18 It might be time to think about a second story at Main and 9th Feb 26, 2015 2:47 AM
19 Pave and light lots on MLK and provide sidewalks to downtown, and maybe
merchant - funded troll on weekends.
Feb 25, 2015 9:38 PM
20 Move away from surface parking lots. They are a tremendous waste of space.
As a user of parking lots, I am willing, able and expected to pay for parking in a
garage. I's high time to be rid of the notion that somehow parking should be free.
Walking should be free, as should locking a bicycle. Time to think density and a
nudging away from car culture.
Feb 25, 2015 6:49 PM
21 Downtown needs at least 2-3 multi-story parking garages to accommodate surge
attendance and encourage more activity in and around downtown.
Feb 24, 2015 10:23 AM
22 Can't think of anything. I just go there when it isn't busy. Busy times are too
hard.
Feb 24, 2015 8:08 AM
23 thank you for getting community input Feb 23, 2015 9:32 PM
24 I have suggested before that the City should build a parking garage on the
existing parking lot (1 block South of the square). That way many more cars
could be parked closer to the square and it would be less inconvenience for
people and the City to handle such a broad area of parking issues that occur
during Poppy Festival and all the other events that we have. The City could pay
for the project with tax payer funds and charge a small fee for parking in it and
that money could go back to the general fund. I'm a City of Georgetown tax
payer and I wouldn't mind help funding something that will give back to a very
important part of the City's traditions of having multiple events downtown. I would
also leave an area available for some larger trucks/trailers to park during events
to accommodate the space they need. I would leave the square and the
surrounding parking areas free as long as possible. I know many people that say
they will come to the square to shop, attend events or just walk around because
the parking is free. Adding the parking garage will not turn people away, because
if they see that something big is happening and they can park one block away,
they will most likely not mind paying a few bucks or so.
Feb 23, 2015 11:32 AM
25 I think we need a parking garage. It is okay to charge to park in it.Feb 23, 2015 7:36 AM
26 Keep the open public parking lots. If you can find some empty space -- build
another street-level open parking lot -- even if you have to charge for parking.
Do not build a parking ramp downtown. I have a lot of experience using parking
ramps. Most parking ramps are confusing to navigate and you end up walking
farther through the ramp, down the stairs, and around the building...than if you
had parked on the street. Parking ramps are an eyesore, dirty, and attract crime.
Senior citizens prefer not to park in ramps for the above reasons. Any
Georgetown city staff and local merchants that are responsible for making
Feb 23, 2015 6:27 AM
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Page 20, Q20. Thank You! Please provide any suggestions you may have to improve parking in downtown
Georgetown.
parking decisions for downtown Georgetown, should travel to Austin and try
parking in various ramps. Time how long it takes to navigate in the ramp, park,
and get out of the ramp on foot to a nearby attraction. Evaluate how attractive
and pleasant is the ramp experience. THEN decide if a parking ramp is a quality
addition to downtown Georgetown.
27 If you do not get a good response from this survey, please consider placing hard
copies for patrons in business. It is important that a wide variety of response are
received for an accurate assessment on public opinion with regard to downtown
parking. Please do not consider parking meters on the square. This will greatly
reduce the small town atmosphere.
Feb 22, 2015 12:20 PM
28 Theater parking takes up too much public space when there is a performance.
Hard to find parking for dinner at local establishments.
Feb 22, 2015 12:49 AM
29 Having low cost parking within the Square and adjoining streets would not stop
me from visiting the downtown area. Low cost, like $.25 per hour and only
between 10 AM and 4 PM Mon - Sat would not be a burden. Free parking could
be given on certain big shopping days, holidays and during events/festivals. It
doesn't bother me to pay for parking in downtown Austin, but I do believe their
parking fees are high and certainly too high for Georgetown.
Feb 21, 2015 8:46 PM
30 Areas of public parking should be better marked so visitors can locate public
parking lots.
Feb 21, 2015 9:16 AM
31 One multilevel garage on Main Street where the parking lot is today would solve
a lot of parking issues for years to come.
Feb 21, 2015 7:49 AM
32 The diagonal parking around downtown is very efficient. Public parking lot by
Main and 9th is good. Enforce disabled drivers. So often I see these spaces
unoccupied or taken by people that walk as well as anyone.....there is abuse in
this which is unfair to others. Perhaps at peak times more parking along the side
streets surrounding the square.....pros and cons with this for safety and home
owners but consider.....please don't consider parking meters or pay to
park.....Georgetown is spectacular and this will just ruin it.
Feb 21, 2015 7:36 AM
33 Build more lots with lights . Your new security is not doing the job .Feb 20, 2015 8:51 PM
34 Please be careful in considering building a parking ramp in downtown
Georgetown. I have lived previously in a city(Iowa City, IA) with 4 downtown
parking ramps, with more being built. Our family stopped visiting downtown
because the only available parking was in parking ramps with expensive hourly
fees. The parking ramps were filthy and frequented by homeless persons &
criminals. The parking ramps became a blight on the downtown atmosphere, and
we don't want to see this happen in Georgetown!!!
Feb 20, 2015 4:19 PM
35 If downtown attracts the new and better shops and restaurants that it wants, the
parking situation will surely get tighter more often.
Feb 20, 2015 3:27 PM
36 Why were the parking spaces removed on Austin Avenue, across from the
courthouse and in front of businesses? Bad decision because those spaces
were valuable to patrons of restaurants, The Palace Theater and the courthouse.
Feb 20, 2015 3:17 PM
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Page 20, Q20. Thank You! Please provide any suggestions you may have to improve parking in downtown
Georgetown.
37 More free lots!!!!!!!Feb 20, 2015 2:54 PM
38 more open parking lots instead of looking for parking on side streets away from
the square
Feb 20, 2015 2:37 PM
39 The downtown area has been revitalized, but with the surge of people visiting,
more parking is necessary. Without good/convenient parking, the downtown are
will "die" again because visitors will opt to areas that have ample parking in the
outlining parts of Georgetown. Even Round Rock had this same parking
problems 15 to 20 years ago, but did something about the problem.
Feb 20, 2015 2:19 PM
40 Enforce the parking time limits...in the past too many employees/ owners park at
on street parking ... not smart. Build a parking structure and perhaps shuttle
service to take visitors back and forth especially with new convention center
coming on line ...
Feb 20, 2015 1:14 PM
41 Definitely need more parking spots, but I don't know how to resolve the issue.Feb 20, 2015 1:09 PM
42 The 3 hour parking needs to be done away with. That is ridiculous to rush me
when I am shopping/eating etc. I have seen tourist come in and even make
comments that we are only welcome here for 3 hours or they will give us a ticket.
Way to go City of Gtown. That's what we want to be known as. Seriously get rid
of it.
Feb 20, 2015 1:02 PM
43 Invest in "MORE PARKING THIS WAY" signs that can be placed strategically
around downtown
Feb 20, 2015 12:55 PM
44 I am in favor of a large public parking garage, under or above ground, very near
the square.
Feb 20, 2015 12:34 PM
45 I don't have any suggestions for improvement but I do have a comment. My
husband plays in a band. When the band members come to set up, it is hard to
find a place to park to unload their equipment. A designated place to unload
during special events would be helpful. We sometimes have to double park while
unloading. We do not mind unloading in one place then park and walk back in
another.
Feb 20, 2015 12:27 PM
46 Convince store owners and employees who work downtown to park somewhere
other than in front of their businesses.
Feb 20, 2015 12:13 PM
47 Large trucks make parking and driving down town very difficult. You can't see
around them to back out of a parking space and they extend into the street when
parked making driving difficult.
Feb 20, 2015 12:01 PM
48 Try to include angled parking vs paralleled parking Feb 20, 2015 11:57 AM
49 Educate the public concerning parking availability.Feb 20, 2015 11:50 AM
50 Would like to see the streets immediately surrounding the Courthouse blocked
off and made a pedestrian only area. Take a look at Fort Worth for example and
what a difference in downtown foot traffic. Sundance Square has added
significantly to commerce for downtown Fort Worth.
Feb 20, 2015 11:48 AM
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Page 20, Q20. Thank You! Please provide any suggestions you may have to improve parking in downtown
Georgetown.
