City of Saratoga Springs
Department of Public Safety
Peter Martin, Commissioner of Public Safety
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: For Contact:
November 7, 2019 Amy Ryan, RFP Project Manager
E - Amy.Ryan@Saratoga-Springs.org
***PRESS RELEASE***
City to host Public Forum regarding downtown parking and to discuss Smart Parking Strategy.
Saratoga Springs, NY - The City of Saratoga Springs will host a public forum to have an open discussion with the community to start developing parking options downtown. The Public Forum is planned for Thursday, November 21, at 6:30 pm and will be held at the Saratoga City Center. All members of the community are welcome to attend.
The Public Forum will comprise of a presentation featuring Public Safety Commissioner Peter Martin and RFP Project Manager Amy Ryan, providing additional detail about implementing a city-wide Parking Strategy.
Upon completion, Commissioner Martin, Amy Ryan, and other team members will be available for a Q&A session regarding general parking and to define what is Smart Parking.
Behind the need to devise a renewed Downtown Parking Strategy:
The City’s economic successes have redefined downtown Saratoga Springs as a “destination location”, and as a result, parking within the downtown area has become difficult oftentimes taking people significant time and effort. In the past, the City had asked volunteer citizens to prepare a proposal that would include an enhanced parking plan in addition to commissioning several studies. The results subsequently determined that a proposal concerning parking was needed, but the feedback included significant changes in traffic flow; or required the implementation of paid, permit-based parking, which received negative feedback from some part of the community.
Recently, the Saratoga Springs Department of Public Safety has determined that a new downtown traffic and parking study was needed and therefore commissioned the completion of a new study. This study will be completed by transportation and urban planning professionals. The intent of this study is to develop project recommendations for implementation that will not negatively impact traffic flow to the greatest extent possible. A description of all parking proposals will be provided to ensure the public is fully informed of the options available.
The Department of Public Safety will gather information about specific parking needs of various stakeholder groups within the City. The City would also conduct meetings with constituents whom represent stakeholders of downtown parking. This would include retail merchants, restaurateurs, hoteliers, entertainment venues, employers, and residents of both Downtown and the surrounding neighborhoods.
The City will meet with Stakeholder organizations such as the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, Discover Saratoga, the Saratoga City Center, Saratoga PLAN, Downtown Business Association, Downtown Special Assessment District, Capital District Transportation Committee, and others, as necessary. The Department of Public Safety will actively seek out representatives for the stakeholder group and compile feedback provided at each meeting.
The goal of this project is for the City to issue a formal Request For Proposal to the public prior to year-end (December 2019) allowing the City and public examination of the submitted bids at a public venue in early 2020.
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