Downtown Tucson Parking Study Report

Page 1
Introduction
This parking study was commissioned to better understand current parking conditions in Downtown Tucson (including the Mercado District and
the 4th Avenue business district) – particularly parking occupancy, demand, and behavioral data – with the intention to then estimate how future
downtown growth would impact the need for parking infrastructure and management in the area. In recent years, the Downtown Tucson area
has seen a combination of new development and redevelopment of existing buildings. In a downtown area such as Tucson’s, part of the
attraction for this growth is the character that comes with being in a walkable, lively downtown center. Maintaining the balance between access
and the character of a lively downtown requires an understanding of the resources available to help businesses thrive. Parking is one of these
resources and provides the primary access to businesses; however, excess parking can also detract from the walkable, lively character of the
downtown area. This study aims to understand parking behaviors and future conditions to help the City define right-sized parking conditions to
support continued growth and vibrancy.
The study performed parking evaluations for the study area as a whole to understand how the entire system operates and how parking
behaviors interact throughout the community. Parking behaviors were also evaluated for seven current and potential future metered parking
zones with the intention of understanding conditions and behaviors as they vary across zonal boundaries. While the overall study area might
peak at a certain day or time, a particular zone may have different characteristics and behaviors if considered separately. Understanding the
various peaks within the study area is critical for being able to make informed parking decisions. Seven parking meter zones that were evaluated
as part of this study are depicted in Figure 1.
The contents of this study include the following:
· Review of data collection methodologies
· Existing parking demand modeling
· Zonal parking analysis
· Event considerations
· What’s next in the process
The goal for the City is to optimize the utilization of existing parking facilities so that there is a balance between providing necessary parking to
support area businesses while also enhancing multimodal connectivity to create a vital downtown atmosphere.
Page 1
Figure 1 – Study Area
Page 2
Existing Parking System
Within the study area, there are currently 10,960 parking
spaces. This consists of on-street metered and unmetered Study Area Parking Inventory
parking, as well as off-street public parking and restricted 1,439 spaces
1,645 spaces
parking. The restricted parking consists of facilities that might 13%
15%
be publicly or privately owned but are restricted to a specific Metered On-Street
land use and is not accessible to the general public. Figures 2
and 3 illustrate the parking restrictions for on-street and off- Unmetered On-
street facilities. A similar breakdown of parking inventory is 1,855 spaces
Street 17%
provided for each zone in the zonal analysis sections.
Public Off-Street
This study evaluates the 10,960 spaces, which is mostly publicly
owned parking. Facilities shown in the maps throughout this
Restricted Off- 6,021 spaces
document are the facilities that are included in this analysis. 55%
There are additional spaces within the study area that are Street
privately owned. Some of these privately-owned facilities are
accessible to the public. For instance, businesses that provide on-site parking or parking in rear. These parking facilities were not included in the
analysis at this phase. They will be considered in future use of the Park+ model.
All meters in the study area have a rate of $1 per hour and are enforced Monday through Friday from 8am until 5pm. All on-street parking is free
after 5pm on weekdays and at all times on weekends.
The parking rates for the public off-street facilities vary throughout the study area, by facility and by time of day. The five city garages have the
same hourly rates for the most part. The Centro garage is the only garage that charges for the first hour. The first hour is free in the other four
garages. However, with the exception of that first hour, the hourly rates in all garages are the same for weekdays. The rate increases by $1 for
every hour a car is parked in one of the garages. In the evenings and on weekends, a singular flat rate is charged for parking in the garages,
regardless of how long a vehicle is parked.
Figure 4 through Figure 8 on the following pages illustrate the flat rates for weekday and weekend daytime rates, weekday and weekend
evening rates, and monthly rates for the publicly owned off-street facilities. Rates are based on a typical 8-hour weekday.
Page 3
Figure 2 – Off-Street Parking Restrictions
Page 4
Figure 3 – On-Street Parking Restrictions
Page 5
Figure 4 – Parking Facility Type with Weekday Daytime Flat Rates
*The off-street parking facilities without price labels are either free or restricted to employees only.
** TTC Facilities shown are typical weekday non-event rates. Rates may vary during events.
Page 6
Figure 5 – Parking Facility Type with Weekday Evening Flat Rates
Page 7
Figure 6 – Parking Facility Type with Weekend Daytime Flat Rates
Page 8
Figure 7 – Parking Facility Type with Weekend Evening Flat Rates
Page 9
Figure 8 – Parking Facility Type with Monthly Rates
*The off- street parking facilities without price labels don’t offer monthly parking.
Page 10
Data Collection
Parking patterns and behaviors vary depending on the day of the week and the time of day. For instance, the demands and behaviors for a
weekday differ from a weekend because during the week people are traveling to work, whereas on the weekends their travel is dictated by
other activities. The same is true when looking at daytime versus nighttime conditions. To accurately capture the varying behaviors within the
study area, data was collected on different days of the week and at different times of the day to capture morning, afternoon, evening, and late-
night parking behaviors for both weekday and weekend conditions.
Parking occupancy data was collected by Park Tucson staff for the on-street and public off-street parking facilities within the study area to better
understand parking availability in each of the Downtown zones. Data was collected on Tuesday and Wednesday to represent typical weekday
conditions. Data was also collected on Fridays to represent a hybrid or typical transitional conditions, and on Saturdays to represent typical
weekend conditions. Park Tucson staff collected parking counts multiple times to capture spring and fall season parking demands and to better
understand the parking characteristics in the study area.
Table 1 summarizes the dates and times that counts were collected. On the days noted in the table, Park Tucson staff counted the actual
number of vehicles parked (in various components of the public parking system) throughout the day. These days were chosen because they
represented the time of typical parking needs for the study area within different seasonal conditions. It should be noted that not all facilities
were counted on all days due to the number of facilities that needed to be collected. Additional, targeted counts were performed in the Spring
of 2018 focusing on particular event dates or on particular areas. These are included and noted in the table below.
For the weekday collection periods data was collected at 9am, 12pm, and 7pm. On Friday, data was collected at 9am, 12pm, 7pm, and 12am to
capture the parking demands created from evening nightlife. On Saturdays, data was collected at 10am, 12pm, 7pm, 12am. Counts taken in
March 2018 were at 9am, 10am, 12pm, 3pm, 4pm, 7pm, and 12am for all days of the week to evaluate a wider range of conditions within the
off-street parking facilities. Maps showing the results of the Spring-Summer 2017 and Spring 2018 counts can be found in the Appendix.
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Table 1 – Days Parking Data was Collected
Parking
Season Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Facility Type
April 28th,
May 2nd, May 3rd, April 29th,
Spring- Off-Street May 12th,
- May 9th, May 24th, - May 13th, -
Summer May 28th,
June 20th June 21st June 24th
2017 June 23rd
On-Street -
- - - - - -
September 15th,
September 16th,
September 18th, September 27th, September 22nd,
Off-Street September 23rd,
- September 26th, November 22nd, - September 29th, -
September 30th,
November 21st November 28th November 17th,
November 18th
Fall- December 1st
Winter September 15th,
September 16th,
2017 September 22nd,
September 18th, September 27th, September 23rd,
September 29th,
On-Street September 26th, October 11th, September 30th,
- - October 6th, -
October 10th, December 13th, October 7th,
October 13th,
December 12th December 20th October 14th,
October 20th,
October 21st
December 15th
March 19th, March 17th, March 18th,
March 16th,
Off-Street April 23rd, March 13th, March 14th, March 15 , th
March 24th, March 25th,
March 23rd,
Spring April 30th, May 1st May 2nd May 3rd April 28th, April 29th,
May 4th
2018 May 7th May 5th May 6th
*April 23rd,
On-Street *April 28th, *April 29th,
*April 30th, *May 1st *May 2nd *May 3rd *May 4th
*May 5th *May 6th
*May 7th
*Focused counts of particular events and/or particular areas
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The Fall-Winter 2017 season represents the most complete and representative set of off-street and on-street data and was therefore used to
build the parking demand model. Figure 9 below illustrates the study area and the parking facilities in which data was collected for the Fall-
Winter 2017 season. The additional data counted in Spring 2017 and 2018 was used as supplemental data to define seasonal differences.
As included in the map below, “On-street (Non-Metered)” parking includes sections with neighborhood parking permit restrictions, non-
residents permit areas, and time-limited free parking areas.
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Figure 9 – Study Area Observed Parking Facilities
Page 14
Parking Demand Modeling
An analysis of parking supply and demand, using Kimley-Horn’s Park+ modeling software, was developed in order to assess the impacts resulting
from community growth and changing use of transportation modes. The assessment used potential new developments and the impacts of
changing parking supplies within the Downtown study area to predict changes in overall demand and necessary public supply.
The Park+ model evaluates parking data collected in the field, existing land use intensities, parking relationships to surrounding land uses (such
as retail, offices, theaters, owned and rented single and multifamily housing, among others), walking tolerances, and community-specific parking
behaviors to predict localized parking demands. Each land use generates a certain amount of parking demand which is captured in the Park+
model and used to predict changing parking behaviors. The model uses all of this data to predict future parking occupancies for the parking
facilities in the study area, as well as create unique parking generation rates depicting land use demand patterns in the study area. The results of
the demand model represent the cumulative amount of parking demand generated, where it is being generated, and the impacts these
demands have on the area parking facilities. In turn, this level of analysis provides a detailed understanding of the parking behaviors and helps
inform parking recommendations that are specific to the unique character of each of area in Downtown Tucson.
For the purpose of this study, an effective capacity threshold was used to test the effectiveness of the public parking system to handle projected
demands. Effective capacity is an industry-accepted occupancy threshold for parking facilities that indicates the efficiency of the facility or
system. Based on industry standards, the primary threshold is 85 percent of the total capacity of the parking system and/or certain areas within
the system. This is the threshold that indicates whether the parking system is operating effectively. For example, when observed or projected
occupancies are under this threshold, users can typically locate spaces easily. When observed or projected occupancies are at or above this
threshold, users cannot typically find available parking easily. At this level of occupancy, those looking for parking will have to “circle” to find
available spaces which adds to traffic congestion, greenhouse gas emissions, and general frustration at the lack of readily available parking.
This analysis includes all on-street (metered and un-metered), public off-street lots and garages that are available to the general public, and
restricted off-street, which includes permitted parking for employees or specific businesses that purchase permits to park in Park Tucson
facilities. The breakdown of space inventory is provided in the graph below.
Study Area-Wide Results
Upon completion of data collection, the count data was used to determine the occupancy for each facility in the study area. These occupancies
were used to determine which day of the week and time of day had the highest existing demand. The day and time that had the highest demand
across the study area in its entirety was Friday at 12pm with an overall occupancy of 50%. This data point was used to define the peak day and
time for the entire study area.
With that said, the parking system is more complex than simply identifying the peak hour and overall occupancy for the entire study area.
Certain parking facilities are restricted to specific people or land uses. Location of parking also plays a critical role in system efficiency. Parking is
Page 15
only functional if it is located an acceptable walking distance from the destination. Additionally, there are different types of parking in the study
area that are used differently during different peak conditions. This analysis uses the parking model to explore all components of the parking
system to identify where parking is available, when it is available, and whether it is available to the general user coming into the downtown area.
This section delves into the study area parking as whole to identify opportunities and constraints at the time when the study area experiences
the highest cumulative demands. Later in this report, the analysis will explore each of the seven zones individually in a similar manner to identify
opportunities and constraints within each zone.
Table 2 summarizes the land uses throughout the study area. These land uses are generalized into these categories for the purpose of the
report. In the Park+ model, the land uses are more granular so that the parking demands are more specific to individual uses and locations.
Table 2 – Study Area Generalized Land Uses