51 Offsite parking at the old Albertson's lot, or somewhere else close by with a
shuttle to festivals would be nice. The parking at Christmas Stroll is made worse
by street shutdowns for the parade. Parking is such a nightmare during festivals I
can't believe anyone goes to them at all anymore. Parking at lunch time is
sometimes a problem, so we don't lunch on the square as often as we would
like. Need more parking like the big lot down by the library.
Feb 20, 2015 11:38 AM
52 Better signage on public lots, opening private lots at night/weekends, incentives
for businesses to welcome public parking on nights/weekends, shuttle service
between off-square garages or lots and downtown.
Feb 20, 2015 11:34 AM
53 Parking garage perhaps close to the library. Close enough for shopping on the
square and convenient for library patrons. Eliminate street parking on Austin
Avenue and continue with the wide sidewalks - so attractive and encourages an
easy walking environment. Safe for all ages. Shouldn't be trying to get into
driver side of car on Austin Avenue - very dangerous with traffic and the door of
the car opening. Yesterday a parent had the front door open and the back door
open trying to unbuckle a small child....very dangerous.
Feb 20, 2015 11:30 AM
54 Might need more in the future. The current parking lots are kept beautiful, great
landscaping and clean. Like parking in a park. Free is good for business
downtown and I don't mind tax dollars spent on landscaped lots. Good job so
far.
Feb 20, 2015 11:26 AM
55 Right now parking is fine because there isn't a lot of activity during the evenings.
I would LOVE more restaurants and bars in the downtown area, so it would be
nice to have parking planned for these additions. I do love the free parking lots
though, I think that could be a definate advantage compared to other cities, but
probably need a time limit if it remains free.
Feb 20, 2015 11:18 AM
56 shuttles during the festivals?Feb 20, 2015 11:07 AM
57 Golf car rides from parking lots would be nice for special events and even major
shopping days such as those around holidays and special downtown events.
Consideration might be given to making the streets all one way around the
square which might help traffic flow. Also, left turn lights would be a great
improvement in the downtown area.
Feb 20, 2015 7:00 AM
58 Love downtown...maybe some pay to park lot option Feb 19, 2015 6:56 PM
59 Perhaps limiting the parking to two hours instead of three as well as monitoring
the parking so that there is more turnover in the parking spaces.
Feb 19, 2015 1:15 PM
60 I love the large open lots; especially the large lots on Main St. across from the
Property Assessors Office. I would not want to see a large, multi-level parking
garage built in the downtown area.
Feb 19, 2015 12:55 PM
61 I have an electric car but there are always people parked in the designated
places who do not have one. I think they should get a ticket and you should
enforce the use of the electric meters.
Feb 19, 2015 12:06 PM
62 Not surde why on street parling along Austin Ave Town Squace Block was Feb 19, 2015 10:42 AM
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Page 20, Q20. Thank You! Please provide any suggestions you may have to improve parking in downtown
Georgetown.
eliminated
63 Build a multi-level garage.Feb 19, 2015 9:57 AM
64 I love downtown Georgetown and want accessibility to the attractions to be
easier. It is only going to grow faster with more and more visitors, so I think a
low rise parking garage should be constructed west of downtown - no more than
a block off Austin Ave. Parking should be free, especially for big event
attractions. If a fee is to be paid, there should be the 3 hour free parking that
currently exists on street.
Feb 19, 2015 9:34 AM
65 Public parking garage. Large pickups should have designated streets or areas
for diagonal parking. On many of the streets, the parked trucks extend far into
the driving lanes making it difficult for a moving vehicle to stay in proper lane.
Must drive across center line to avoid hitting a truck which in turn may cause
vehicle to hit an opposing vehicle. Widening sidewalks has been detrimental to
the width of driving lanes. Downtown workers should park in remote lots if retail
and restaurants want customers.
Feb 19, 2015 9:26 AM
66 Library needs more spaces.Feb 19, 2015 9:18 AM
67 1. additional handicap street/public lot parking, 2. improved shuttle service from
remote lots with handicap access, and 3. additional close-in parking; ie: parking
decks
Feb 19, 2015 8:53 AM
68 Love Georgetown. Value it's "old Texas town" aspect. Know it wants to grow as
a destination. Only concern is perhaps traffic management during events as
opposed to parking issues. It was quite a while ago when we did try to attend
one of the events. The traffic jam was so bad that we have not tried again.
People get frustrated and angry in the middle of trying to get around, which is
never a good thing. Try satellite parking with buses to event (if you have not
done so).
Feb 19, 2015 8:42 AM
69 I have no specific ideas.Feb 19, 2015 7:51 AM
70 If we wish to be a friendly city we must remove the three hour parking limit but
yet prevent the Courthouse workers from utilizing many of the choice parking
spaces. I suggest we use a system similar to Galveston's that charges for
parking but not with parking meters.
Feb 19, 2015 7:32 AM
71 I actually ride my bike downtown just as much as driving. Please continue to look
for more alternative transportation options too.
Feb 19, 2015 7:25 AM
72 Overall, I (and my family) think the parking situation is very good in downtown.
We normally find street parking and if not, we use the public lot which is in a
convenient location. We attend all the festivals and know that we may need to
park farther out and walk in. No problems. As long as personal safety is not an
issue, we don't mind walking the extra distance during events.
Feb 19, 2015 7:17 AM
73 Special events should have shuttle options coming in from 1) the mall, 2) GHS,
3) the old elementary school on Williams. Advertise it, have it free.
Feb 19, 2015 7:04 AM
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37 of 41
Page 20, Q20. Thank You! Please provide any suggestions you may have to improve parking in downtown
Georgetown.
74 Some multi-level parking garage(s) are needed.Feb 19, 2015 6:43 AM
75 Build a 2 to 3 story parking garage within a block or two of the square. Charge a
reasonable fee for using the facility. Use that money to pay for the garage. You
don't need another "consultant" to tell you that you need parking downtown.
We've been telling you for years that Georgetown needs parking downtown!
Georgetown is about to choke on its success, similar to what happened in
Sacramento CA's Old Town district and Folsom CA's historical Main Street
district on the riverfront. Act now.
Feb 19, 2015 6:38 AM
76 City/county should build additional parking lots or garages.Feb 19, 2015 6:14 AM
77 Provide mass transit from outside areas like Sun City!Feb 19, 2015 6:09 AM
78 clear signage for use of bank parking - 3 hr limit inforced -Feb 19, 2015 6:09 AM
79 Keep the head-in parking...I can't parallel park. I can usually find a head-in spot
on the Square pretty quickly and park there since I usually don't stay over 2-3
hours. I like the shuttles when the festivals are going on.
Feb 19, 2015 6:02 AM
80 Fix and maintain sidewalks all around downtown so when parking situation
requires farther walking that it is safe, easy, attractive and available without
having to stumble all over yourself, dodge debris, etc. In all new construction
require wide sidewalks along the street - everywhere in town, everywhere.
Feb 19, 2015 4:49 AM
81 Build a parking garage or garages!!!!!!Feb 19, 2015 3:44 AM
82 Build parking garages so that more cars can park on the same ground area of a
lot.
Feb 19, 2015 3:40 AM
83 Many of us are over 65 and have walking difficulties. So a parking facility too far
away would be a problem. Expanding (upward) the current free parking would
be expensive and would not help those of us heading to the Palace & Wildfire..
You have such limited space I cannot envision where you might be considering a
parking facility. As downtown now exists I think the biggest problem is festivals &
parking. Have you considered off site parking and shuttle service. Would that
be more cost effective?
Feb 19, 2015 3:21 AM
84 Quit tearing up the streets ...Feb 19, 2015 12:26 AM
85 i love the curbside parking and usually am able to find SOMETHING except
during festivals when it is shut down. It is hard for one of us to walk for more than
a block without a spot to sit down so offsite parking is not workable. I don't have
ideas though unfortunately
Feb 18, 2015 10:48 PM
86 I really don't have a problem finding public parking close to the square. Only
during festivals when streets are blocked have I had difficulty -- and now I
normally avoid downtown during that time.
Feb 18, 2015 10:47 PM
87 I think downtown parking is a non-problem.Feb 18, 2015 9:54 PM
88 It's a puzzle to me.Feb 18, 2015 9:05 PM
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38 of 41
Page 20, Q20. Thank You! Please provide any suggestions you may have to improve parking in downtown
Georgetown.
