[MissoulaGov] North Higgins Parking Options - Summary

Fri Dec 18 12:46:59 MST 2009

I'd like to respond to Scott's note about this week's Independent story.

Our story covered the parking meter discussion as it relates to the  
three-block stretch of N. Higgins Avenue, as well as the future of  
parking downtown. (You can read it here.) Due to an editing mistake,  
one sentence of the story stated Sproull was advocating for two-hour  
free parking in front of his store because it would have an immediate  
impact on his business. It should have stated that he wants to use  
the free parking model as an experiment for the proposed stretch  
because he thinks it will primarily help businesses north of  
Broadway, as well as most other downtown businesses. We've confirmed  
with Scott that the rest of his comments and quotes are accurate.

We regret the error and have corrected the story online.

Thanks,
Skylar

Skylar Browning
Editor
Missoula Independent
sbrowning at missoulanews.com

On Dec 18, 2009, at 4:12 AM, Scott Sproull wrote:

> Part Two – What are the Amazing Benefits associated with replacing  
> a few Antiquated Parking Meters in one small corridor of our  
> Downtown with (Customer-Attracting, Customer-Convenient & Business  
> Enhancing) ‘Two-Hour-FREE’ Parking spaces?
>
> This is the  ‘Rest of the Story’ on why I made the ‘seemingly’  
> crazy suggestion that the ELIMINATION of a small (token) number of  
> Parking Meters (only 42 out of 1,100… or less than 4%)… and their  
> replacement with ‘Two-Hour-Free-Parking’ spaces, on Higgins Avenue  
> (specifically NORTH OF BROADWAY), has a HUGE number of potential  
> benefits that would greatly improve the economic and cultural  
> vitality of that part of our Downtown (North of Broadway, on  
> Higgins, but also on streets adjacent to North Higgins) that is in  
> so much need of some critical, ASAP Business & Economic Development  
> help (which would also benefit much of the ‘Core’ and ‘Heart’ of  
> our Downtown in the long-term as well!).
>
> * Please note:  This ‘how to provide new customer-friendly parking  
> management concepts and technology’ discussion amongst dozens of  
> readers of the missoulagov blog has been specifically focused on  
> the North Higgins Project, which is located on Higgins Avenue,  
> NORTH of Broadway, and all the way North to the old train depot.   
> We all continue to repeat this location information because in the  
> past, and again just yesterday, I and others are too-often horribly  
> misquoted in the media (see an independent newspaper nearest you)  
> where it says that, Scott Sproull… “ believes two-hour free parking  
> IN FRONT OF HIS HIGGINS AVENUE STOREFRONT [my emphasis] would make  
> an immediate impact on his business.”  If the reader doesn’t know,  
> my 37 year old business (Hide & Sole)… (1) has NEVER been North of  
> Broadway, where the North Higgins Improvements Project is taking  
> place… (2) has had very steady, healthy, organic, above-average  
> growth for dozens of years, including the last two years… (3)  does  
> not need the extra economic stimulus that other businesses might  
> need in our Downtown… (4) and I have no idea why this obviously  
> unsaid and untrue statement about wanting ‘two-hour-free’ parking  
> spaces in front of my store was written into the misguided article,  
> since the reporter and I were talking about how “Businesses North  
> of Broadway” could really use some Economic Development help (which  
> new parking management concepts can play a helpful and positive role).
>
> ============
>
> The quote below from Missoula’s Master Plan Consultant and Parking  
> Guru (Dennis Burns) sums up why Downtown Associations, Downtown  
> Businesses, Downtown Stakeholders and Parking Commissions don’t  
> always have the same Big-Picture Economic Development Ideas and  
> Visions as each other.
>
>
> "Downtown associations are driven by efforts to revitalize downtown  
> areas and see parking costs as one element that places them at a  
> competitive disadvantage (compared to the perception of "free  
> parking" at the malls/suburbs).  Parking system managers are being  
> pushed, usually by municipal governments, to generate revenues.   
> The bottom line is they lack a shared vision and therefore are  
> pulling in opposite directions."
>
>
> The Question Begs:  Are the proposed parking controls within the  
> North Higgins Improvement District going to be a real benefit to  
> the economic vitality of the (many suffering and blighted)  
> businesses in that area, or is the parking commission’s need for  
> revenue and efficiency enhancements going to get top priority???  I  
