PROVIDENCE – Parking is a perennial complaint in Providence.
But even with a slew of new development projects coming to the former I-195 land, there should be enough public parking to go around, according to study presented to the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission on Wednesday.
The study and corresponding presentation from consulting firm NelsonNygaard Consulting Associates comes amid ongoing and increasing concerns over the amount of parking included in several downtown developments. Critics feared that the new residential and office buildings would worsen what some see as an increasing problem of parking scarcity across the city and particularly in the I-195 Redevelopment District.
But look beyond the most popular street parking places, and you’ll find car space aplenty — including free spots, according to Jason Novsam, the senior associate for NelsonNygaard who presented the group’s findings on Wednesday.
Even during peak times – midday on a weekday and a Friday evening – about half of the on-street and parking lot spaces were still open, according to the study, which only examined the I-195 land on the east side of the Providence River.
Using aerial imagery, field surveys and outreach to property owners, the firm identified 1500 parking spots – a mix of private and paid lots and on-street parking – available within the eastern I-195 land. Of those, about 44% were still open during the middle of the day on a Tuesday, while 47% were up for grabs on a Friday evening.
Certain streets, like South Water and South Main streets, tend to get full faster, but look just a block or two away and there is ample parking, including many free areas or those without enforcement, such as Wickenden and Benefit streets, Novsam said.
Even with the new housing, office and retail projects proposed for the area, there is still ample parking – including existing spaces and those included in these projects – to meet future demand, with a surplus 50 to 100 spaces even during peak hours, the study found. However, there is room to improve the city parking situation. The report outlined a host of challenges that either the city or the commission could address to make parking easier.
One of the biggest is the lack of loading zones for truck deliveries and curbside pickups, which can lead to traffic congestion when people don’t have a place to pull over. Another problem is the confusion caused by too many sets of rules for different parking areas. Rather than some long and some short-term parking with different types of payment, a streamlined parking regulation approach would eliminate confusion. Adding paid parking to the areas where it’s currently free – about one-third of the survey area – could also be a revenue source.
A majority of the fixes are under the city’s purview, but the I-195 commission also has some power to help the situation, namely by requiring shared and public parking in future developments for the still-vacant I-195 land.
The firm will also be studying parking availability on the western side of the I-195 district, with plans to issue its findings from that area in a later report, Novsam said.
Nancy Lavin is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Lavin@PBN.com.
Parking availability is small comfort when compared to the minuscule number of permanent jobs being created in the 195 land.
Interesting perspective, though personally I prefer the presence of residents rather than a multitude of commuters only here from 8-6. Certainly the wealth they bring as residents benefits employers and employees more along Wickenden, Ives, Bridge and Main Streets.
And once the TSAs expire, presumably the tax rate will be comparable to the higher commercial rate, with assessments at the higher residential levels.
Someone smart should probably open something (like a frame shop) at the old Picture This Gallery.