89 I would favor construction of parking garages that look like the historic buildings
and have shops, restaurants, etc. on the first floor or front of the building. Cost
of construction and maintenance could be off set by rental of the retail space in
the building.
Feb 18, 2015 8:57 PM
90 None Feb 18, 2015 8:32 PM
91 Build a garage one block west of Austin Ave.Feb 18, 2015 8:18 PM
92 We really appreciate the free parking. What a great asset to the City of
Georgetown. Great forward thinking. And your electric recharging for autos is
REALLY forward thinking. We moved recently from Houston so we really
appreciate your efforts!!!!
Feb 18, 2015 8:03 PM
93 I'm not sure where the parking garage is in relation to the square. Maybe
signage to off street parking needs to be improved. An interactive map added to
the Georgetown app. I would be willing to pay for parking if it was convenient.
Don't know if the lot that was closed for so long is now open.
Feb 18, 2015 8:01 PM
94 Why hasn't the vacant 7-11 building located on Main/University (across from Dos
Salsas) been torn down and made into a public parking lot? This is currently
wasted valuable space that would make for a perfect public parking lot. This
would help parking issues at Dos Salsas and during Red Poppy, Christmas
stroll, etc. This is an eye sore to our beautiful downtown area and needs a
solution, in which I feel parking makes the best logical solution. I am a native
(born and raised) Georgetown resident and would love to see this happen.
Feb 18, 2015 1:40 PM
95 There needs to be plans at some point for small buses to get people around as
we grow. Something like what the airport has to and from your vehicle. Now this
could be purchased as a monthly ticket or as-you-need-it depending on your use
downtown. With the layout of the town, there will have to be parking on the
outskirts where this would come in handily. Rain, cold, bad weather doesn't help
when you have to walk 2,3 or 5 blocks to your vehicle.
Feb 17, 2015 9:01 PM
96 Signage!Feb 17, 2015 3:37 PM
97 Enforce parking limits and provide more signage to city parking lots.Feb 16, 2015 2:31 PM
98 I like the shuttle service option when there are large events going on so please
do not take that away. There does need to be more parking in/around downtown
but I have no suggestions as to where.
Feb 16, 2015 9:47 AM
99 I understand there is parking concerns but as a fit adult without small children I
do not mind walking to get to various stores. However I do understand there are
older, less ambulatory individuals or young moms with strollers that will not feel
the same. It would be nice to put parking garages just 1-2 blocks from the core
area so those two groups would not have to walk too far. We would need to have
that type of parking on all sides of the courthouse not more than a couple of
blocks from core area. Not sure if that's possible.
Feb 16, 2015 7:19 AM
100 Need no more than 3 level garage (ground - middle - uncovered top floor) - to
keep cost and height down. The corner of 9th & Main would be an excellent
Feb 16, 2015 7:16 AM
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Page 20, Q20. Thank You! Please provide any suggestions you may have to improve parking in downtown
Georgetown.
location!
101 Do away with the 3 hour limit.Feb 16, 2015 7:02 AM
102 Multiple parking garages would help.Feb 15, 2015 5:06 AM
103 provide traffic free zones Feb 14, 2015 2:27 PM
104 Additional parking will be helpful. Business employee parking needs to be
monitored. Thanks for studying this need for downtown.
Feb 14, 2015 7:49 AM
105 Enforce the parking law! Business owners THINK about your customers. Park
in the public lot and MAKE sure your employees are too. You want customers
then give us spaces to park in! After all if we can't park to shop then you do not
make money. Think about it.
Feb 14, 2015 6:43 AM
106 I like the electric vehicle charging stations. While I don't currently own an electric
vehicle, these make me more interested in getting one. Like recycling, the
charging spots seem like a progressive and responsible service for the city to
provide in the interest of cleaner air, less dependence on oil, etc.
Feb 14, 2015 5:52 AM
107 Parking garage in the empty lot across from the library.Feb 13, 2015 10:23 PM
108 During festivals turn more of the spaces to handicapped.Feb 13, 2015 9:11 PM
109 We have season tickets to the Palace Theater. We park in the Bank parking lot
when attending on Friday or Saturday night. It becomes much more difficult
when there is an event on the Square. For example, the live music during the
summer.
Feb 13, 2015 7:55 PM
110 Keep it free. The downtown is truly a bright spot of Georgetown. Don't spoil it
by over crowding and making parking a hassle and expense. I'd rather spend
money with the businesses I visit. We used to love going to Austin, but don't do
that anymore because everything is an additional/variable charge.
Feb 13, 2015 7:18 PM
111 Please do not remove more parking spots like was done on the west side of the
Square....
Feb 13, 2015 6:42 PM
112 Doing a good job. Keep it free and accessible please.Feb 13, 2015 5:40 PM
113 I would be okay with all street parking being handicapped. I think as a
community we should embrace walking a few blocks as part of a healthy lifestyle
Feb 13, 2015 5:12 PM
114 Get rid of the parallel parking by the Palace Theater. It's very dangerous passing
parked cars so closely when travelling in the right side lane going south on
Austin Ave.
Feb 13, 2015 5:07 PM
115 Parking meters on the Square would be helpful. MORE off street
lots...especially around the library. Multi-story parking garage close to the
Square.
Feb 13, 2015 4:51 PM
116 Make the streets in the immediate downtown area one way with angled parking.
Some of the longtime citizens might not like it but I've been here 40 years and I
Feb 13, 2015 4:35 PM
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Page 20, Q20. Thank You! Please provide any suggestions you may have to improve parking in downtown
Georgetown.
would have no problem with it.
117 I believe off square public parking is a viable option and I like the idea of having
the parking lot be multi user pay parking facitlites that also contain commercial
outlets/shops, etc as part of the ground floor of the multi story parking facility.
These facilities really look good and fit in with the theme of the downtown area.
Feb 13, 2015 4:34 PM
118 Why have we not fixed the many level parking garage that was built, but not
made available because of structural issues? I think a close parking garage of
many levels would be perfect for the downtown area.
Feb 13, 2015 4:27 PM
119 Having available, free parking is just one of the perks that tax payers should
have in order to frequent the downtown businesses and events.
Feb 13, 2015 4:18 PM
120 Providing city parking lots with easy access to the downtown area is essential to
keeping residents willing to patronize local businesses. Parking on Austin or
Main streets creates congestion. City should look for alternatives for these two
areas.
Feb 13, 2015 4:15 PM
121 During Christmas I could not find a place to park and went to the public lot
across or east of the license bureau, and about one third was roped for dodge
and a gentleman told me to move on. It seemed strange that a company would
be granted such a privilege and a tax paying citizen could not park there.
Feb 13, 2015 3:26 PM
122 Parking, traffic congestion etc. impact the downtown. Personally, the only
reason that would overcome that would be one store (Diva) and most importantly
better food. La Monumento is consistently good; Wildfire is OK, but not as good
of "Prep" as it use to be. A lot of "average" eating and the surrounding areas are
providing better variety and "worth a shot" quality. I personally think the growth
will ultimately kill the downtown area without some irresistible shops. Will take
both parking and desire to succeed long term.
Feb 13, 2015 2:52 PM
123 If you decide to build please find a construction company with a excellent history
of building skills.
Feb 13, 2015 2:24 PM
124 I haven't had any problems getting a space in front of the business I'm
frequenting. Parking should focus on paying customers frequenting businesses.
I don't shop in downtown Austin for a reason. Horrible parking.
Feb 13, 2015 2:01 PM
125 The block on 8th street, just east Of Main, is a bottle neck when trucks and
longer vehicles are parked on both sides. Very difficult for cars going in opposite
directions to pass each other.
Feb 13, 2015 1:45 PM
126 I really enjoy the public lots and use them often. Could we have more of these?Feb 13, 2015 1:41 PM
127 Lots for larger vehicles is needed.Feb 13, 2015 1:33 PM
128 I am aware that people think there is a parking problem because they have to
park in a spot other than right in front of where they want to go. They do not
realize that they park farther away when they are visiting WalMart or Target than
when they are getting a coffee in downtown. I usually park away from the square
so that others can park there - those that need closer access. I would love to see
Feb 13, 2015 1:26 PM
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Page 20, Q20. Thank You! Please provide any suggestions you may have to improve parking in downtown
Georgetown.
more public lots and I believe we will be getting more down by the library.