Study Area Parking Supply
Land Use Intensity Unit of Measure
Apartments/Condos 1,740 Dwelling Units
Single Family Homes 391 Dwelling Units Restricted Off-
Retail 257,568 Square Feet Street
1,645 spaces
Office 1,581,134 Square Feet On-Street
Government Office 3,309,427 Square Feet 3,294
337,054 Square Feet spaces
Restaurant/Lounge
Convention Center 372,474 Square Feet
Public Off-
Street
6,021
spaces
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The graph below indicates the number of vehicles that park in each of the respective parking facility types along with the overall occupancy by
day and time of day. The intent of this graph is to illustrate how the parking demands fluctuate throughout the day for weekdays and weekends.
Study Area Parking Trends by Facility Type

6,000 60%
50%
5,000 44% 50%
43%
41%
39% 38%
4,000 35% 35% 40%
32%
30%
3,000 27% 26% 30%
23%
20%
2,000 20%
1,000 10%
0 0%
On-Street Public Off-Street Restricted Off-Street Average Parking Occupancy
System Wide Parking Occupancy – Peak Hour (Friday at 12pm) The peak day and hour for the study area was Friday at 12pm with
Parking Facility Type Supply Vehicles Parked Occupancy an overall occupancy of 50%. On-street parking utilization
On-Street 3,294 1,455 44% increased at night and on the weekends, which is expected as the
on-street is free at those times. Overall, the parking in the study
Public Off-Street 6,021 3,070 51%
area is underutilized, indicating that there are opportunities in the
Restricted Off-Street 1,645 911 55%
study area to accommodate new or changing demands as the area
Study Area 10,960 5,436 50%
continues to grow. However, facility location must be considered.
Page 17
The chart below compares the number of spaces available with those that are occupied. The dashed line on the graph represents the 85%
effective capacity threshold. As the number of occupied spaces approaches this line, efficiency within the system deteriorates.
Study Area Parking Availability

12,000
10,000
8,000 5,524
6,503 6,274 6,094
7,074 6,738 7,086 6,754
7,406 7,719
8,009 8,409 8,062
8,734
6,000
4,000
5,436
4,457 4,686 4,866
2,000 3,886 4,222 3,874 4,206
3,554 3,241
2,951 2,551 2,898
2,226
Occupied Spaces Available Spaces Effective Capacity
The graph indicates that there is ample publicly available parking throughout the study area during the peak day and hour. However, it is
important to realize where those spaces are. Simply because they are available, does not necessarily mean they are attractive if they are located
far away from popular destinations. Figure 10 on the following page illustrates each of the parking facilities by occupancy and notes the number
of spaces available during the peak hour for off-street facilities. While there is parking availability, there are a number of facilities, both on-and
off-street that are either at or above 85% occupancy.
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Figure 10 – Study Area Parking Occupancy and Available Spaces (Friday 12pm)
Findings
The area between
Stone Avenue and
4th Avenue, and
Toole Avenue and
Broadway Avenue is
the area that has
the highest
utilization of parking
relative to its supply,
however there are
additional pockets
of increased
demand such as the
off-street facilities
along Council Street
west of Stone and
Block 175 west of
Church. This can
give the impression
that parking is
unavailable. People
want to park as
close as possible to
their destination.
*Privately owned facilities that chose not to provide consistent access for the study are labelled by their capacity.
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Zonal Analysis
The Downtown Tucson study area consists of seven uniquely different zones, each with its own unique land use patterns and parking
characteristics. The zones are: The Downtown area with zones including the Cultural/Convention zone, Entertainment zone, and
Government/Office zone, as well as the Greater 4th Avenue Business District that includes the Iron Horse zone, The Avenue zone, and
Warehouse District, along with the Mercado Zone. These areas and zones are based on the parking meter zoning identified by the City. The
following sections define the parking characteristics and model outputs for each of the subzones.
Cultural/Convention Zone
The Cultural/Convention zone is located in the southwest portion of the downtown area, bounded by Congress Street to the north, Cushing
Street to the south, I-10 to the west, and 6th Avenue to the east. This zone is home to the Tucson Convention Center (TCC), Arizona Theatre
Company, Children’s Museum of Tucson, St. Augustine Cathedral, and the Evo DeConcini Federal Courthouse. Retail and residential uses are
located towards the east end of the zone. In this zone, the parking demands fluctuate based on the presence of an event, particularly large
events held at the TCC. Table 3, provides further detail of the land use breakdown within the Cultural/Convention Zone and the corresponding
intensities. The graph below presents the parking inventory present in this zone. All parking within this zone is publicly available.
Table 3 – Cultural/Convention Zone Land Uses
Land Use Category Intensity Unit of Measure
Apartments 90 Dwelling units
Arena 9,275 Seats Parking Supply
Art Studio 22,317 Square feet
Church 57,480 Square feet On-street
Convenience Market 3,571 Square feet 371 spaces
Exhibit Halls 156,007 Square feet
Condominiums 4 Dwelling units
General Retail 4,288 Square feet
Government Office 211,283 Square feet
Hotel 6 Rooms
Medical Office 12,636 Square feet
Museum 49,732 Square feet
Office 482,374 Square feet Public Off-Street
Performing Arts Theater 3,423 Seats 1,812 spaces
Single Family Home 23 Dwelling units
Vacant 472,836 Square feet
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The graph below indicates the number of vehicles that park in each of the respective parking facility types, along with the overall occupancy by
Cultural/Convention Parking Trends by Facility Type

800 40%
34% 35%
700 32% 35%
30%
28% 29%
600 28% 27% 30%
500 21% 22% 25%

20%
400 20%
16%
300 15%
9% 10%
200 10%
100 5%
0 0%
On-Street Public Off-Street Study Area
Cultural/Convention Parking Occupancy – Peak Hour (Friday at 12pm) The peak day and hour for the Cultural/Convention zone was
Parking Facility Type Supply Vehicles Parked Occupancy Friday at 12pm, with an occupancy of 35%. During the
weekend, half of the users choose on-street parking, occupying
On-Street 371 106 29%
nearly all available on-street parking. On Saturdays at 7pm, the
Public Off-Street 1,812 655 36%
on-street parking is 84% occupied, which means that even
Cultural/Convention Zone 2,183 761 35%
though there are few on-street spaces, they are preferred
when they are free. Overall, on both weekdays and weekends,
the facilities in this zone are underutilized and can potentially
be used as a resource as the area grows.
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Cultural/Convention Parking Availability

2500
2000
1500 1,440 1,422

1,576 1,563 1,476 1,522 1,551 1,590
1,756 1,719 1,711
1,840
1,996 1,975
1000
500
743 707 761 661
607 620 632 593
427 464 472
343
187 208
0
The graph indicates that the parking system in this zone is underutilized during a typical day. Much of this underutilization could be due to the
proximity of parking relative to demand generating land uses. As indicated in Figure 11 on the following page, unless the destination is the TCC
the parking in this zone is outside of comfortable walking distances from other destinations in this zone and to other areas downtown. These lots
could provide a shared parking opportunity for future developments, with careful consideration sharing during higher demand periods during
events at TCC.
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Figure 11 – Cultural/Convention Zone Parking Occupancy (Friday 12pm)
Findings
Under typical
weekday and
weekend conditions,
parking in this zone is
underutilized, both
on-street and off-
street. Opportunities
could be explored to
make better use of
this parking,
especially since the
three large lots along
Granada Avenue are
also on the streetcar
route. However,
consideration should
be given during an
event when these
lots are likely to see
an increase in
utilization. The
events section of this
report provides detail
on these lots for
event conditions.
Page 23
Entertainment Zone
The Entertainment zone is the core retail, restaurant, and entertainment business district in Downtown Tucson. This zone is bounded by the
Union Pacific Rail Line to the north and east, Scott Avenue to the west, and East 12th Street to the South. This zone contains a varied mixture of
land uses, which are summarized in Table 4 below.
Parking is predominantly public off-street for employees and visitors. Multifamily properties in the area have private off-street parking facilities
reserved for their exclusive use. The parking mix in this zone is shown in the graph below.
Table 4 – Entertainment Zone Land Uses

Art Retail/Studio 5,220 Square feet
Classroom 9,250 Square feet
Community Center 28,208 Square feet
Entertainment Zone Parking Supply
General Retail 93,134 Square feet Restricted Off-Street
Hotel 176 Rooms 180 spaces
Movie Theater 120 Seats
Museum 9,205 Square feet On-Street
724 spaces
Office 15,2727 Square feet
Performing Arts Theater 1,200 Seats
Post Office 6,363 Square feet
Pre-High School 783 Students
Restaurant/Lounge 168,919 Square feet Public Off-Street
Single Family Home 88 Dwelling units 1,553 spaces
Student Residence 456 Beds
Supermarket 7,692 Square feet
Warehouse 30,231 Square feet
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Entertainment Parking Trends by Parking Facility Type

