About the Project

Background

In 2017, the Dutchess County Transportation Council (DCTC) initiated a parking analysis of the City of Poughkeepsie's extended downtown area (see attached study area map). The Parking Improvement Plan seeks to ensure that the City's parking system is being operated and managed in an efficient, sensible manner that is consistent with the City's redevelopment goals for the downtown.

Goals & Objectives

The DCTC identified the following goals and objectives for this parking analysis:

  • Capacity: A quantitative assessment of the supply and demand for downtown public parking, to include a determination on the need for additional parking or whether there is excess parking capacity; if excess supply exists, the feasibility of consolidating parking so that lots might be repurposed for other uses.
  • Maintenance and Management: Strategies to improve the maintenance and management of City-owned surface parking lots, garages, and on-street parking stalls, to include an evaluation of staffing (i.e. deployment and organization).
  • Operations: An evaluation of the days and hours of parking enforcement, current parking restrictions, and associated parking signage effectiveness.
  • Safety and Convenience: Ways to provide safe, convenient daytime parking for office and commercial uses on weekdays, and evening parking for cultural/entertainment venues on weekends.
  • Pricing: A determination of the need and feasibility for demand-based pricing or changes to current parking rates for garages, surface lots, and on-street parking.
  • Design: Recommended design improvements to increase the efficiency of City-owned parking facilities, to include improvements to parking-related signs and other wayfinding, circulation, and parking layouts.
  • Zoning: An evaluation of current parking standards and requirements in the City zoning code, to include an assessment of parking impacts resulting from current efforts to rezone the City's downtown.

Advisory Committee

The project was guided by an Advisory Committee that reviewed interim products and steered the study so that it addressed issues relevant to stakeholders. The Advisory Committee includes the following members:

  • City of Poughkeepsie Department of Public Works
  • City of Poughkeepsie Engineering
  • City of Poughkeepsie Mayor's Office (to include City Administrator)
  • City of Poughkeepsie Parking Enforcement
  • Dutchess County Chamber of Commerce
  • Dutchess County Department of Planning and Development

Stakeholder & Public Outreach

In addition to input from the Advisory Committee, the project solicited feedback from key stakeholders in the Poughkeepsie area, including the following entities:

  • Locally elected officials (e.g. Common Council)
  • City of Poughkeepsie Planning and Zoning Boards
  • Major activity centers (e.g. Bardavon 1869 Opera House, Mid-Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel, etc.)
  • Large property owners and local businesses
  • Dutchess County Department of Public Works (County-owned parking areas)

Project Tasks

  • Task 1: Project Kickoff and Data Collection Planning. Develop a plan and schedule to collect parking inventory and utilization data.
  • Task 2: Conduct Parking Data Collection and Analysis (Existing Conditions). Inventory and collect occupancy data public parking garages, surface lots, and on-street parking, to include large private parking areas.
  • Task 3: Alternatives Analysis (Future Conditions). Develop and assess strategies and alternatives to improve parking operations in the study area.
  • Task 4: Develop and Finalize Parking Improvement Plan. Prepare a Parking Improvement Plan summarizing data collection findings, evaluated strategies and alternatives, and recommended actions.