129 need parking garages, not just lots Feb 13, 2015 1:21 PM
130 Need more disabled parking. Some how you need a new parking garage, but
where is the question. Needs to be very central.
Feb 13, 2015 1:21 PM
131 Yes, get the construction and maintenance repairs done more quickly. 9th street
has been a mess for over a year!
Feb 13, 2015 1:20 PM
132 I am fine with the current set-up. I don't think we need more parking lots. I would,
however, like to see more parking along the street. Seems like there are no
parking signs everywhere on residential streets.
Feb 13, 2015 1:19 PM
133 Build a garage nearby and rent out the ground floor.Feb 13, 2015 1:10 PM
134 need more of a reason to go DT in the first place Feb 13, 2015 1:09 PM
135 I am downtown very frequently and never have a problem finding a parking spot.
Move on to something else.
Feb 13, 2015 12:57 PM
136 An actual parking structure like the one in Round Rock near main street would
be fabulous. Possily in the lot that has parking caddy-corner to where the fire
station used to be and a/c from the utility office
Feb 13, 2015 12:56 PM
137 The shuttles are a good idea for festival times Feb 13, 2015 12:46 PM
138 Let a business buy the Albertsons building and pay taxes, use that and other city
money to build parking garage or parking solution
Feb 13, 2015 12:12 PM
139 We all enjoy downtown, but when it takes 20 minutes just to find a parking spot
to pick up a to-go order at a restaurant then things are getting out of hand.
Employee & "Long-term" (over 2 hours?) parking lots might be a good idea and
maps of dedicated parkings lots should be available online for special events,
such as Red Poppy Festival. If they already are they have not been well-
advertised as I have gone to look for them and haven't been successful.
Feb 13, 2015 11:50 AM
140 Build a parking garage near the library.Feb 13, 2015 11:35 AM
141 Avoid barricading so many streets in the vicinity of the square and making
parking unavailable on nearly every street in that area.
Feb 13, 2015 9:45 AM
142 I feel like this really isn't that big of an issue except for big events. I rarely have
an issue finding parking downtown and am there several times a week at various
times of day. I'm willing to drive the block a few times, just don't make me drive
and find parking IN Austin!
Feb 13, 2015 9:41 AM
143 Hurry, this place is growing and we need our tourists and visitors to be happy!Feb 13, 2015 7:52 AM
Page 111 of 154
1 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
Business Owner Survey Summary Report
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1 of 18
Downtown Georgetown Parking Survey
1. Please describe yourself:
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Female 49.0%24
Male 51.0%25
answered question 49
skipped question 1
2. Please indicate which best describes your age group:
Response
Percent
Response
Count
17 or Under 0.0%0
18 - 24 0.0%0
25 - 34 10.2%5
35 - 44 18.4%9
45 - 54 30.6%15
55 - 64 22.4%11
65 or Older 18.4%9
answered question 49
skipped question 1
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2 of 18
3. Please indicate your postal zip code.
Response
Percent
Response
Count
78626 61.2%30
78628 24.5%12
78633 8.2%4
Other (please fill in your zip code)
6.1%3
answered question 49
skipped question 1
4. Please check the category below that best describes your interest in downtown
Georgetown.
Response
Percent
Response
Count
I am a Visitor/Customer 0.0%0
I live Downtown 0.0%0
I own a Business/Property 100.0%50
I work Downtown 0.0%0
Other (explain) 0.0%0
answered question 50
skipped question 0
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3 of 18
5. Typically, what is your main purpose for visiting downtown Georgetown? (Check all that
apply)
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Shopping 34.0%17
Personal Services (Salon/Spa)18.0%9
Attorney/CPA/Insurance/Finance 10.0%5
I work Downtown 74.0%37
Restaurants 50.0%25
City/Government 18.0%9
Doctor/Dentist 2.0%1
Parks/Recreation Facilities 14.0%7
Bars/Entertainment 28.0%14
Public Library 34.0%17
Festival/Special Event 42.0%21
Other (explain)
10.0%5
answered question 50
skipped question 0
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4 of 18
6. How often do you visit downtown Georgetown?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Daily (5 times per week)78.0%39
Infrequently (a few times per
month)
2.0%1
Frequently (1-4 times per week)18.0%9
Not often (a few times per year)2.0%1
answered question 50
skipped question 0
7. How important is parking as it relates to your decision to visit downtown Georgetown?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Parking does not impact my
decision to visit downtown
32.0%16
Parking is somewhat important in
my decision to visit downtown
16.0%8
Parking is very important in my
decision to visit downtown
46.0%23
I avoid going downtown because of
the parking
6.0%3
answered question 50
skipped question 0
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5 of 18
8. If you drive to visit downtown, where do you prefer to park?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
On-Street 59.2%29
Off-Street Public Lot 22.4%11
Private Lot 10.2%5
Other (please explain)
8.2%4
answered question 49
skipped question 1
9. What is the length of stay during your typical visit to downtown?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Less than one hour 4.1%2
Four to six hours 14.3%7
One to two hours 14.3%7
Six to eight hours 28.6%14
Two to four hours 24.5%12
Greater than eight hours 14.3%7
answered question 49
skipped question 1
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6 of 18
10. What distance is acceptable to you for walking to your destination from where you
park?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Less than one block 28.6%14
One to two blocks 51.0%25
Two to three blocks 14.3%7
Three blocks or more 6.1%3
answered question 49
skipped question 1
11. Are you aware that there are posted three-hour time limits for on-street parking in the
Town Square area?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Yes, I am aware of posted time
limits
89.8%44
No, I am not aware of posted time
limits
10.2%5
answered question 49
skipped question 1
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7 of 18
12. Do you believe that parking time limits should be enforced more strictly?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Yes 28.6%14
No 59.2%29
Other (please explain)
12.2%6
answered question 49
skipped question 1
13. Are you aware that there is free parking available in City public lots, with no posted time
limits?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Yes 93.9%46
No 6.1%3
answered question 49
skipped question 1
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8 of 18
14. In your opinion, who should pay the cost of building and maintaining public parking
facilities? (Check all that apply)
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Parking Users/Customers 10.2%5
City Tax Dollars 87.8%43
Property Owners/Business Owners 10.2%5
Other (please explain)
4.1%2
answered question 49
skipped question 1
15. How would you characterize your ability to find a parking spot downtown on a typical
weekday/workday?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Convenient & Easy 16.3%8
Somewhat easy 40.8%20
Somewhat difficult 20.4%10
Difficult and inconvenient 22.4%11
I usually do not drive to go
downtown
0.0%0
answered question 49
skipped question 1
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9 of 18
16. How would you characterize your ability to find a parking spot downtown on a typical
lunchtime?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Convenient & Easy 6.3%3
Somewhat easy 10.4%5
Somewhat difficult 37.5%18
Difficult and inconvenient 45.8%22
I usually do not drive to go
downtown
0.0%0
answered question 48
skipped question 2
17. How would you characterize your ability to find a parking spot downtown on a typical
evening/weekend?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Convenient & Easy 10.6%5
Somewhat easy 38.3%18
Somewhat difficult 19.1%9
Difficult and inconvenient 31.9%15
I usually do not drive to go
downtown
0.0%0
answered question 47
skipped question 3
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10 of 18
18. How would you characterize your ability to find a parking spot downtown for a
festival/special event (Red Poppy Festival/Downtown Stroll)?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Convenient & Easy 0.0%0
Somewhat easy 0.0%0
Somewhat difficult 18.8%9
Difficult and inconvenient 77.1%37
I usually do not drive to go
downtown
4.2%2
answered question 48
skipped question 2
19. Does the availability of parking influence your decision to visit downtown Georgetown?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
No 58.3%28
Yes (please explain)
41.7%20
answered question 48
skipped question 2
20. Thank You! Please provide any suggestions you may have to improve parking in
downtown Georgetown.
Response
Count
25
answered question 25
skipped question 25
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12 of 18
Page 3, Q3. Please indicate your postal zip code.