1600 70%
59% 59%
1400 60%
52%
1200 48% 47% 49%
44% 43% 50%
40% 42%
1000 38% 38%
35% 37% 40%
800
30%
600
20%
400
200 10%
0 0%
On-Street Public Off-Street Restricted Off-Street Study Area
Entertainment Zone Parking Occupancy – Peak Hour (Saturday at 7pm) The peak day and hour for the Entertainment zone was Saturday
Parking Facility Type Supply Vehicles Parked Occupancy at 7pm with an occupancy of 59%. Friday at 12pm, also has an
On-Street 724 472 65% occupancy of 59%, however, as the next graph will show, Saturday
Public Off-Street 1,553 820 53% at 7pm has slightly more vehicles parked than Friday at 12pm. The
Restricted Off-Street 180 166 92% restricted parking is highly utilized, but this is a function of a small
supply. It is also centrally located supply in this zone, making it
Entertainment Zone 2,457 1,458 59%
highly desirable until it reaches the effective capacity level.
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Entertainment Parking Availability

3,000
2,500
2,000 1,017 999

1,268 1,296 1,256 1,181
1,478 1,368 1,392 1,434
1,602 1,517 1,560 1,529
1,500
1,000
1,440 1,458
1,189 1,161 1,201 1,276
500 979 1,089 1,065 1,023
855 940 897 928
The graph indicates that there is available parking throughout this zone. However, as Figure 12 on the following page illustrates, there are many
on-street facilities that are above the effective capacity threshold. Clusters of highly utilized parking facilities (on- and off-street) can give the
impression that parking is unavailable throughout the entire zone. In reality, if area visitors and employees were aware of the available parking
and willing to walk a few blocks further to their destination, the parking system in this zone could satisfy all of the demand generated within it.
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Figure 12 – Entertainment Zone Parking Occupancy (Saturday 7pm)
Findings
Since the on-street
parking is closest to
destinations, easily
accessible, and free
after 5pm it becomes
more desirable. The
on-street parking that
is over effective
capacity can give the
impression that
parking is
unavailable.
However, the off-
street facilities in the
northern portion of
this zone are
underutilized. There
is opportunity for the
off-street to absorb
additional demands,
which in turn would
make on-street
parking more
available, creating
better access to
businesses.
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Government/Office Zone
As the name indicates, the primary land use within the Government/Office zone is office, particularly government offices including the City and
County courts. However, this area also contains arts/cultural and historical destinations like the Presidio San Agustin del Tucson and the Tucson
Museum of Art and Historic Block as well as private office towers. The Government/Office zone is also home to the El Presidio Neighborhood,
the City’s first neighborhood listed on the National Register of Historic Places1. The zone is bounded by 6th Street and the railroad tracks to the
north, Congress Street to the south, I-10 to the west, and Scott Avenue and 6th Avenue to the east. The office uses are predominantly in the
southern part of the zone and residential uses are in the northern and western portions. Table 5 summarizes the land uses within this zone. The
parking mix for this zone is shown in the graph below.
Table 5 – Government/Office Zone Land Uses
Art Studio 35,803 Square feet Government/Office Zone Parking Supply
Bank 341,443 Square feet
City Park 8.88 Acres
On-Street
Convenience Market 2,294 Square feet
683
Day Care 4,807 Square feet Restricted Off-Street
General Retail 22,220 Square feet 1,117
Government Office 3,043,948 Square feet
Hotel 271 Rooms
Library 63,325 Square feet
Museum 68,305 Square feet
Office 558,027 Square feet Public Off-Street
2,958
Performing Arts Theater 1,164 Seats
Pre-High School 190 Students
Restaurant/Lounge 76,554 Square feet
Storage 218 Square feet
1
“Neighborhoods.” Downtown Tucson Partnership. June 2018 https://www.downtowntucson.org/live-work/neighborhoods/#el-presidio
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Government/Office Parking Trends by Facility Type

3000 70%
57%
2500 55% 54% 60%
52%
46% 46% 50%
2000
40%
1500
30%
1000 20%
18%
14% 16% 20%
13% 14%
12%
500 7%
10%
0 0%
Government/Office Zone Parking Occupancy – Peak Hour (Friday at 12pm) The peak day and hour for the Government/Office zone was
Parking Facility Type Supply Vehicles Parked Occupancy Friday at 12pm with an occupancy of 56%. This occupancy
On-Street 683 291 43% graphs clearly depicts the parking demands that would typically
Public Off-Street 2,958 1,795 61% be associated with an area dominated by office uses, with
higher utilization during the weekday and underutilization
Restricted Off-Street 1,117 630 56%
during the evenings and weekends.
Government/Office Zone 4,758 2,716 56%
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Government/Office Parking Availability

5000
4500
4000
2,163 2,172 2,042
2,277
3500 2,579 2,579
3000
3,910 4,002 3,819
4,127 4,100 4,079 4,204
2500 4,408
2000
1500
2595 2586 2716
2481
1000 2179 2179
500 848 939

631 658 679 756
554
350
0
Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday WednesdayWednesdayWednesday Friday 9am Friday Friday 7pm Friday Saturday Saturday Saturday Saturday
9am 12pm 7pm 9am 12pm 7pm 12pm 12am 10am 3pm 7pm 12am
Approximately half of the parking supply in this zone is utilized during the weekday peaks. Based on the map in Figure 13, the parking in the
eastern portion of this zone is highly utilized. The facilities that have available spaces are on-street facilities and off-street facilities that are
further west. The City/State Garage in this zone has approximately 527 available spaces, however, it is likely too far west to be used to satisfy
demands generated in this zone. The Pima County Public Service Center Garage on the northeast corner of Alameda Street and Stone Avenue
has nearly 315 spaces available, however this garage includes both publicly accessible and restricted access areas. While there could be an
opportunity to redistribute demands from the few highly utilized facilities, overall there is no parking capacity concern in this zone.
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Figure 13 – Government/Office Zone Parking Occupancy (Friday 12pm)
Findings
There are three off-
street facilities near
government offices
that are operating at
maximum capacity.
However, many other
off-street facilities a
few blocks away have
available capacity.
There is opportunity
to redistribute the
demands to these
facilities so that users
are not frustrated
with the parking
conditions in those
three facilities.
Page 31
The Avenue Zone
The Avenue zone is a highly-diversified zone with a combination of land uses that have competing demands throughout the daytime and high
utilization in the evenings and weekends. The focal point in this zone is 4th Avenue with its performance venues, bars, and restaurants. This area
is also characterized by a number of local retail shops and other uses, such as, offices, art studios and homes.
Table 8 below summarizes the land uses that are included in this zone. The graph below provides the parking mix present within this zone that
was used for this analysis. There are a number of private lots located behind businesses; however, these were not included in this phase of the
study.
Table 8 – The Avenue Zone Land Use
Land Use Category Intensity Unit of Measure The Avenue Zone Parking Supply
Art Retail 2,169 Square Feet
Athletic Club 3,824 Square Feet Public Off-
Auto Service 22,257 Square Feet Street
Church 28,311 Square Feet 116 spaces
Convenience Market 2,700 Square Feet
General Retail 179,691 Square Feet
Lounge 69,012 Square Feet
Restricted Off-
Office 35,455 Square Feet Street
Restaurant 85,548 Square Feet On-Street
232 spaces 490 spaces
Single Family Home 110 Dwelling Units
Storage 4,514 Square Feet
Supermarket 2,160 Square Feet
Vacant 4,238 Square Feet
Warehouse 6,930 Square Feet
Page 32
The Avenue Parking Trends by Facility Type

700 80%
71%
68%
600 64% 70%
56% 55% 60%

500
47% 50%
42% 43%
400 40% 41%
40%
300 31%
28%
25% 30%
23%
200
20%
100 10%
0 0%
On-Street Public Off-Street Private Off-Street Study Area
The Avenue Zone Parking Occupancy – Peak Hour (Saturday 12am)

The peak day and hour for the Avenue zone was Saturday at 12am
Parking Facility Type Supply Vehicles Parked Occupancy with an occupancy of 71%. This area is predominantly
On-Street 490 375 77% characterized by nightlife activities, and the peak day and hour
Public Off-Street 232 93 40% reflect those demands. The 71% occupancy would suggest that
Restricted Off-Street 116 125 108% the parking in this zone is operating efficiently, where it is not
The Avenue Zone 838 593 71% underutilized, but also has available parking.
Page 33
The Avenue Parking Availability

900
800
700 272 245

298
366 375
600 448 486 477
503 498
580 629 605
500 646
400
300 566 593

540
472 463
200 390 352 335 340 361
100
258 209 233
192
0
Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday Wednesday Wednesday Wednesday Friday 9am Friday Friday 7pm Friday Saturday Saturday Saturday Saturday
Occupided Spaces Available Spaces Effective Capacity
The graph above indicates that there are 245 spaces available in this zone during the peak day and hour. However, the location of these spaces
must also be considered. Simply because they are available does not mean they are accessible to patrons whose destination is 4 th Avenue.
Figure 15 on the following page shows that the available parking is in the far north-northwest portion of this zone, whereas the demand is in the
southern portion. Patrons in this zone will walk a few blocks, however, walking the entire length of 4 th Avenue is probably not desirable. Of the
245 available spaces at the peak hour, only 126 of those available spaces are located in the southern portion, including the consistently
underutilized 5th/7th Lot. Additionally, parking in the adjacent Iron Horse zone and surrounding neighborhoods is also highly occupied at this
same time period. Users in this zone will be hard pressed to find available parking in a timely manner and will likely have to circle the area to find
parking at this time. An alternative to the unavailable parking in center of The Avenue zone is to incorporate shared parking with the District
Apartments located on the north-east corner of 6th St and Arizona Ave, with garage access from Arizona Ave or Herbert Ave, due to the typical
underutilized conditions.
Page 34
Figure 15 – The Avenue Zone Parking Occupancy (Saturday 12am)
Findings
Available parking is
located in the
northern portion of
this zone, however,
many of the demand
generating uses are
in the south. The
streetcar can
potentially be
leveraged to disperse
the demand and the
lots on the north
could potentially be
promoted as a park-
and-ride lots on
weekend evenings
only. Parking is also
available in the
nearby Pennington,
Depot Plaza, and
Centro garages,
which are south of
the train tracks.
Page 35
Iron Horse Zone
The Iron Horse zone, located in the western section of the Iron Horse Neighborhood, is primarily residential homes and apartments with some
office and commercial uses closer to 4th Avenue. Table 6 summarizes the land uses within this zone. In this zone, only on-street parking was
collected as part of this study as there is no publicly owned off-street parking. The off-street parking in this zone is private, and therefore not
considered as part of this stage of the study. There is a total of 183 on-street parking spaces in this zone, a portion of which is managed through
a neighborhood parking permit program.
Table 6 – Iron Horse Zone Land Uses