> think THAT should be the real question for ‘evaluating’ and  
> ‘modifying’ the parking controls in the North Higgins Improvement  
> District – Yes?
>
>
> No doubt, to financially justify a limited number of ‘Two-Hour- 
> Free’ Parking Spaces in the Improvement District, some of the other  
> ‘hopefully non-customer-related’ parking revenue (like employer &  
> employee lease rates) can and should be ‘enhanced’ to pay for the  
> customers increased support of our Downtown.
>
>
> Now on to some ‘Alternative & Crazy Parking Options” for the  
> Economic Enhancement of the Businesses - North of Broadway (and  
> including those Businesses on and adjacent to Higgins)!
>
> Problem: Some people reading this blog find it very inconvenient  
> and a pain when they don’t always have their ‘meter coins’ with  
> them to pay the ‘antiquated’ mechanical parking meters that are  
> definitely not as convenient as the more-modern, electronic, single- 
> space meters (or multi-space machines which conveniently take  
> coins, credit cards or debit cards).
>
> Alternative Solutions: ‘Two-Hour-Free’ Parking does not require  
> coins, credit cards or payments.  In fact, the Parking is FREE, to  
> the customer and visitor, but for a limited time of two-hours or  
> less (which is plenty of time for a lunch, shopping or stroll  
> through the Downtown.  Parking Enforcement Officers (PEO’s) aka  
> ‘Meter Maids,’ are just as essential to the success of ‘Two-Hour- 
> Free’ Parking Programs as with Meters, so that Business Owners and  
> Downtown Workers do not attempt to hog parking spaces for long  
> periods of time (or compete for vital parking with their own and  
> Business neighbors customers).
>
> Missoula currently has short-term FREE Parking in high-demand  
> locations like City Hall and the Post Office, but few have thought  
> about the Economic Development Potential of changing a few meters  
> in the N. Higgins Improvement District to ‘Two-Hour-Free,’ Customer- 
> Friendly, Business-Enhancing, Parking.
>
> With ‘Two-Hour-Free’ Parking… Customers & Visitors do not have to  
> deal with broken mechanical and/or electronic meters, and they do  
> not have to search up and down the block for a multi-space,  
> electronic, (sometimes broken) machine… that actually might be in  
> the opposite direction of where they want to go (these were serious  
> concerns mentioned by some on the blog).
>
> BUT MORE SO… from a Business Development & Downtown Enhancing point  
> of view, setting aside a few (token) short-term parking spaces,  
> that are (very important here) FREE to customers and visitors (and  
> paid for by owners and workers), would do a couple of other really  
> positive and important things:
>
> A)    Create Customer Demand [Economic Driver], and no doubt  
> customer competition for parking spaces that are FREE, but  
> purposely placed on Higgins (North of Broadway), where there is a  
> specific district where many of the under-developed Businesses  
> would really appreciate some extra customers and economic incentives.
>
> B)     Create a FANTASTIC Customer BUZZ & Extra Customer Referrals  
> to the Downtown!!!  This would be a Marketers Dream, since for the  
> first time in decades, there really WOULD BE (just a few, but at  
> least some) Free Parking Spaces for Customers in a very specific  
> part of our Downtown.  In reality, you might only stumble across an  
> open Free Parking Space on Higgins every once in a Blue Moon  
> (rarely), but I suspect many Downtown Supporters would find  
> themselves driving further up into the North Higgins Improvement  
> District to see if they can WIN a Free Parking Space (like a Free  
> Lottery).
>
> C)    Most business-people know that the best, cheapest, most  
> effective Advertising is hard-earned ‘Word-of-Mouth’ excitement  
> from customers who are super-happy about a product or service they  
> received and want to tell their friends, (internet friends) and  
> families about.  FREE-TWO-HOUR Parking is just the ticket to create  
> a Downtown Economic Buzz that would quickly spread throughout the  
> Missoula and regional community, and very much benefit the entire  
> Downtown.
>
> D)    If we are going to test a new, revolutionary (small-scale &  
> experimental) way to improve the parking controls and customer  
> service in the North Higgins Improvements District, let’s put up a  
> few, very simple, low maintenance, non-mechanical, non-electric  
> ‘Two-Hour-Free’ Parking Signs and see what happens.  It can always  
> be modified a little, or a lot later on.
>
> Test the Idea!
>
> Scott Sproull
> Hide & Sole
> Downtown Since 1972
>
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