1 78664 Feb 20, 2015 11:46 AM
2 78665 Feb 15, 2015 6:56 PM
3 78726 Feb 13, 2015 5:05 PM
Page 5, Q5. Typically, what is your main purpose for visiting downtown Georgetown? (Check all that apply)
1 To visit our business Feb 16, 2015 6:34 AM
2 I Also live and eat Feb 16, 2015 6:27 AM
3 own business downtown Feb 14, 2015 8:55 AM
4 Mortgage Banker Feb 14, 2015 7:09 AM
5 live work and shop Feb 13, 2015 3:54 PM
Page 8, Q8. If you drive to visit downtown, where do you prefer to park?
1 WE need a parking garage! Corner of main and 9th would be great! 4 levels!
Needed this for years!
Feb 23, 2015 11:38 AM
2 A block off of the square on the street Feb 17, 2015 5:52 AM
3 in front of destination Feb 16, 2015 6:12 AM
4 i wish we had parking garages and covered parking like domain Feb 13, 2015 3:05 PM
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13 of 18
Page 12, Q12. Do you believe that parking time limits should be enforced more strictly?
1 My clients all hate the 3 hour limit. We should not have this Feb 23, 2015 11:39 AM
2 NEVER a Customer Friendly action, it scares off shoppers.Feb 20, 2015 11:59 AM
3 NEVER a Customer Friendly thing to do!Feb 20, 2015 11:50 AM
4 I eat, drink and shop dtown. 3 hrs makes me hurry and leave dtown. get rid of
the 3 hr. why rush me.
Feb 13, 2015 3:56 PM
5 Perhaps for repeat violators, so as to address local businesses/employees using
"visitor" spaces.
Feb 13, 2015 3:39 PM
6 I think they are enforced great now.Feb 13, 2015 11:02 AM
Page 14, Q14. In your opinion, who should pay the cost of building and maintaining public parking facilities?
(Check all that apply)
1 A collabrative effort from everyone mentioned would be fair Feb 14, 2015 6:11 AM
2 why would business owners pay or expected to pay. they pay property taxes
and you sales tax. don't get greedy city gtown. really
Feb 13, 2015 3:58 PM
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15 of 18
Page 19, Q19. Does the availability of parking influence your decision to visit downtown Georgetown?
1 3 hour limits are terrible. not enough parking lots. no parking garage. It is
terrible. My clients all tell me how they wish I was located out Williams drive
instead of on the square. I will be changing locations as soon as possible.
Feb 23, 2015 11:42 AM
2 I there is not an available place to park during inclement weather or my short
breaks, I choose to delay my visit to that location or go somewhere else.
Feb 21, 2015 10:47 AM
3 As a foe mail I don't like to walk by myself long distances Feb 20, 2015 3:37 PM
4 Rather go elsewhere Feb 20, 2015 3:13 PM
5 If I cannot park conveniently...I go elsewhere to shop and/or eat Feb 17, 2015 1:58 PM
6 But I can walk Feb 16, 2015 6:30 AM
7 If I know parking will be difficult , I will avoid Downtown Feb 15, 2015 8:35 PM
8 Usually avoid going downtown when I know that it will be crowded (events and
festivals)
Feb 15, 2015 7:15 AM
9 go home at times Feb 15, 2015 4:18 AM
10 want to have a place to park or why go?Feb 14, 2015 6:41 PM
11 Yes, only for special events, not typically.Feb 14, 2015 3:11 PM
12 when 8th st was closed last summer for 3 mos, business was extremely
decreased
Feb 14, 2015 8:59 AM
13 When I leave work and see insufficient parking available for dining out, it
influences my decision to done elsewhere
Feb 14, 2015 7:13 AM
14 Sometimes I spent over 20 minutes looking for a parking during christmas stroll
or busy weekend nights.
Feb 14, 2015 6:13 AM
15 At certain times, yes.Feb 13, 2015 8:24 PM
16 i get dropped off during festivals because there is no parking Feb 13, 2015 6:49 PM
17 City blocks off way to many spots for events. you need to consider parking
brings more tax dollars. why limit and fine your tax paying customers. only
ones that violate is the Sun and courthouse employees. tan Chevy truck - yes
we see u everyday
Feb 13, 2015 4:02 PM
18 Hard for older people to get to the businesses.Feb 13, 2015 3:32 PM
19 we need real parking infrastructure. it is embarassing to invite out of town
guests.
Feb 13, 2015 3:09 PM
20 If it is a family outing and I have my little kids then yes Feb 13, 2015 11:03 AM
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Page 20, Q20. Thank You! Please provide any suggestions you may have to improve parking in downtown
Georgetown.
1 Please consider something other than a monolithic parking garage at Main and
9th. The mixed usage plan with retail, residential, and parking would be much
better.
Feb 27, 2015 12:13 PM
2 The downtown square is a destination for everyone in Georgetown. As a
business owner I can tell you my clients are inconvenienced just by coming
down to the square and then when they arrive it takes them a long time to find
parking. There are not enough city lots and we have no parking garage. The
city needs to pay to put one in even if they need to raise taxes to do it. We also
need to eliminate the 3 hour parking limit. I haven't met a single resident, client
or business owner that wants it.
Feb 23, 2015 11:46 AM
3 Build a multi story parking garage over the existing city lots!Feb 21, 2015 10:48 AM
4 If it is too hard to get to a business. I will not go there. Construction is frustrating
and will be avoided at all coats. This will influence my decision to shop or eat
downtown.
Feb 20, 2015 3:39 PM
5 GET RID OF POCKET PARKS & ADD MORE PARKING. CLOSE STREETS
AROUND SQUARE & DOWNTOWN ON A RARE BASES. HAVE GOVT
EMPLOYEES PARK IN GOVT PARKING LOTS.
Feb 20, 2015 1:22 PM
6 Double deck the lots that you already own...in particular the large one across
from Grace Church at Main & 9-10th streets
Feb 20, 2015 12:02 PM
7 Pull down the Bank of America on Austin and replace with ground floor retail and
upper floor parking.
Feb 20, 2015 11:30 AM
8 The layout of the public lot on 9th at Main could use review. It is a very
congested layout.
Feb 18, 2015 6:46 AM
9 We need more parking....on festivals...we need to make sure there is sufficient
parking for business owners and employees so we can keep our stores open
during festival. Right now it is very difficult for our employees to find spots during
festivals/big events downtown.
Feb 17, 2015 1:59 PM
10 I am in favor of a parking garage.Feb 17, 2015 7:51 AM
11 Leave lights up all year round Feb 16, 2015 6:31 AM
12 I think that the time has come for a parking garage but feel strongly that it should
me designed to contribute to the character of downtown and be a mixed use
facility with retail space not he ground floor.
Feb 15, 2015 7:16 AM
13 The full-lot parking south of Old Grace Church is beginning to be well-used. It
may be time to either build a parking deck over it or find another block or partial
block near the square.
Feb 14, 2015 3:12 PM
14 Enforcing 3 hour parking would help. I have classes and students who are
caring their projects have to park several blocks away. I have a lot of elderly
patrons who are buying glass which can be heavy so we have to leave the shop
in order to carry their supplies to their cars especially during lunches
Wednesday-Friday. Maybe it would help if there were 1-2 parking spaces
Feb 14, 2015 9:04 AM
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18 of 18
Page 20, Q20. Thank You! Please provide any suggestions you may have to improve parking in downtown
Georgetown.
designated for individual businesses in front of their business for short term
parking like 30 minutes to 1 hour. People who work downtown need to park
outside of the 3 hour zone!!
15 Encourage the city government to at least pretend they care about downtown.Feb 14, 2015 7:37 AM
16 build more shaded 8' wide sidewalks!Feb 14, 2015 7:33 AM
17 If you want downtown to be a destination, three-hour parking is insufficient.
Resources are wasted on enforcement. Replace the current system with parking
meters.
Feb 14, 2015 7:16 AM
18 Build a multi level parking structure as close to the square as possible. Build
ample spaces for years to come, not for the present.