Auto Service 5,794 Square feet
Classroom 18,850 Square feet
General Retail 25,345 Square feet
Lounge 2,815 Square feet
Office 26,738 Square feet
Restaurant 18,850 Square feet
Supermarket 11,597 Square feet
Vacant 761 Square feet
Warehouse 10,132 Square feet
Page 36
Iron Horse Parking Trends by Facility Type

160 74% 80%
140 70%
62%
120 60%
50%
100 44% 50%
38% 40%
36% 37%
80 34% 34% 40%
28% 28% 30%

27%
60 30%
40 20%
20 10%
0 0%
On-Street Study Area
Iron Horse Zone Parking Occupancy – Peak Hour (Saturday at 12am) The peak day and hour for the Iron Horse zone was Saturday at
Parking Facility Type Supply Vehicles Parked Occupancy 12am with an occupancy of 74%. The high utilization at this day
On-Street 183 136 74% and time is likely due to its proximity to 4th Avenue bars and
restaurants.
Iron Horse Zone 183 136 74%
Page 37
Iron Horse Parking Availability

200
180
160 47
70
140 91
110 102
117 115 113
120 121 128 121
133 131 131
100
80
136
60
113
92
40
73 81
66 68 70
62 55 62
50 52 52
20
0
Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday Wednesday Wednesday Wednesday Friday 9am Friday Friday 7pm Friday Saturday Saturday Saturday Saturday
As shown in the graph above and Figure 14 on the following page, although this zone is operating at an acceptable occupancy level, those
wishing to park in the vicinity of 9th Street will likely have to circle the area to find a street with available parking. Additionally, as this area is
predominantly residential in nature, the weekday morning and evening demands would indicate the demand is generated mostly by those living
in the area. The demand spikes experienced on Friday and Saturday late nights would indicate that the additional users in this area could be
parking here for non-residential purposes attracted by the nightlife found in this zone and the Avenue zone.
Page 38
Figure 14 – Iron Horse Zone Parking Occupancy (Saturday 12am)
Findings
Although the data
shows that the on-
street facilities in this
zone are operating
efficiently at 74%, the
map indicates that
trying to park in this
zone could be
frustrating as many of
the block faces are at
capacity. The block
faces showing 50% or
less occupied are
currently residential
restricted, whereas
areas that are free and
unrestricted were
observed to operate at
or above 90% occupied.
Page 39
Warehouse District Zone
The Warehouse District zone is characterized by high intensity zoning options through the Infill Incentive District, with allowed heights up to 160
feet, as well as larger warehouses that have been converted for use as art studios and galleries, restaurants, and retail. This zone also contains
the Sun Link operations and maintenance building. Given the infill incentives and projected impacts from the Downtown Links project, this area
is anticipated to experience major development pressure. Table 9 below summarizes the land uses that are included in this zone. The graph
below provides the parking mix present within this zone that was used for this analysis. There are no publicly owned and operated restricted
parking facilities in this zone. There is private parking in this area, however, they are not lots that are available to the public and are not owned
by the city. Therefore, they are not included as part of this study.
Table 9 – Warehouse District Zone Land Use

Warehouse District Zone Parking Supply
Art Retail 12,934 Square Feet
Auto Service 3,333 Square Feet
General Retail 17,776 Square Feet
Government Office 15,544 Square Feet
Lounge 2,867 Square Feet *Public Off-
Office 34,293 Square Feet Street
Restaurant 8,597 Square Feet 74 spaces
On-Street
Vacant 2,678 Square Feet
114 spaces
Warehouse 11,727 Square Feet
*Parking Supply in the above pie chart represent typical

weekday conditions. The Reproductions Lot is publicly
accessible in the evening adding 52 spaces of public off-street
parking.
Page 40
Warehouse District Parking Trends by Facility Type

100 60%
90
47% 48%
46% 46% 50%
80 43% 42% 43%
70 38% 38%
36% 37% 40%
35%
60
27% 28%
50 30%
40
20%
30
20
10%
10
0 0%
Warehouse District Zone Parking Occupancy – Peak Hour (Saturday 7pm)

The peak day and hour for the Warehouse District zone was
Parking Facility Type Supply Vehicles Parked Occupancy Saturday at 7pm with an occupancy of 48%. The occupancy
On-Street 114 61 54% patterns in this area are relatively consistent throughout the
Public Off-Street 74 30 41% week, increasing slighting on the weekend. While it appears
Mercado Zone 188 91 48% to have ample availability, there is not a lot of parking supply
in this area.
Page 41
Warehouse District Parking Availability

200
180
160
140 99 102 97 101

107 109 116 108
117 121 122 119
120 137 135
100
80
60
81 89 86 91 87
40
71 79 72 80
67 66 69
51 53
20
Occupied Spaces Avaiable Spaces Effective Capacity
The graph above and the map in Figure 16 on the following page indicate that there is available parking of 100 or more spaces in this area. The
majority of these available spaces are located in the off-street parking facility. This provides opportunity to accommodate new parking demands
in this area if further redevelopment occurs. Given the location of this zone, this parking could potentially be shared with other zones,
specifically the Avenue zone, to alleviate high study area demands.
Page 42
Figure 16 – Warehouse Zone Parking Occupancy (Saturday 7pm)
Findings
Even though there
are less than 200
spaces total in this
zone, nearly 100 of
them are available
during this zone’s
peak hour. This zone
is directly adjacent to
the Avenue zone,
which could use the
parking in this zone
to alleviate the high
demands.
Page 43
Mercado Zone
The Mercado zone is a master-planned area under single ownership located west of I-10, between Cushing Street to the south and Congress to
the north. In recent years, this area has seen new development, mostly in the form of residential land uses. This development includes Mercado
San Agustin and MSA Annex, which are retail and restaurant/bar uses. This zone is also the west end of the Sun Link streetcar line and has two
stations. Many users will park in the free dirt lots in the Mercado zone and take the streetcar into Downtown.
In addition to the development in this zone, there are existing uses and incoming development in the areas adjacent to this zone, that even
though they aren’t part of the study area, they do impact this zone. Development for Caterpillar is under construction south of Cushing Street
and the El Rio Health Center is north of Congress. There is also a number of single family homes surrounding the study area. There are currently
no residential-restricted permit zones in the surrounding Menlo Park Neighborhood.
Since data was collected at the onset of this study, the off-street parking has been removed or reconfigured for the construction of the West End
Station apartments and MSA Annex. A portion of the off-street parking has been moved to the east side of Avenida del Convento.
Table 7 below summarized the land uses that are included in this zone. It should be noted that the actual Mercado area is larger than what was
included in this study. This study looked at a subarea which included the land uses below. The graph below provides the parking mix present
within this zone that was used for this analysis.
Mercado Zone Parking Supply

Table 7 – Mercado Zone Land Uses
Office 348 Square Feet On-Street
203 spaces
Retail 7,745 Square Feet
Restaurant 11,166 Square Feet
Market 6,204 Square Feet
Public Off-Street
404 spaces
Page 44
Mercado Parking Trends by Facility Type

400 70%
60%
350 60%
54%
300 48% 48%
50%
42%
250
35% 36% 35% 40%
200 29% 30%
30%
150
20%
100 11%
50 5% 10%
0% 0%
0 0%
Mercado Zone Parking Occupancy – Peak Hour (Friday at 7pm) The peak day and hour for the Mercado zone was Friday at 7pm
Parking Facility Type Supply with an occupancy of 60%. The on-street demand is higher
Vehicles Parked Occupancy
(especially on Avenida del Convento) due to its proximity to the
On-Street 203 160 79%
MSA and streetcar station. As this is mostly a residential area and
Public Off-Street 404 202 50%
the utilization peaks correspond with nightlife activity, it would
Mercado Zone 607 362 60% appear that these facilities are currently used to access the
downtown area using the streetcar. In the near future, this
behavior will likely change due to the new development.
Page 45
Mercado Parking Availability

700
600
500
245 281
352 316 317
400 397 390 395 422
429
539
300 604 577 607
200
362 326
255 291 290
100 178 210 217 212 185
68 30
0 3 0
The graph above and map on the following page indicate that there is parking available in this area, however, since the start of this study, the
parking in this area has changed. The dirt lot between Avenida del Convento and Linda Avenue is largely diminished to accommodate new
development. The area is currently operating at an acceptable level of occupancy however, this area is going to experience a number of changes
within the coming year. While these lots may currently be free and available, due to the new development, their availability and configuration
will be changing in a way that is not quite determined. As availability becomes constrained in this area, converting the dirt lot into a paved paid
parking lot for the remaining spaces could be beneficial to help manage demands.
Page 46
Figure 17 – Mercado Zone Parking Occupancy (Friday 7pm)
Findings
While the data
suggests that there is
availability in this
zone upcoming
changes will have a
significant impact.
The eastern lot with
the most availability
will be closed for
redevelopment as
soon as 2019.
Portions of the other
lots will be consumed
for other
development or
staging to support
development. The
parking in this area
will have to be
dynamic to
accommodate the
development and
changing nature of
this area.
Page 47
Events
The study area is the host of numerous special events and festivals throughout the year of varying sizes and impacts. Events present challenges
for the parking system for a number of reasons:
§ They create a temporary strain on the parking system with the influx of different demand that isn’t normally present
§ The event demand can often coincide with the typical weekday or weekend demand so that different users are competing for the same
parking spaces at the same time of day
§ Event goers may not be as familiar with the study area parking system as everyday users are and therefore can become confused and
frustrated easily if they can’t find parking quickly near their event. This can result in forming negative perceptions for the study area and
the event.
As part of this study it was important to not only understand parking under typical conditions, but to also understand how a few of the larger
events impact the parking system. Six special events were selected as part of this study. Between these events all seven zones are impacted.
Event Name Frequency Area Impacted
Tucson Folk Festival Annual event in early May Primarily impacts parking in the Government/Office zone
in Downtown
Tucson Roadrunners hockey games 34+ home dates in winter and springs Primarily impacts the Cultural/Convention zone in
Downtown and creates overflow parking in Barrio Viejo
Neighborhood
2nd Saturdays Monthly year-round Primarily impacts the Entertainment zone in Downtown
Santa Cruz Farmers Market at the Weekly, every Thursday afternoon year- Primarily impacts the Mercado
Mercado round
4th Avenue Winter and Spring Street Twice yearly Primarily impacts all three 4th Avenue business district
Fairs zones
St. Patrick’s Day Annual, March 17th Primarily impacts the 4th Avenue and Congress Street
entertainment districts—all three 4th Avenue zones and
the Entertainment zone in Downtown
These were selected to be part of the study because each event touches one or multiple zones within the study area and because they are fairly
significant and popular events in Downtown Tucson. The following pages present the analysis for each of these events and their impact on the
parking system.
Page 48
Even though events can force the system to operate above normal operating levels and can even push a zone over the effective capacity
threshold, they are temporary strains on the system. It is acceptable to maximize the use of the parking system beyond the effective capacity so
that more users are accommodated for the short period of time during an event.
Tucson Folk Festival
The Tucson Folk Festival is a free two-day event to celebrate Americana and Folk Music Traditions. This festival attracts over 12,000 fans and
participants in some of the most historic sections of Downtown Tucson: El Presidio Park, La Cocina Restaurant, the Presidio Museum and the
surrounding area.
day. The intent of this graph is to illustrate how the parking demands fluctuate throughout both days of the Folk Festival.
Tucson Folk Festival Event Parking Trends by Facility Type

