Title
Authorization to Issue Request for Proposals for Parking Consultant Services (Ordinance S-45833)
Description
Request to authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Parking Consultant Services. Additionally, request authorization for the City Treasurer to accept funds from Downtown Phoenix Inc., or its City-approved designee, in the amount of $50,000 to help offset costs associated with future contract expenses and to authorize the City Controller to disburse those funds in connection with the future contract award. There is no impact to the General Fund.
Report
Summary
Downtown Phoenix serves as the economic, educational and entertainment center of our region, and is the largest employment corridor in the State. With more than $5 billion capital investment over the past 15 years, Downtown is currently home to 46,000 jobs and hosted more than six million visitors last year. Projections for the next several years show a 50 percent population growth and nine percent job growth in Downtown. In addition, Downtown is slated to be a key destination for major special events including the 2023 Super Bowl and the 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four. All of the aforementioned job and population growth, capital investment and planned entertainment activities within a two-square-mile area is poised to generate a growing demand on parking resources.
Currently the City lacks a comprehensive plan to manage parking demand in Downtown generated by education, office, commercial, residential, hotel and entertainment users. Demand is currently served by a patchwork of parking facilities comprised of nearly 30,000 publicly and privately-owned off-street parking spaces (approximately 85 percent are structured), 2,500 on-street metered spaces, an unknown number of private off-street residential parking spaces, and non-automobile mobility options, including trips made by Metro Light Rail, bus, bicycle, and pedestrians. Additionally, new traffic patterns resulting from technology changes such as Lyft and Uber necessitate reevaluating how the City manages the limited curb space through Downtown.
Due to the limited supply of available Downtown land and high costs of producing structured parking, staff recommends a comprehensive parking plan to support informed, data-driven decisions on where and when to allocate existing, or encourage the development of additional, parking resources. Staff further recommends procuring parking consultant services to create a master parking plan. The consultant will aid in further studying current conditions, forecasting future demand, and recommending tools and solutions for parking and curbside management to develop a 10-year parking master plan to ensure parking demand is both managed and accommodated while optimizing downtown land for more beneficial uses. In addition, a master parking plan will provide guidance where a surplus of parking resources already exists and strategies to encourage the sharing of existing parking resources.
With approval, staff will issue an RFP for Parking Consultant Services. The procurement will be led by the Community and Economic Development Department with support from key stakeholder departments, including: the Street Transportation Department, which has responsibility for the on-street parking meter program and curbside management policies; the Convention Center Department, which manages City-owned off-street parking facilities; and the Planning and Development Department, which has responsibility for land use requirements pertaining to parking requirements.
Multiple City departments have allocated budgeted funds for the study. Additionally, Downtown Phoenix, Inc., (DPI), a downtown stakeholder, has committed funds to share in the costs of the anticipated study. Staff is requesting to accept DPI’s funds prior to contract award.
The parking master plan will include Downtown and the Warehouse District, between McDowell Road on the north, 7th Avenue on the west, Grant Street on the south, and 7th Street on the east (Study Area). The plan also will include strategies to address any potential impacts on adjacent neighborhoods due to implementation of the master plan's recommendations.
The scope of work will include:
- Analyzing all parking resources in the Study Area, including on-street and off-street (public and private) facilities, to create an inventory of facilities and utilization.
- Surveying parking users, residents and businesses concerning their behaviors, needs and receptiveness to possible parking strategies and policy changes.
- Evaluating land use and zoning ordinances that impact parking in the Study Area.
- Recommending strategies pertaining to accommodating parking demand, building or incentivizing facilities, technology utilization, and parking management practices.
- Assisting in developing a 10-year master plan outlining recommendations the City will undertake to accommodate future parking demand in the Study Area.
It is anticipated the RFP will be open at least 45 days and will require each proposer and its primary consultant to have five years' experience providing parking consulting services. The primary consultant must also have experience performing a parking study or master plan for a geographical area of at least one-half square mile containing a mix of land uses that include at least three of the following uses: education, office, commercial, residential, hotel, and entertainment.
Responsive proposals will be evaluated by a panel based on the following evaluation criteria (1,000 possible points):
- Primary Consultant’s Qualifications & Experience (0-300 points).
- Approach to Scope of Work (0-250 points).
- Proposer’s Qualifications & Experience (0-250 points).
- Fees (0-200 points).
Staff will return to the City Council for contract award approval based on the procurement and negotiation process. Following the contract award, staff will conduct outreach to the community and stakeholders concerning the results of the study as well as recommended strategies that will form the master plan. Staff will then return to the City Council to provide an update and receive further direction to finalize the master plan.
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
This item was recommended for approval at the Planning and Economic Development Subcommittee meeting on June 4, 2019, by a vote of 4-0.
Financial Impact
There is no impact to the General Fund as a result of this action. The City expects to receive funds in the amount of $50,000 from Downtown Phoenix Inc., to assist with the costs of the study which will be deposited into the Downtown Community Reinvestment Fund.
Location
Council Districts: 4, 7 and 8
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Assistant City Manager Deanna Jonovich and the Community and Economic Development Department.