The City of Topeka, Kansas selected DESMAN and Bartlett & West to conduct a parking study of the downtown area. The key goals of the study were to document the existing and projected demand for parking in the downtown area, review the City’s parking and enforcement operations, engage a variety of stakeholders, understand the impact of the State legislature activities on parking and develop a sustainable plan to provide adequate parking for all user groups, upgrade technology, and accommodate long-term growth in the City.

The first phase of the study, which began in May 2017, focused on data gathering, extensive stakeholder interactions, identification of future developments, and detailed observations of parking operations. The result was a list of issues to be addressed and a menu of recommendations covering parking rates, demand, parking technology, enforcement and operations, policy issues and functional redesign of parking lots to increase supply.

Each issue was described in enough detail to identify:

1. What is the underlying problem or issue;
2. The estimated capital and/or operating costs associated with implementing the solution;
3. Any potential revenues or cost savings associated with implementation;
4. Trade-offs among options;
5. The relative social/political liabilities and benefits associated with the recommendation;
6. The community objectives/goals/values the option supports.

During the second phase, the issues were translated into a series of recommendations, including cost estimates and estimated implementation timeframes. The proposed options included new technology for meters, enforcement, garage space counting and wayfinding, improved functional design of facilities, simplification of meter categories, rationalization of parking rates and fines, and changes to parking requirements in the zoning ordinance.