1200 80%
70%
1000
63% 60%
800 52% 53% 50%
46% 43%
600 42% 40%
30%
400
23% 20%
200 10%
10%
0 0%
May 5 (9am) May 5 (1pm) May 5 (4pm) May 5 (7pm) May 6 (9am) May 6 (1pm) May 6 (4pm) May 6 (7pm)
Tucson Folk Festiva Event Parking Occupancy – Peak Hour (May 5 7pm)
The peak hour occurred on Saturday May 5th at 7pm with
Parking Facility Type Supply Vehicles Parked Occupancy an occupancy of 63%. On-street parking experienced the
On-Street 538 464 86% highest occupancy at 86% during this time. Sunday, May 6th
Public Off-Street 407 210 52% experienced the most consistent parking trends throughout
Restricted Off-Street 574 285 50% the day with occupancies fluctuating between 40 and 50%.
Event Area 1,502 959 63%
Page 49
The chart below shows the comparison of occupied and available spaces throughout the event. The dashed line represents the 85% effective
capacity threshold. As the number of occupied spaces approaches this line, efficiency within the system deteriorates.
Tucson Folk Festival Parking Availability

1600
1400
1200 560
736 717
878 827 860
1000
1164
800 1366
600
959
400 783 802
641 692 659
200 355
153
0
As indicated in the graph above and Figure 18 below, there are more than 500 spaces available during the peak day and peak hour of the Folk
Festival. The available spaces are distributed throughout the event area located in the off-street facilities. In the north-east portion of the event,
public and restricted off-street facilities make up approximately 78% of the available spaces. Due to the off-street facilities consisting of more
than half of the available spaces, 45% of those facilities are publicly accessible.
Page 50
Figure 18 – Tucson Folk Festival Event Parking Occupancy May 5 7pm)
Findings
The surrounding on-
street facilities were
observed to absorb
the greatest amount
of event parking
demands, resulting in
an occupancy over
the effective capacity
threshold (86%).
However, within the
three public off-street
facilities within the
event area, there
were approximately
197 available spaces
during the peak
period. Utilizing these
facilities can help
reduce the on-street
demand and more
efficiently balance the
overall parking
system.
Page 51
Tucson Roadrunners Hockey Game Night
The Tucson Roadrunners is an American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL Arizona Coyotes. The 2017-2018 season consisted of 34 home games
between the months of October 2017 through April 2018. Their home games are played at the Tucson Arena on the Tucson Convention Center
Campus located in the southwest portion of the study area within the Cultural/Convention zone. As the season progressed, the fan interest rose
as the team made it to the playoffs, while hosting two rounds at home.
day. The intent of this graph is to illustrate how the parking demands vary throughout the season for each home game.
Hockey Event Parking Trends by Facility Type

2500 80%
70%
2000 67%
58% 60%
55% 55% 57%
50% 52% 50%
1500 45%
40%
1000 30%
20%
500 14% 14% 14% 16%
10% 10%
0 0%
November November November November December March 9 March 10 April 6 April 7 April 13 April 14 April 25 April 28
15 22 24 25 23
Hockey Event Parking Occupancy – Peak Hour (April 14 8:30pm) At the start of the season peak occupancies were consistently
low until significantly increasing on December 23rd. After the
Parking Facility Type Supply Vehicles Parked Occupancy
initial peak, occupancies remained consistent around 50%.
On-Street 1,467 695 47% The peak game was on April 14th with an occupancy of 67%.
Public Off-Street 1,512 1,215 80% The large amount of underutilized on-street parking is the
Restricted Off-Street 160 184 115% driving factor for the 67% occupancy. Combined, the off-
Event Area 3,139 2,094 67% street parking is approximately 90% occupied.
Page 52
The chart below shows the comparison of occupied and available on-street spaces throughout the event. The dashed line represents the 85%
TCC Hockey Event On-Street Parking Availability

1600
1400
1200
76
1000 96 97 96 97
1071 1066 1082 1077 1008 1039
1161 1193
800
600
400
695
200
493 453 490 496 422 488
390 395 379 384
300 268
0
The graph above and Figure 19 illustrates that there are available spaces within the Cultural/Convention zone that event patrons will take
advantage of, however most of those are located on-street within the Barrio Viejo neighborhood and their use during events should not be
encouraged. Additional off-street spaces were observed to be available during hockey events, such as within the La Placita Garage located north
of the convention center. The 300 space Hotel Arizona garage, located north of TCC Lot C, could potentially be opened for shared parking during
the hockey home events to reduce the surrounding on-street demand. Additionally, the residents in that neighborhood are frustrated with the
overflow parkers consuming their on-street parking, resulting in the implementation of a pilot program to extend two-hour time limits in Barrio
Viejo to deter event parking from TCC events including hockey games.
Page 53
Figure 19 – Hockey Event Parking Occupancy (Saturday 8:30pm)
Findings
Under typical conditions,
the TCC lots are
underutilized. However,
as shown in the map,
these lots are
at capacity with the
event generated demand
spilling into the
surrounding on-street
parking, frustrating the
residents. Shared parking
with two nearby garages
could absorb this
additional event
demand. Furthermore,
TCC is along the streetcar
route. The proximity to
the streetcar could be
leveraged during game
nights to encourage
people to park in other
facilities downtown or
the Mercado area.
Page 54
2nd Saturdays
The 2nd Saturday event is a community oriented event that consists of local vendors, musicians, and food trucks held on the second Saturday of
each month within Downtown Tucson. The focal point is the music stage, food trucks, and seating areas on Scott Avenue between Congress and
Broadway, with merchandise and food vendors placed in the on-street parking spaces along Congress between Stone and 5th Avenue. Street
performers and vendors enliven the street, while the businesses stay open into the evening. While the event’s hours change with the seasons,
generally the event runs from late afternoon through the evening. The graph below indicates the number of vehicles that park in each of the
respective parking facility types, along with the overall occupancy by day and time of day. The intent of this graph is to illustrate how the parking
demands fluctuate throughout the day. It should be noted that several parking facilities typically restricted to specific customers and employees
is made available to the general public during this event for parking. However, it was left as restricted so comparisons could be drawn with the
typical parking conditions presented in the previous report section.
2nd Saturday Parking Trends by Facility Type

1800 70%
1600 61% 60%
1400
50%
1200 45%
1000 40%
800 29% 31% 30%
600
20%
400
200 10%
0 0%
Saturday 11am Saturday 3pm Saturday 7pm Saturday 11pm
2nd Saturday Event Parking Occupancy – Peak Hour (Saturday 7pm) The peak hour for 2nd Saturdays is at 7pm with an occupancy
Parking Facility Type Supply Vehicles Parked Occupancy of 61%. The daily trends consistently reflect the event times
On-Street 469 366 78% (5-9pm), which peaks at the middle of the event. The data
Public Off-Street 1,775 908 51% indicates that this event increases demands in the study area
Restricted Off-Street 362 326 84% from 58% to 61%.
Event Area 2,606 1,600 61%
Page 55
The chart below shows the comparison of occupied spaces and available spaces throughout the event. The dashed line represents the 85%
2nd Saturday Parking Availability

3,000
2,500
1,033
2,000
1,437
1,866 1,815
1,500
1,000
1,600
1,196
500
76 81
As shown in the graph and the map below, observed counts indicate there are more than 1,000 spaces available during the peak hour of this
event. Looking at Figure 20, approximately 64% of those available spaces are located in public off-street facilities one block from the event core.
Two of the facilities with excess capacity in this area are promoted on the City’s website as ideal locations to park during this event. These two
facilities, however, remain underutilized. Although, on-street parking is restricted throughout the area during the event, and many block faces
are well utilized, there remain several block faces that were observed to operate at or below 25% occupied during data collections for this event.
Page 56
Figure 20 – 2nd Saturdays Event Parking Occupancy (Saturday 7pm)
Findings
Even though the demand
in the area doesn’t
change during this event
from typical peak
conditions in this zone,
the distribution of
parking changes. More
people park in off-street
facilities during this event
than on typical weekend
nights since on-street
facilities are reserved for
event vendors. Majority
of the public off-street
facilities located on the
outside perimeter of the
event have occupancies
above 90%. Utilizing
near-by on-street and
off-street facilities can
help prevent any demand
issues into the
surrounding zones.
Page 57
Santa Cruz Farmer’s Market at Mercado San Agustin
The Santa Cruz Farmer’s Market at Mercado San Agustin is located within the Mercado district of Menlo Park in the courtyard of Mercado San
Agustin and in adjacent parking stalls along the sidewalk on the west side of Avenida del Convento. Vendors varying from shops, restaurants and
services line up with booths within the courtyard on Thursday afternoons. The market runs from 3:00pm to 6:00pm in cooler months and from
4:00pm to 7:00pm during warmer months.
The graph below indicates the overall peak hour occupancy on the day of the Farmer’s Market. The intent of this graph is to illustrate how the
parking demands differ between the surrounding on-street and restricted off-street facilities. For this event, data was collected at the peak
event time of 5:30pm.
Santa Cruz Farmer's Market at Mercado San Agustin Occupancy by Facility Type
50%
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
47%
20% 39%
15%
10%
5%
0%
On-Street Public Off-Street
Farmer’s Market at Mercado Event Parking Occupancy – Peak Hour (5:30pm)

