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Downtown Lafayette Parking Management Study (2024/25)

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Project Scope

The City of Lafayette is currently engaged in a study to identify parking management strategies for the downtown area.

The overall goal of the City of Lafayette Downtown Parking Management Study is to identify parking management strategies that achieve an efficient balance between parking supply and demand, an expected increase in new housing, and increased multi-modal travel throughout Lafayette’s downtown area.

The downtown study area is roughly defined as the Mt. Diablo Boulevard corridor between Risa Road and Pleasant Hill Road and the streets immediately surrounding the Boulevard, with the inclusion of the mixed-use neighborhood immediately south of the core downtown area.

This study will update and supplement Lafayette’s 2016 Parking Management Strategy to address current and future parking needs in the Downtown area. It will aim to:

  • balance both on and off-street public and private parking availability;
  • support the diverse range of downtown land uses;
  • accommodate the expected rise in housing supply;
  • anticipate the potential future reduction in commuter parking at BART station lots; and
  • address the community’s desire for expanding safe pedestrian and cycling networks in Downtown Lafayette and enhancing active transportation connections to other parts of the city.

The final deliverable will include recommended parking management strategies for the downtown area.

The study is funded by a $170,000 grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) as part of their Parking Management Planning Grant program.

The study will be informed by comprehensive data collection and robust public engagement:

Data Collection

The project team has conducted parking supply counts and occupancy surveys to assess existing conditions. This data, along with projections for future public parking demand, will guide the recommendations that will more efficiently manage parking demand, reduce vehicle miles traveled, and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Engagement

A comprehensive outreach approach was implemented to identify parking needs, perspectives, and gaps to inform the project team of their approach to parking strategy recommendations.

The outreach methodology incorporated three key components:

  1. Stakeholder Meetings targeting the business community and downtown business owners to share information about the study and initial demand analysis as well as capture their distinct parking needs and perspectives
  2. An online public Survey (English) distributed through a digital platform (SurveyMonkey) to receive input from visitors, business owners, employees, residents and delivery drivers of our downtown on their parking experiences and feedback on how downtown’s parking supply may or may not meet their demands
  3. A Community Workshop that was open to the public to share study background and demand analysis as well as capture the broader community’s parking needs and perspectives.  The presentation that was given at the May 21st public workshop can be accessed here.

If you live, work or own a business downtown, fill out this form to be kept informed about the Downtown Lafayette Parking Management Study.

Draft Timeline:

  • Data Collection: October 2024
  • Stakeholder Workshops:
    • Business Community Workshops: March 2025
    • Resident/Visitor Workshops: May 2025
  • Online Survey: May 2025
  • Assessment of Existing and Future Parking Demand: Spring 2025
  • Public Hearings (Transportation & Circulation / Planning Commissions, City Council): Fall 2025
  • Final Parking Study Report: Winter 2025

Past Parking Analyses

Parking: A Management Strategy for Lafayette.  This document (October 2018) summarizes the recommendations of the Parking Ordinance Committee.

Parking Supply and Occupancy Maps (2017).  This document provides the results of a parking supply and occupancy survey that was conducted in 2017.

Key Findings of 2016/17 Parking Inventory and Occupancy survey that was completed to survey parking inventory and make recommendations to optimize parking supply and demand. 

Questions?

For more information, contact Patrick Golier, Transportation & Circulation Program Manager