A San Francisco-based parking consultant is talking to downtown Chattanooga stakeholders as it looks at future demand and searches out ways to service the surge in central city development.
"Parking as a development tool can... help development fit into downtown," said Joel Mann, senior associate for the firm Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates. "We're thinking about what's coming in the future. How much more we need? Then what do we need to be doing?"
Mann said it's highly possible the study will make recommendations regarding prices in parking meters and in lots.
One aspect that makes downtown Chattanooga different is the close proximity of visitor destinations such as the Tennessee Aquarium with the business district and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, he said.
"That makes downtown special," Mann said, adding that parking is in high demand at some of those places at differing times of the year.
He said Nelson\Nygaard will collect information, analyze it and then make recommendations in about six months.
Earlier this month, the nonprofit downtown development group River City Co. said the $250,000 parking study, in addition to looking at the city's core, will focus on the Southside and the M.L. King corridor stretching to UTC and to Erlanger hospital.
"There's so much growth, all the new construction downtown, we're trying to get ahead of the curve," said Kim White, who heads River City Co.
In light of the growth plans of the hospital and UTC, each is helping to fund the comprehensive review, along with CARTA, the city of Chattanooga, Siskin Hospital for Physical Rehabilitation, River City and the Benwood and Lyndhurst foundations, she said.
The NelsonNygaard official said the company has recently looked at downtown Savannah, Ga., and there may be similarities between it and Chattanooga. Each has a vibrant tourist sector and an educational institution, with the Georgia coastal city sporting the Savannah College of Art and Design.
Mann said downtown developers require parking and there may be some "policy tools" which can help in terms of the private and public sector.
Also, there are informational signs and other steps which can be taken to direct motorists to use existing parking spots, he said.
"That's cheaper than building new parking," Mann said.
Downtown is seeing an array of new development. Some 2,500 apartments, 260 condominiums and more than 1,000 beds for UTC students are projected for downtown over the next few years, according to announced projects.
Also, more than 700 hotel rooms are slated to come on line, along with nearly 600,000 square feet of commercial space, figures show.
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318.