The peak hour occupancy for the event is 42%, which is
Parking Facility Type Supply Vehicles Parked Occupancy below the 85% effective capacity threshold. As discussed in
On-Street 230 108 47% the Mercado zone analysis, the streetcar route is located
Public Off-Street 365 142 39% adjacent to the parking facilities, which may be used for
Event Area 595 250 42% individuals to access the Farmer’s Market from other areas
of Downtown Tucson.
Page 58
Santa Cruz Farmer's Market at Mercado San Agustin (5:30pm)

400
350
300
250 223
200
122
150
100
142
50 108
0
On-Street Public Off-Street
Occupied Spaces Available Spaces On-Street Eff. Capacity Off-Street Eff. Capacity
In the graph above and Figure 21 below, illustrates there is approximately 60% of spaces available during the Farmer’s Market event. As the
figure below shows the most eastern on-street and off-street facilities make up more than half of these spaces, there is ability to park on-street
along Avenida del Convento and Calle de Los Higos. Since the big eastern lot and on-street facilities are operating at acceptable level of
occupancies, future area growth can utilize these facilities. Additionally, with the recent opening of the MSA Annex, not reflected in the above
data, approximately 15 new businesses will create more demand for parking in the Mercado, including during the Thursday farmer’s markets.
Page 59
Figure 21 – Santa Cruz Farmer’s Market at Mercado San Agustin Event Parking Occupancy (Thursday 5:30pm)
Findings
With a peak hour
occupancy of 73%,
similar to the Mercado
zone analysis, the most
eastern off-street facility
has the ability to absorb
some of the on-street
facilities outside of the
Mercado courtyard.
*Due to construction, Lot

E (east of Linda Avenue),
is not visible from the
market which is likely
impacting parking
occupancies at this
facility.
Page 60
4th Avenue Street Fair
The 4th Avenue Street Fair is a biannual event located along 4th Avenue. This event brings in over 300,000 people over a three-day weekend,
Friday through Sunday, once in the spring and again in the winter. The Fair hosts artists from around the world, decadent food, and local
entertainment. During this event, 4th Avenue is closed to on-street parking to make room for the vendors, pedestrians, musicians, and activities.
This closure interrupts the Streetcar’s continuous service, however the Fourth Avenue Merchants Association sponsors free shuttles connecting
the fair to the Pennington Street Garage and the UA garages by Main Gate Square. For the purposes of this study, the Spring Street Fair was
analyzed, as opposed to the Winter Street Fair.
The graph below indicates the overall occupancy peak hour on the day of the 4th Avenue Street Fair. The intent of this graph is to illustrate how
the parking demands differ between on-street and restricted off-street facilities. For this event, only the peak hour of Friday at 12pm was
collected.
4th Avenue Street Parking Trends by Facility Type

6,000 100%
5,000 80%
4,000
60%
3,000
40%
2,000
1,000 20%
0 0%
Friday 12pm Friday 4pm Saturday 11am Saturday 2pm Sunday 11am Sunday 2pm
4th Ave Street Fair Event Parking Occupancy – Peak Hour (Friday 12pm)
The peak hour occupancy for the event is 58%, which is
Parking Facility Type Supply Vehicles Parked Occupancy below the 85% effective capacity threshold. Occupancies
On-Street 3,684 2,065 56% throughout the event were observed to remain relatively
Public Off-Street 1,743 1,159 66% consistent, with a low occupancy of 42% on Saturday during
Restricted Off-Street 686 336 49% the 2pm observation period.
Event Area 6,113 3,560 58%
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4th Ave Street Fair (Friday 12pm) Parking Availability

7,000
6,000
5,000
2,553 2,749
3,192 3,080 3,027
3,523
4,000
3,000
2,000
3,560 3,364
2,921 3,033 3,086
2,590
1,000
0
Friday 12pm Friday 4pm Saturday 11am Saturday 2pm Sunday 11am Sunday 2pm
The graph above and Figure 21 below, illustrate that there are approximately 2,553 parking spaces available near the 4th Avenue Street Fair
during the observed peak period of Friday at 12pm. Publicly accessible off-street facilities near the event experience the highest occupancies at
66%, while the overall system within the area analyzed for this event was observed to collectively operate at approximately 58% utilized.
Page 62
Figure 22 – 4th Avenue Street Fair Event Parking Occupancy (Friday 12pm)
Findings
The off-street facilities in
the in the Entertainment
zone, or the southwest
portion of the event area
can be more effectively
utilized if individuals are
willing to walk further to
the event or if these are
provided connection via
a shuttle, such as the
Fourth Avenue
Merchants Association
sponsored free shuttles.
Encouraging the use of
perimeter off-street
facilities during the event
could help balance the
on-street demands in the
immediately adjacent
area of the event. This
may be accomplished
through increased
promotion of riding the
streetcar to and from the
fair from the opposite
end of the line.
Page 63
St. Patrick’s Day
On St. Patrick’s Day, there are different activities that occur in Downtown and 4th Avenue, including a parade and festival around Armory Park
and the southern portion of Downtown. For the purposes of this study, impacts of St. Patrick’s Day were analyzed as a restaurant and bar
district-wide business event, primarily on 4th Avenue as well as in the Entertainment zone. During this event, occupancy counts were collected
for on-street and off-street facilities surrounding 4th Avenue between 5th Ave & Euclid Avenue from west to east and 2 nd Street & 10th Street from
north to south. Three additional Downtown facilities were collected during this event that are not reflected in the tables or figures below; Centro
Garage (78% occupied), Pennington Garage (30% occupied), and Toole Lot (66% occupied).
time of day. The intent of this graph is to illustrate how the parking demands fluctuate throughout the event on Saturday.
St. Patrick's Day Event Parking Trends by Facility Type

2,000 90%
80%
76%
1,500 70%
66%
60%
50%
1,000
40% 40%
32% 30%
500 20%
10%
0 0%
Saturday 10am Saturday 3pm Saturday 7pm Saturday 12am
St. Patrick’s Day Event Parking Occupancy – Peak Hour (Saturday 7pm)
St. Patrick’s Day landed on a Saturday, which resulted in a peak
Parking Facility Type Supply Vehicles Parked Occupancy hour at 7pm with an occupancy of 76%. During typical conditions,
On-Street 1,156 1,074 93% the Iron Horse, Avenue, and Warehouse District zones are
Public Off-Street 74 32 43% operating at 74%, 71%, and 48% respectively. The overall
Restricted Off-Street 1,272 785 62% occupancy change is only minimally higher, however, the on-street
Event Area 2,502 1,891 76% parking during the event is impacted the most. For this event, it is
operating over effective capacity.
Page 64
St. Patrick's Day Event Parking Availability

3,000
2,500
611
2,000 847
1,510
1,698
1,500
1,000
1,891
1,655
500 99
80
The graph above and the map in Figure 23 on the following page indicate that there is available parking of 600 or more spaces in this area during
the peak hour. Even though this may seem like a lot of availability, these spaces are located in the far north end of 4 th Avenue. Similar to Figure
15, the on-street facilities along 4th Avenue are above the 85% threshold, forcing patrons further east and west. With approximately 600 spaces
of available parking, there is capacity to absorb the demands associated with this event if they are redirected to these facilities that have the
available capacity.
Page 65
Figure 23 – St. Patrick’s Day Parking Occupancy (Saturday 7pm)
Findings
The on-street parking, at
93% occupied during this
event, is operating at
maximum capacity, while
the off-street facilities
are at 43%. This is likely
due to the fact that on-
street parking is free
after 5pm.
Similar to The Avenue
findings, the majority of
the available parking is
located in the north end
of the event. Given that
most of the event
generated demand is in
the south end, utilizing
the nearby streetcar can
potentially allow people
to park and ride to the
events in the southern
portion of 4th Avenue.
Page 66
Study Findings and Recommendations
Overall, the parking in the study area is sufficient to meet current demands and likely has the ability to accommodate future increases in
demand, depending on the specifics of future development. The following is a summary of the peak day and time for the study area and each
zone analyzed as part of this study.
Area Peak Day Peak Hour Occupancy