Feb 14, 2015 6:18 AM
19 I would like to see some sort of a system that provided accountability parking I
see business owners and their employees park on the square and take up all
customer parking I work on the square I own a business on the square ....every
day other business owners and their employees take up available customers
parking spots instead of using the public parking ...there should be a way to
monitor and ticket and remove violators
Feb 13, 2015 6:52 PM
20 A parking garage is needed, before parking becomes an issue as georgetown
grows quickly. Visitors and residence need to also realize they can't expect to
park in front of most businesses and that walking is required in a down town
area.
Feb 13, 2015 6:03 PM
21 Develop diagonal parking 2 plus blocks in every direction. Or build parking
garages.
Feb 13, 2015 5:22 PM
22 Parking like in alley at city hall "old post office". Why is these spots be reserved
for there employees. Let them fight for parking like we do. That is city property
and should be open to the public. Also again 3 hr parking is a NOT good. Get
rid of it NOW.
Feb 13, 2015 4:04 PM
23 Shelly H rocks! Give her a raise!Feb 13, 2015 3:38 PM
24 People are just going to have to realize that as Downtown continues to grow that
the ability to park right in front of their destination isn't always going to be an
option but that there are convenient, and always nearly empty, parking lots within
a couple blocks of the Square.
Feb 13, 2015 3:25 PM
25 Need more parking around the Dos Salsas/Little Caesars area.Feb 13, 2015 11:06 AM
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1 DOWNTOWN GEORGETOWN PARKING STUDY FINAL REPORT
Employee Survey Summary Report
Page 131 of 154
1 of 22
Downtown Georgetown Parking Survey
1. Please describe yourself:
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Female 73.3%63
Male 26.7%23
answered question 86
skipped question 0
2. Please indicate which best describes your age group:
Response
Percent
Response
Count
17 or Under 0.0%0
18 - 24 2.3%2
25 - 34 16.3%14
35 - 44 22.1%19
45 - 54 27.9%24
55 - 64 20.9%18
65 or Older 10.5%9
answered question 86
skipped question 0
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2 of 22
3. Please indicate your postal zip code.
Response
Percent
Response
Count
78626 37.2%32
78628 27.9%24
78633 23.3%20
Other (please fill in your zip code)
11.6%10
answered question 86
skipped question 0
4. Please check the category below that best describes your interest in downtown
Georgetown.
Response
Percent
Response
Count
I am a Visitor/Customer 0.0%0
I live Downtown 0.0%0
I own a Business/Property 0.0%0
I work Downtown 100.0%86
Other (explain) 0.0%0
answered question 86
skipped question 0
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3 of 22
5. Typically, what is your main purpose for visiting downtown Georgetown? (Check all that
apply)
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Shopping 60.5%52
Personal Services (Salon/Spa)24.4%21
Attorney/CPA/Insurance/Finance 5.8%5
I work Downtown 96.5%83
Restaurants 73.3%63
City/Government 31.4%27
Doctor/Dentist 3.5%3
Parks/Recreation Facilities 14.0%12
Bars/Entertainment 47.7%41
Public Library 39.5%34
Festival/Special Event 62.8%54
Other (explain)
2.3%2
answered question 86
skipped question 0
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4 of 22
6. How often do you visit downtown Georgetown?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Daily (5 times per week)88.4%76
Infrequently (a few times per
month)
1.2%1
Frequently (1-4 times per week)10.5%9
Not often (a few times per year) 0.0%0
answered question 86
skipped question 0
7. How important is parking as it relates to your decision to visit downtown Georgetown?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Parking does not impact my
decision to visit downtown
25.9%22
Parking is somewhat important in
my decision to visit downtown
25.9%22
Parking is very important in my
decision to visit downtown
43.5%37
I avoid going downtown because of
the parking
4.7%4
answered question 85
skipped question 1
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5 of 22
8. If you drive to visit downtown, where do you prefer to park?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
On-Street 51.8%44
Off-Street Public Lot 40.0%34
Private Lot 4.7%4
Other (please explain)
3.5%3
answered question 85
skipped question 1
9. What is the length of stay during your typical visit to downtown?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Less than one hour 1.2%1
Four to six hours 15.3%13
One to two hours 5.9%5
Six to eight hours 35.3%30
Two to four hours 17.6%15
Greater than eight hours 24.7%21
answered question 85
skipped question 1
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6 of 22
10. What distance is acceptable to you for walking to your destination from where you
park?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Less than one block 16.5%14
One to two blocks 52.9%45
Two to three blocks 16.5%14
Three blocks or more 14.1%12
answered question 85
skipped question 1
11. Are you aware that there are posted three-hour time limits for on-street parking in the
Town Square area?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Yes, I am aware of posted time
limits
96.5%82
No, I am not aware of posted time
limits
3.5%3
answered question 85
skipped question 1
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7 of 22
12. Do you believe that parking time limits should be enforced more strictly?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Yes 26.2%22
No 61.9%52
Other (please explain)
11.9%10
answered question 84
skipped question 2
13. Are you aware that there is free parking available in City public lots, with no posted time
limits?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Yes 97.6%83
No 2.4%2
answered question 85
skipped question 1
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8 of 22
14. In your opinion, who should pay the cost of building and maintaining public parking
facilities? (Check all that apply)
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Parking Users/Customers 27.1%23
City Tax Dollars 78.8%67
Property Owners/Business Owners 29.4%25
Other (please explain)
10.6%9
answered question 85
skipped question 1
15. How would you characterize your ability to find a parking spot downtown on a typical
weekday/workday?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Convenient & Easy 15.3%13
Somewhat easy 38.8%33
Somewhat difficult 27.1%23
Difficult and inconvenient 18.8%16
I usually do not drive to go
downtown
0.0%0
answered question 85
skipped question 1
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9 of 22
16. How would you characterize your ability to find a parking spot downtown on a typical
lunchtime?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Convenient & Easy 6.0%5
Somewhat easy 16.9%14
Somewhat difficult 36.1%30
Difficult and inconvenient 41.0%34
I usually do not drive to go
downtown
0.0%0
answered question 83
skipped question 3
17. How would you characterize your ability to find a parking spot downtown on a typical
evening/weekend?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Convenient & Easy 15.3%13
Somewhat easy 29.4%25
Somewhat difficult 38.8%33
Difficult and inconvenient 11.8%10
I usually do not drive to go
downtown
4.7%4
answered question 85
skipped question 1
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10 of 22
18. How would you characterize your ability to find a parking spot downtown for a
festival/special event (Red Poppy Festival/Downtown Stroll)?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
Convenient & Easy 1.2%1
Somewhat easy 0.0%0
Somewhat difficult 15.7%13
Difficult and inconvenient 79.5%66
I usually do not drive to go
downtown
3.6%3
answered question 83
skipped question 3
19. Does the availability of parking influence your decision to visit downtown Georgetown?
Response
Percent
Response
Count
No 60.2%50
Yes (please explain)
39.8%33
answered question 83
skipped question 3
20. Thank You! Please provide any suggestions you may have to improve parking in
downtown Georgetown.
Response
Count
37
answered question 37
skipped question 49
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Page 142 of 154
12 of 22
Page 3, Q3. Please indicate your postal zip code.
1 78681 Feb 23, 2015 7:15 AM
2 78681 Feb 21, 2015 9:31 AM
3 78665 Feb 20, 2015 1:50 PM
4 78642 Feb 20, 2015 12:46 PM
5 78664 Feb 20, 2015 11:55 AM
6 78641 Feb 20, 2015 11:33 AM
7 78626 Feb 18, 2015 1:07 PM
8 78757 Feb 17, 2015 7:49 AM
9 78729 Feb 16, 2015 11:50 AM
10 78758 Feb 13, 2015 12:23 PM
Page 5, Q5. Typically, what is your main purpose for visiting downtown Georgetown? (Check all that apply)
1 REALTOR, office downtown Feb 22, 2015 8:19 AM
2 Touring out of towns guests Feb 14, 2015 6:43 AM
Page 8, Q8. If you drive to visit downtown, where do you prefer to park?
1 anywhere I can find Feb 20, 2015 5:58 PM
2 In front of my office---courthouse. I don't want to be wrecked from the walk to
the building from the lot. It sucks to be wet and cold all day because you aren't
supposed to park on te square!!!