Downtown Zones
Cultural/Convention Zone Friday 12pm 35%
Entertainment Zone Saturday 7pm 59%
Government/Office Zone Friday 12pm 54%
4th Avenue Zones
The Avenue Zone Saturday 12am 71%
Warehouse District Zone Saturday 7pm 48%
Iron Horse Zone Saturday 12am 74%
Mercado Friday 7pm 60%
Study Area Friday 12pm 50%
The main issue appears to be that there are a number of facilities near highly desired destinations (4th Avenue, Congress, Broadway) that have
higher occupancies at certain times of the day (or night), giving the perception that parking is unavailable or hard to find. Despite these localized
deficiencies, the existing parking in the study area is likely sufficient to meet demands.
The following sections present recommendations for the entire study area and following, recommendations for each zone. With each
recommendation, it is also prudent to have a public outreach and education component. Outreach is important to help patrons, businesses, and
stakeholder understand changes and obtain beneficial feedback that can help the implementation of the strategy be successful. Education is also
an important component to help users understand the impetus for the changes. Therefore, implementation of any of the following
recommendations should be combined with public outreach and education efforts.
§ Encourage Use of Underutilized Parking Facilities – Although downtown patrons travel patterns are shifting, we remain a car-centric
society and years of suburban-style development have trained us to expect to park directly adjacent to our destination. Encouraging
Page 67
users to walk a few blocks more from their parking to their destination will help to alleviate the perception that there is no parking in
downtown. Encouragement could take a variety of forms:
o Use data from this study to highlight underutilized blocks on the Park Tucson website as desirable, alternative locations
o Ensure that there is signage to direct people to the underutilized facilities
o Re-educate people so they break their habits and choose to park in a different location
o Improve safety in areas further from the main streets of the study area, such as lighting and sidewalks
o Use price to make these locations more desirable by making them cheaper than the facilities with higher demands
§ Integrated Signage and Messaging – Those who come to the Downtown for
work will likely park in the same parking facility, and sometimes the same spot,
every day. A positive of this behavior is that these users know how the system
operates for their purposes. The downside, however, is that they tend to limit
their knowledge of the system to the specific area that they utilize for their
routine purposes. It can be frustrating for habitual parkers if their facility is
periodically full or they are otherwise displaced from their usual location,
making them feel like they can’t find available parking. This is not the case with
all users, but it can contribute to a negative perception of parking conditions.
Prominent and consistent signage at all publicly accessible parking facilities,
whether they are publicly or privately owned, would help these habitual
parkers utilize other facilities of which they may otherwise be unaware.
Signage is currently present throughout the study area that indicates on-street
parking regulations and the location of off-street parking. However, there is an
opportunity to create similar themed signage for all publicly available facilities,
whether they are publicly or privately owned, on-street or off-street, so that
the parking in the study area looks like a cohesive parking system from the
user perspective.
Additionally, there is an opportunity to implement dynamic messaging at garage and lot entrances that indicate the number of available
spaces. The space availability information should also be displayed on the City’s website so that users can make informed decisions on
where to park before taking the trip downtown.
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§ Include All Publicly Available Parking - There are a number of parking facilities in the study area that are privately owned and operated
that are available for patrons of specific destinations. These parking facilities were not considered as part of this phase of the study.
Inclusion of these facilities in the future phase will provide a clearer picture of how all parking in the study area is being utilized and
where there may be additional opportunities to utilize existing supplies to more aggressively promote a “park once” experience. Even
with the private parking excluded in this phase, it is important to note that the existing parking facilities are able to meet the demands
for parking in the study area.
The following presents the findings and recommendations for each of the zones.
Downtown Zones
Under typical weekday and weekend conditions, parking in this zone is underutilized, both on-street and off-street. The peak day and hour
observed was Friday at 12pm with an occupancy of 35%, however, on-street spaces peaked on Saturday at 7pm with 84% occupied. Throughout
the observations, publicly accessible off-street facilities were consistently underutilized.
The following are recommendations specific to the Cultural/Convention Zone.
§ Promote the Streetcar to Optimize Use of Parking in This Zone – Opportunities should be explored to make better use of parking in the
Cultural/Convention zone. With three large facilities along Granada Avenue that are located on the streetcar route, these facilities can
serve as park and ride locations for destinations within this zone and provide connections to other zones throughout the study area.
§ Optimize Use of the Parking Garages – Near this area are the La Placita, Hotel Arizona, and City-State garages. There is opportunity to
direct patrons to these facilities to optimize their use while also meeting the demands generated in this zone, especially during events.
The intent is to use the available parking more efficiently rather than invest in construction of a new facility to meet parking demands.
Entertainment Zone
As one of two nightlife activity hubs in downtown Tucson, the Entertainment zone experiences the highest demand compared to the other zones
during the weekend evenings. Still, parking demands in this zone have not yet reached effective capacity, and there is existing available parking
that could be utilized more effectively. However, parking demands become exacerbated when there is an event in the downtown area.
The peak day and hour for the Entertainment zone was Saturday at 7pm with an occupancy of 59%, which only slightly exceeded Friday parking
demands at 12pm by a few vehicles. Restricted access parking in this area is highly utilized, but this is a function of its limited quantity. Restricted
parking supplies are also centrally located in this zone, making these spaces highly desirable until these facilities reach effective capacity.
The following are recommendations specific to the Entertainment Zone.
Page 69
§ Enhance Pedestrian Environment on Side Streets – on- and off-street parking is available in this zone, however, people have to feel
comfortable parking one or two blocks away from their destinations. Improved lighting on side streets can be a simple solution to
helping people feel comfortable parking along side streets. In some locations there is little lighting and limited street visibility. This does
not create an inviting pedestrian atmosphere. Improved lighting and streetscape improvements will make people feel safer about
parking in a location further from their destination.
§ Implement Demand-Based Pricing – Demand-based pricing is based on block utilization data to inform the cost of pricing. High demand
areas will cost more, low demand areas will cost less. The intent of increasing the price on blocks that have higher demands encourages
people to utilize the blocks that are underutilized. Implementation of this strategy should coincide with extensive outreach and
education to reduce the amount of pushback from the public and business owners. Increased pricing tends to create a fear that people
will stop coming to the area, when in fact, if the data shows that the demand is high, the price changes will actually be creating more
access to spaces near businesses.
§ Implement Prominent Signage During Events – Events within the Entertainment zone create localized strains on parking supplies, and
new development in these areas will further intensify the perception of insufficient parking. Particular consideration should be paid in
this zone as new developments come into the area to educate residents, employees, and visitors to the area of the various options
available for parking and transportation. Wayfinding can aid parking patrons in locating parking supplies within a reasonable walking
distance to their destination.
Government/Office
The peak day and hour for the Government/Office zone was Friday at 12pm with an occupancy of 54%. Occupancies within this zone are very
typical of parking demands that would be associated with an area dominated by office uses, with higher utilization during the weekday and
underutilization of parking during the evenings and weekends. Furthermore, localized pockets of heightened demand exist, such as in three off-
street facilities near government offices that are operating at maximum capacity. However, several off-street facilities within a few blocks have
available capacity.
The following are recommendations specific to the Government/Office Zone.
§ Implement Demand-Based Pricing - With three parking facilities operating at capacity during peak periods, there is opportunity to
redistribute these demands to underutilized facilities near the zone’s perimeter. This may be accomplished through performance based
pricing based on patron characteristics or preferences such as anticipated duration of stay or price.
§ Dynamic Wayfinding Signage – Wayfinding signage that indicates the number of available spaces, in conjunction with directional
signage to nearby facilities, will help distribute the demands from the three highly utilized off-street facilities in this zone.
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4th Avenue Zones
The Avenue
As one of the main nightlife activity hubs in downtown Tucson, the Avenue zone experiences high demands compared to other zones,
particularly during the weekend evenings. Although the parking in this zone has not yet reached effective capacity, the demand is approaching
this threshold. This experience becomes exacerbated when there is an event on 4th Avenue or Downtown. Add in new development in this area,
and the problem further intensifies. Notably, the southern portion of the Avenue zone, when analyzed specifically, is operating above the
effective capacity threshold. Users in this area are anticipated to have difficulty finding an available parking space during peak conditions. The
location of facilities that have available spaces are generally located north or on the other side of the train tracks, both of which present a
walking barrier for patrons of many destinations along 4th Avenue.
The following are recommendations specific to The Avenue Zone.
§ Extend Enforcement Hours – The high utilization of parking in the Avenue Zone during the weekends and on weeknights indicates that
this area meets the threshold for implementing a change in how parking is managed. Extending the paid parking hours will encourage
turnover of spaces, creating more availability on the street. For those who wish to park for longer time periods, the paid parking
encourages these patrons to park in off-street facilities. Specific wayfinding signage would have to be prominent to indicate to patrons
where they can find parking easily. Optimal parking solutions are a short walk into downtown, or a short ride on the streetcar.
Communication with businesses should be frequent to determine an appropriate time to extend hours. While the data supports
extending on-street enforcement hours into the late-night hours, it is advisable to first test a small increase in hours (7pm and on
Saturdays) and determine the results before extending further. The intent is to create more access to businesses by causing the spaces
to turnover and utilizing available parking facilities in downtown, not to create a hardship for patrons.
§ Promote the Streetcar – An advantage with the streetcar running through downtown and along 4th Avenue is that there could be an
opportunity for Park Tucson and Sun Link to incentivize the use of the streetcar to park remotely and use the streetcar to access
businesses and destinations along 4th Avenue and downtown. Such an incentive could be free parking in the remote lot(s) and reduced
streetcar pass. Additionally, the UA could be a partner in encouraging utilization of the streetcar after parking by Main Gate or on
campus, or walking to Main Gate, 4th Avenue, Downtown, and even the Mercado.
§ Planning for the Future – As the area continues to grow and develop, opportunities to absorb additional parking demands should be
considered through public-private partnerships. This may take the form of including publicly accessible structured parking in new
developments or through a fee-in-lieu that funds future parking and transportation improvements within the area.
Page 71
Iron Horse
The Iron Horse zone experiences similar parking demand behaviors to the Avenue zone, where parking is predominantly underutilized during the
weekday and daytime hours, however, on weekend evenings parking facilities within the Iron Horse zone exceed effective capacities. All publicly
accessible parking in this zone (183 spaces) is on-street parking. A number of restricted parking facilities are underutilized during peak hours,
which are often during the daytime hours. Some restricted access parking lots become publicly accessible during the evenings and weekends.
This flux in weekday morning and evening demands would indicate the demand is generated predominantly by those residing in the area, with
the spikes in demand occurring in the evening and weekend observed typically tied to the nightlife in this zone and the nearby Avenue zone.
The following are recommendations specific to the Iron Horse Zone.
§ Promote Use of Off-Street Parking in Other Zones - With no off-street publicly accessible parking supply, and peak parking demands
occurring during the evening and on weekends, there may be opportunity to direct patrons to parking in the downtown area or the lot
at 5th Avenue and 7th Street. These options are approximately the same distance to the nightlife destinations along 4 th Avenue.
§ Expand Management of On-Street Parking – Consideration should be given to implementing time restrictions and/or paid parking in the
area near Iron Horse Park and 9th Street. On-street parking in this location peaks with traffic from nearby lounge and entertainment
venues, as it remains free and un-restricted at night, while the north-south cross streets are predominantly residential restricted.
Management of these spaces will encourage us of alternative modes of transportation and higher turnover of these spaces.
Warehouse District
The peak day and hour for the Warehouse District zone parking was observed to be Saturday at 7pm with an occupancy of 48%. The occupancy
patterns in this area are relatively consistent throughout the week, increasing slightly on the weekend. While this area appears to have ample
availability, there is not a considerable amount of parking supply in this area. The lack of parking supply could result in a significant impact on
operating occupancies should land use intensities increase with development. Furthermore, the supply may be further reduced due to the
construction associated with the Downtown Links expansion. The construction could reduce the Warehouse District lot by half.
The following are recommendations specific to the Warehouse District Zone.
§ Promote Parking in this Zone (for a limited period) - The majority of the approximately 100 available spaces within the Warehouse
District are located in one off-street parking facility. This provides limited opportunity to accommodate new parking demands in this
area if further redevelopment occurs. However, current supplies are underutilized during peak period, and given the location of this
zone, this parking could potentially be shared with other zones, specifically the Avenue zone, to alleviate high study area demands.
§ Promote Downtown Lots as Alternative Parking Options – As construction removes parking in this zone, the promotion of the lots on
Toole Avenue should be promoted as alternative places to park. These lots are typically underutilized and are within an acceptable
Page 72
walking distance to the Warehouse District Zone and 4 th Avenue. Currently, however, the only two pedestrian connections to these
facilities exist at the 4th Avenue and 6th Avenue underpasses (the 7th Avenue at-grade crossing is anticipated to be removed as part of the
Downtown Links connection).
§ Enhance Pedestrian Environment – Improved lighting and streetscape enhancements will encourage people to walk longer distances to
access other parking options. Additionally, improving the underpasses, specifically at 6th Avenue, to be more pedestrian friendly will aid
increasing connections between zones on foot.
Mercado/Mission Zone
The Mercado zone is under considerable flux with several large developments currently underway and/or planned for the near future. Since data
was collected at the onset of this study, the off-street parking has been removed or reconfigured for the construction of the West End Station
apartments and MSA Annex. A portion of the off-street parking has also been moved to the east side of Avenida del Convento. Future
configuration and available parking supply in this area is not yet determined, and impacts of these and other future developments could
significantly impact operating efficiencies within this zone. The Mercado zone should be considered a high watch area in terms of parking and
transportation management.
The following are recommendations specific to the Mercado Zone.
§ Implement Paid Parking – As development of the Mercado zone continues and parking availability becomes constrained in this area,
implementing paid parking will help to manage the demands by creating turnover of the spaces and distributing the demands to lower
utilization areas.
§ Promoting Perimeter Facilities – With parking demands continuing to grow throughout the Mercado zone, free and unrestricted parking
will be increasingly difficult to remain without negatively impacting the parking experience for all. With this, the parking at the ends of
the streetcar line should be considered for a park and ride location given its proximity to I-10 and the streetcar.
Page 73
Special Events
The analysis shows that for all events included in this study there is available parking to meet the demands within the existing parking system.
The available parking, however, may not be directly adjacent to the event area or building. The on-street parking during events experiences the
most strain as the events typically peak at night and on-street parking is free in the evenings and on weekends.
Event Day of the Week Peak Hour Occupancy
Tucson Folk Festival Saturday 7pm 63%

Tucson Roadrunners Hockey Game Night Saturday 8:30pm 67%
2nd Saturdays Saturday 7pm 60%
Santa Cruz Farmer’s Market at the Mercado Thursday 5:30pm 42%
th
4 Avenue Street Fair Saturday 7pm 73%
St. Patrick’s Day Saturday 7pm 76%
The following are recommendations for special events.
§ Encourage Walking Further - Available parking will not always be directly adjacent to the event area or building, and while many event-
goers may be willing to walk further to reach their event, they may not be familiar with all of the parking options in the area. There are a
number of off-street and on-street facilities that could be utilized during events if promoted and signed appropriately to direct people to
these locations during events. A potential future component could be to enhance pedestrian amenities, such as lighting, to improve the
perception of safety in the more remote parking areas.
§ Paid On-Street Parking During Events – On-street parking during events experiences the most strain as the events typically peak at night
and the on-street parking is free in the evenings and on weekends. The off-street parking requires a flat rate on evenings and weekends
that ranges from $3-$5 in Park Tucson garages, with flat rates in private facilities ranging from $3 at several locations throughout
Downtown up to $10 at TCC. The unintended impact of free on-street and paid off-street parking is that most people will try to park in
the on-street spaces, which reduces access and creates the perception that parking is unavailable. Charging for on-street parking during
events could be an option to encourage people to utilize the available off-street facilities during events rather than crowd the on-street
facilities.
Page 74
§ Direct Patrons to Underutilized Parking for Events - Planning for events should be carefully considered, and proper parking facilities
identified to absorb the additional demands during events. However, events are not representative of typical conditions and therefore
the investment necessary to construct parking may not be necessary since there is ample available parking throughout the study area,
that if planned for, could be used to optimize parking during events.
When concerns about parking availability become a focal point of conversation, construction of new facilities is often presented as a
desired option. However, constructing new parking is expensive, even when public-private partnerships are used to help fund the
project. The national average cost of an at-grade parking garage is $19,700 per space and the Phoenix average is $17,194 per space 2. The
trends since 2014 have been an increase in the cost per space of approximately 2-3%. If this trend continues, in 2018, the cost per space
would be over $20,000. This estimate is the cost to construct a new facility only and does not take into consideration costs associated
with design, land acquisition, operation, and maintenance. Depending on the size of a facility, this could cost a developer or the city
millions of dollars, even with a public-private partnership. In addition, the introduction of autonomous vehicles within the timeframe it
would take to pay the debt service of a garage (approximately 30 years) and the increased use of rideshare services are putting the value
of constructing new garages further into question. Given the finding that the parking in the study area is currently underutilized, adding
additional supply that would be costly might not be an efficient use of funds.
An exception to this would be if a large new development is anticipated that would exceed the amount of existing parking supply in a
quarter-mile radius. Should new facilities be considered, it would be beneficial for both the developer and the city to consider a public-
private partnership to split the costs and responsibilities of the construction and management of the facility, but to also ensure that the
new supply is utilized as efficiently as possible. As new development comes into the study area, it would be prudent from both a
sustainability perspective and cost perspective to consider a variety of options that would fully optimize existing parking in the system
before resorting to investment in construction of a new facility.
What’s Next
This is the initial phase of the parking study in which the public parking facilities were reviewed and analyzed to determine how the public
system was functioning. During this analysis, the Park+ model was developed and will be utilized to further analyze the parking in the study area.
The Park+ model will be used to analyze future scenarios and predict how much new parking demand new development will generate and will
2
Parking Structure Outlook for 2017, Carl Walker
Page 75
evaluate optimal locations for allocating that demand, whether that is to existing or new parking facilities. The following describes how the Park+
model will continue to be used to analyze the parking with Park Tucson.
§ Include private facilities – The inclusion of private parking supply in the future phase of this model will provide a better depiction of all
parking supply in the study area, which can then lead to more opportunities for utilizing the supply more efficiently.
§ Evaluate future development impacts – The model will be used to evaluate the impacts of future development in the study area to
determine parking opportunities, whether they are new or utilizing existing parking facilities. The parameters established when the
Park+ model was built makes it uniquely attuned to the characteristics and behaviors regarding parking in Downtown Tucson. As a
result, these parameters will be upheld and used to define future parking demands generated from new development. This allows for a
more detailed review of how new developments will impact the adjacent areas and what mitigation measures need to be taken to
ensure parking is maintained for all users. Many of the opportunities for redistributing demands can be evaluated in the model by
directing the demand to utilize these facilities.
§ Identify opportunities for shared parking – one facility alone may not be sufficient to meet the parking demands for a new
development, but a combination of shared parking facilities that are underutilized might be able to satisfy the demands. The model can
be used to allocate a certain number of spaces within specified facilities to be restricted to the new development. As a result, the Park+
model can predict how full the shared facilities will become and if they will sufficiently provide enough parking to meet the demands of
the new development. The option to share parking is more economical for developers and the city, as the cost to construct parking is
expensive. Additionally, being able to optimize the use of existing facilities helps to enhance the walkability and aesthetic appeal of the
downtown area.
§ Identify opportunities for new parking – the Park+ model can be used to assess the location, size, and impact of new parking facilities,
whether they are intended to be shared or allocated to a specific land use. The model could then identify whether new parking is
needed, the optimal location for the facility to accommodate the necessary demands, and provide necessary information to have
discussions on how to share parking in the facility.
Page 76

Downtown Tucson Parking Study Report

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Table 2 – Study Area Generalized Land Uses

Study Area Parking Trends by Facility Type

On-Street Public Off-Street Restricted Off-Street Average Parking Occupancy

Study Area Parking Availability

Occupied Spaces Available Spaces Effective Capacity

Cultural/Convention Parking Trends by Facility Type

500 21% 22% 25%

On-Street Public Off-Street Study Area

Cultural/Convention Parking Availability

1500 1,440 1,422

Occupied Spaces Available Spaces Effective Capacity

Table 4 – Entertainment Zone Land Uses

Entertainment Parking Trends by Parking Facility Type

On-Street Public Off-Street Restricted Off-Street Study Area

Entertainment Parking Availability

2,000 1,017 999

Occupied Spaces Available Spaces Effective Capacity

Government/Office Parking Trends by Facility Type

On-Street Public Off-Street Restricted Off-Street Study Area

Government/Office Parking Availability

500 848 939

Occupied Spaces Available Spaces Effective Capacity

The Avenue Parking Trends by Facility Type

56% 55% 60%

On-Street Public Off-Street Private Off-Street Study Area

The Avenue Zone Parking Occupancy – Peak Hour (Saturday 12am)

The Avenue Parking Availability

700 272 245

300 566 593

Occupided Spaces Available Spaces Effective Capacity

Table 6 – Iron Horse Zone Land Uses

Iron Horse Parking Trends by Facility Type

28% 28% 30%

On-Street Study Area

Iron Horse Parking Availability

Occupied Spaces Available Spaces Effective Capacity

Table 9 – Warehouse District Zone Land Use

*Parking Supply in the above pie chart represent typical

Warehouse District Parking Trends by Facility Type

On-Street Public Off-Street Study Area

Warehouse District Zone Parking Occupancy – Peak Hour (Saturday 7pm)

Warehouse District Parking Availability

140 99 102 97 101

Occupied Spaces Avaiable Spaces Effective Capacity

Mercado Zone Parking Supply

Mercado Parking Trends by Facility Type

On-Street Public Off-Street Study Area

Mercado Parking Availability

Occupied Spaces Available Spaces Effective Capacity

Tucson Folk Festival Event Parking Trends by Facility Type

On-Street Public Off-Street Restricted Off-Street Study Area

Tucson Folk Festival Parking Availability

Occupied Spaces Available Spaces Effective Capacity

Hockey Event Parking Trends by Facility Type

On-Street Public Off-Street Restricted Off-Street Study Area

TCC Hockey Event On-Street Parking Availability

Occupied Spaces Available Spaces Effective Capacity

2nd Saturday Parking Trends by Facility Type

On-Street Public Off-Street Restricted Off-Street Study Area

2nd Saturday Parking Availability

Occupied Spaces Available Spaces Effective Capacity

Farmer’s Market at Mercado Event Parking Occupancy – Peak Hour (5:30pm)

Santa Cruz Farmer's Market at Mercado San Agustin (5:30pm)