Feb 17, 2015 9:28 AM
3 parallel spots on street or non 3-hour spots Feb 15, 2015 5:44 PM
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13 of 22
Page 12, Q12. Do you believe that parking time limits should be enforced more strictly?
1 Allow more handicap parking in every block with ramps.Mar 2, 2015 7:37 AM
2 Not for those who work downtown. I think employees should be able to have a
parking pass
Feb 25, 2015 11:01 AM
3 there should not be time limits Feb 22, 2015 8:21 AM
4 there is no enforcement...thus no one follows Feb 20, 2015 5:59 PM
5 Yes, and have parking decals for merchants & employees Feb 20, 2015 11:57 AM
6 I work at a shop for n the square. If a customer ever gets a ticket, we will NEVER
see them again
Feb 20, 2015 11:42 AM
7 It's not clear to me how that would impact things - so, I don't know.Feb 20, 2015 11:22 AM
8 Bring back the parking meters instead of time limits Feb 14, 2015 6:36 AM
9 Should NOT be 3 hour parking on 9th between Austin & Main - businesses there
are not retail!
Feb 13, 2015 1:24 PM
10 just make sure dt employees are not using the space Feb 13, 2015 1:00 PM
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14 of 22
Page 14, Q14. In your opinion, who should pay the cost of building and maintaining public parking facilities?
(Check all that apply)
1 all of the above - combine all for the best benefit to all Feb 23, 2015 7:19 AM
2 All of the above as a partnership.Feb 20, 2015 1:48 PM
3 County and City sharing because of the county taxi building, courts...Feb 20, 2015 12:24 PM
4 combination of all Feb 20, 2015 11:35 AM
5 Build Parking Garages (city or private business) and charge those who park
there a fee
Feb 20, 2015 11:23 AM
6 I would not paying at a meter if it was over 3 hours stay Feb 17, 2015 7:52 AM
7 Ctiy and Users; owners make the downtown and pay their taxes. I am not a
property or business owner.
Feb 16, 2015 6:29 AM
8 Parking meters would give extra revenue to maintain Feb 14, 2015 6:37 AM
9 not sure if there really is a need for more spaces (just special events time is
when it gets strectched)
Feb 13, 2015 1:01 PM
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15 of 22
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16 of 22
Page 19, Q19. Does the availability of parking influence your decision to visit downtown Georgetown?
1 The city does not want handicap individuals to visit or parking would be available
to visit each and every business.
Mar 2, 2015 7:41 AM
2 Sometimes with big events such as Poppy.Feb 27, 2015 2:08 PM
3 I have been known to skip an activity due to the parking.Feb 24, 2015 1:26 PM
4 If an event is happening, I might just skip it. I know I will have to walk several
blocks away unless I am extremely lucky.
Feb 23, 2015 11:42 PM
5 for activities other than work Feb 22, 2015 8:25 AM
6 We don't go to as many downtown events (market days, red poppy, etc) as we
would like to, due to parking
Feb 21, 2015 8:13 PM
7 I only come downtown because I have to!Feb 20, 2015 6:00 PM
8 I'll avoid festivals and special events if the parking lots and streets are full.Feb 20, 2015 1:54 PM
9 During major community events, ex. Red Poppy, when I know parking will be an
issue I avoid downtown at all costs
Feb 20, 2015 1:12 PM
10 I work during the week so I have to come downtown, but I don't come on the
weekends because parking is usually difficult.
Feb 20, 2015 12:11 PM
11 I like the festivals, but don't come because there is no convenient parking Feb 20, 2015 11:56 AM
12 Parking sucks. If I don't HAVE to come here, I don't Feb 20, 2015 11:44 AM
13 When not working I really don't go downtown bc of the parking. Not enough
spaces
Feb 19, 2015 12:36 PM
14 only on the special occasion days like poppyfest, etc.Feb 19, 2015 7:37 AM
15 Only when special events are occurring. If I am not attending the event, I avoid
downtown altogether
Feb 19, 2015 4:43 AM
16 I work here and our spots are hard to get because of Laurie's Cafe, most of the
customers park in the city lot where employees park, they are here briefly and
we have to be here all day. I do volunteer work during my lunch for the Mentor
program and it is very difficult when I return most days when Laurie's is open to
re park and people tend to go the wrong direction at times and I fear it will cause
a collision. I would also suggest the Wounded Warrior new slot be placed on the
street close to the door where the veteran comes and goes rather than in the
back lot, same is the same for the handicapped parking, it seems these folks
have a long way to walk if they are eating or shopping downtown. The electric
car slots are almost always empty, these too should be located on the street
parking. I shop and participate in many events outside of work and during
events it is very difficult to park close by. A garage parking would be awesome,
but not sure where it could be located. I would also like to see some private
slots for employees to be able to park while attending work, only during work
hours.
Feb 18, 2015 1:20 PM
17 I often avoid visiting the downtown area restaraunts, as I have no desire to walk Feb 17, 2015 11:02 AM
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17 of 22
Page 19, Q19. Does the availability of parking influence your decision to visit downtown Georgetown?
several blocks to and from my destination
18 I ONLY come to the square because I work here. I don't come on the weekends
or during festivals. If I didn't work here I wouldn't come at all.
Feb 17, 2015 9:31 AM
19 I work downtown and don't mind parking at the parking lots, but when it is very
cold and/or raining I prefer to park close to the courthouse, I am 66 years old and
sometimes difficult during these times.
Feb 17, 2015 7:56 AM
20 If it became more difficult, that might discourage me. As is, I think it is very
reasonable.
Feb 16, 2015 7:42 AM
21 For special events, I avoid going downtown for parking if i can. Second saturday
is also really bad. I usually avoid downtown altogether
Feb 16, 2015 4:04 AM
22 Only during festivals Feb 15, 2015 5:46 PM
23 If you can't park, or are with others who cannot walk as far, then the entire visit is
worthless. Exluding a member of your group to essentially chaffeur you around is
unfair and awkward.
Feb 15, 2015 7:02 AM
24 during special events Feb 14, 2015 9:51 AM
25 If I have to park more than 3-4 blocks away I will go somewhere else for dinner,
etc
Feb 14, 2015 8:31 AM
26 If I'm not able to go early, I do not go to festivals because parking is an issue.Feb 14, 2015 7:23 AM
27 I have driven around the block several times before deciding to go eat
somewhere else not located downtown
Feb 14, 2015 6:47 AM
28 I try to get to work early to get a parking space--then have to move within 3
hours--parking meters would solve that issue
Feb 14, 2015 6:38 AM
29 Due to the recent changes I have been visiting resturants and bars much less
often
Feb 13, 2015 9:21 PM
30 I HAVE to work downtown because that's where my job is. But downtown
infrastructure is underserved and neglected. Too many people fighting over too
few spaces. It should NEVER have been allowed to get this bad. Shamfeful city
planning
Feb 13, 2015 3:17 PM
31 Tdgsa Feb 13, 2015 3:15 PM
32 While I work downtown during the week, I actively avoid driving there on the
weekends due to bad parking.
Feb 13, 2015 1:43 PM
33 If the Square is full from the market days or a festival, I don't go anywhere
downtown.
Feb 13, 2015 9:00 AM
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18 of 22
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19 of 22
Page 20, Q20. Thank You! Please provide any suggestions you may have to improve parking in downtown
Georgetown.
1 Expand the Handicap Parking to each block around the square downtown and
identified which street are consider as downtown street.
Mar 2, 2015 7:44 AM
2 Any additional parking and or consideration of multi-story parking needs to be on
the west side of Austin Ave to protect the residential character of our Old Town
Neighborhood. Church is already a big cut through street and we don't want any
additional traffic put onto Myrtle. The areas to the west of the square are already
mixed use and would accommodate this type of structure.
Feb 26, 2015 2:03 PM
3 I find it annoying that my clients have to go so far to park to visit my office.Feb 24, 2015 1:27 PM
4 A large multi level parking garage across from the library where the warehouses
stood (now removed) or even closer where existing ugly metal buildings still
stand would be excellent! Could some of the road maintenance funds generated
in the additional sales tax paid be used for maintenance? And could some of the
economic development money for roads be allocated for construction?
Feb 23, 2015 11:49 PM
5 do away with time limits, it affects customers decision to spend time eating and
shopping, not to mention look for real estate. Open more public parking, that we
have been waiting for , for years.
Feb 22, 2015 8:28 AM
6 Build a parking garage...maybe bank of America site!Feb 20, 2015 6:01 PM
7 The parking is normally fine unless new building construction and road
construction have completely blocked a whole section of parking. The lack of
crosswalks are also concerning when the public parking lots are a block or two
away and you have to cross intersections.
Feb 20, 2015 2:55 PM
8 A multi-story parking garage east of Austin Avenue.Feb 20, 2015 1:55 PM
9 Make sure business owners/employees do not take up available spaces around
the square.
Feb 20, 2015 1:50 PM
10 Having sidewalks from approaches that are off-Square would be a huge help.
It's not safe to have people (and children) walking in the street. We offer bike
check-out at the visitor center and the library, and that is great. However,
without bike lanes or sidewalks this is not easily navigable either.
Feb 20, 2015 12:28 PM
11 Parking meters would be great Feb 20, 2015 12:22 PM
12 There are a number of parking lots that are just a single level of parking, adding
a couple of 2 to 3 level ramps would be beneficial, especially near the library and
the Square.
Feb 20, 2015 12:13 PM
13 I would like more (visible, painted) crosswalks from the public lots to the
sidewalks.
Feb 20, 2015 12:11 PM
14 Merchants and there employees to have a window sticker or something to show
they work downtown and for them to park in parking lot or on side street. Unless
they are loading or unloading. To many merchants and employees are taking up
customer parking.
Feb 20, 2015 12:02 PM
15 parking garage by the Monument? or in front of the tax office?Feb 20, 2015 11:57 AM
Page 150 of 154
20 of 22
Page 20, Q20. Thank You! Please provide any suggestions you may have to improve parking in downtown
Georgetown.
16 Build it. Build it where the people are.Feb 20, 2015 11:46 AM
17 Remove the 3 hour time limits.Feb 20, 2015 11:29 AM
18 Build parking garages and charge a fee. Or implement a San Francisco type
experiment where highly prized spaces cost more and spaces further away cost
less or are free. Pay per hour and stop worrying about the 3 hour limit.
Feb 20, 2015 11:26 AM
19 Thank you for this survey, the lot behind the council chambers has been a
problem for a while. People go the wrong direction when entering, there is not
enough parking for employees that are working and I would like to suggest
putting the specialized parking on the street. The new Wounded Warrior Parking
(which is always empty), the handicap and electric car. The handicapped
parking is used a lot during lunch for Laurie's but most of the time these slots
remain empty and that is a shame. Maybe some type of lot behind Laurie's and
the other buildings would be great or some more parking lots for downtown all
together. It's also very very dangerous when leaving the lot behind the council
chambers, when people are taking a left, so dangerous, needs to have a mirror
there on the corner or a no left turn sign. My fear is for public safety. I would
also like to suggest that this lot is lighted better. It is very dark back there
especially with the bushes and that is a safety concern of it's own. Thanks again
for the opportunity for an opinion.
Feb 18, 2015 1:25 PM
20 There are only so many things you can do to improve the parking because
there's not room for expansion. As a County employee I feel that we get the
short end of the stick on parking. The City of Georgetown doesn't work in any
with County employees---in more ways than just parking. But the City is the first
to holler when they need something from the county---the lawn, the building, the
electrical conduits etc... The City also continues to reserve parking places---for
electric cars and war heroes so that lessens spots for others all the time. I
personally haven't ever seen the spaces for electric cars used for that purpose.
The new spots that are reserved for war heroes will probably be used just as
much as (little as) the spots for electric cars. It's a joke. I think that the City
could be more considerate of County employees and the parking issues. The
City offices have parking RIGHT OUTSIDE their offices. The County doesn't
have that option anymore due to the City. The weather plays a factor on where I
park. On cold, rainy days I try to park on the square because I don't want to be
cold and wet all day from walking to and from my car. If the County offices are
ever moved from down town I won't come down here for anything. Yall can have
it all City of Georgetown. You all don't play well with others.
Feb 17, 2015 9:46 AM
21 I feel if you work downtown and are 65+ years we should (I would not mind
paying something for a parking permit, esp. when it is very cold or raining, I fear
falling). thank you...a courthouse worker
Feb 17, 2015 7:58 AM
22 During Festivals, downtown Georgetown employees should have better parking
options available to them.
Feb 15, 2015 5:48 PM
23 business owners and employees of the city and country and business's and
service companies, ie lawyers, insurance, real estate should be encouraged to
park in a city lot or hopefully in a coming parking garage. Mybe it is time to
consider 8am to 5pm parking meters.
Feb 15, 2015 2:08 PM
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21 of 22
Page 20, Q20. Thank You! Please provide any suggestions you may have to improve parking in downtown
Georgetown.
24 Finishing the lot at 8th and MLK would be a nice improvement. The library lot is
always full, so having spaces for those of us who want to visit the library instead
of the square would be more convenient. At 8 AM on a Monday morning (before
the library is even open!) half the spots are taken. Opening up spots to the public
at the old library and the old police station would be good as well.
Feb 15, 2015 7:04 AM
25 Parking meters would be great. It would bring in revenue for the City and cover
the cost of the meters and personnel to maintain them. Sometimes we just need
to run in to pick up something quickly and the lack of available parking makes it
more difficult to run in and out...
Feb 14, 2015 8:34 AM
26 Install parking meters Feb 14, 2015 7:23 AM
27 I don't mind parking away from the downtown area, but a shuttle would be nice
to get people downtown
Feb 14, 2015 6:47 AM
28 I think parking meters would bring in extra revenue & you wouldn't have to pay
someone to watch for the 3 hour parking offenders. Free lots could still be across
from the tax office for those who didn't want to pay for parking.
Feb 14, 2015 6:40 AM
29 I love the Christmas lights. I would like to see them stay on all year long, if not
(due to expense) perhaps on Friday, Saturday and Sundays. It adds to our
already charming square. Enjoy!
Feb 14, 2015 5:09 AM
30 More on street parking - please don't get rid of the parking spaces you have
planned- downtown is growing and there is far too few spaces as it is!!!
Feb 13, 2015 9:22 PM
31 Please build an ENORMOUS parking garage that is capable of meeting the
needs of this growing and vibrant business district for decades to come. Please
take the parking "scarcity" issue off the table once and for all, so that businesses
and customers alike no longer have the excuse of not investing their time and
money downtown. Thank you! (interestingly, I read that the City is building a
multi-million dollar parking garage for a hotel that doesn't even yet exist while
downtown businesses have been promised a garage for over 20 years. Please
do it for God's sake.
Feb 13, 2015 3:21 PM
32 Build a parking garage. Have shuttle buses available for special events.Feb 13, 2015 3:20 PM
33 Parking penalties should not be enforced throughout the week, as most people
who park downtown are working and there are less visitors. Tickets should be
passed out only on the weekends. There could be signs placed at each corner of
the Square that let people know parking is free Monday through Friday, and after
five on the weekends.
Feb 13, 2015 1:48 PM
34 Lots with open spaces are within a couple of blocks of the square almost all the
time. NOt convinced its an issue
Feb 13, 2015 1:03 PM
35 Compared to Austin, parking in Georgetown is a breeze.Feb 13, 2015 12:30 PM
36 Parking passes for Downtown business owners and employees during
Festivals/Events and/or a shuttle from the new parking garage to downtown.
Some employees are seniors and can't walk as far.
Feb 13, 2015 10:21 AM
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22 of 22
Page 20, Q20. Thank You! Please provide any suggestions you may have to improve parking in downtown
Georgetown.
37 There is plenty of parking in the downtown area for the large majority of the time.
Parking spots get scarce around lunch time and in the early afternoon on
weekdays. Paid parking and/or a structured parking garage will probably be
needed in the next few years to help manage the parking supply with the
increasing demand in the next few years.
Feb 13, 2015 9:05 AM
Page 153 of 154
City of Georgetown, Texas
Historic and Architectural Review
April 28, 2016
SUBJECT:
Updates from s taff on future meetings and c urrent projec ts
ITEM SUMMARY:
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
NA
SUBMITTED BY:
Matt Synatsc hk, His toric P lanner
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