Lake Orion Shares Parking Study Results, Vision Moving Forward
(Downtown Lake Orion, Dec. 5, 2018)
Lake Orion, MI – BMP (Best management practices) coming to Downtown Lake Orion Parking for 2019!
A New Mission and Vision along with an Action Plan to better meet business and customer needs and accommodate employees and residents requirements for our “walkable community” is being implemented with actions on several fronts.  With a total of over 600 parking spaces including over 160 on-street spaces and 200 public lot spaces in the downtown business district the Mission and Vision statements are:
Mission Statement
The Mission of the Village of Lake Orion Parking Authority is to provide, maintain and operate sufficient, high-quality, visually appealing, community focused public parking and encourage economic growth for the benefit of the Village of Lake Orion.
Vision
Develop and implement a multi-year strategic plan that addresses the parking concerns of all stakeholders in the Village of Lake Orion.  This strategic plan shall include public, private, and shared parking, and assist in the development of a “walkable” community through education, enforcement, operation, and physical improvements to strengthen the Village’s economic vitality.
The Village of Lake Orion Village Council armed with recommendations from an Ad Hoc Parking Study Committee, based on a Rich & Associates consultant Parking study, has taken the first phase steps to significantly improve parking in Downtown set to begin in January.  At the November 26 Village Council meeting several recommendation were acted upon including: designation of two short-term-6 hour-parking lots (of the five public lots); reduced violation fine schedule along with added enforcement technology and staff; promotional marketing information including installation of new wayfinding signs of the locations and hours of the several parking lots and on-street parking; and new development zoning provisions for funding future parking capital expansion needs including the feasibility of a parking deck.  These major steps will build on the steps taken this past year the DDA (Downtown Development Authority) has taken to address the need for additional parking by adding several paved on-street spaces (W. Shadbolt) and additional space striping (Lapeer) and contracting for the wayfinding signage and additional on-street parking (N. Anderson).
The key to economic success for parking is maximizing the various users (customers, employees and residents) needs to the best available space with a goal of 85% capacity  for the on-street and short-term parking areas. Customer turnover of the spaces closest to the storefronts – on-street parking being limited to two hours is to provide for the short-term patron needs.  This 85% capacity goal would be equivalent to empty spaces available on a hourly average of every 9 minutes.   If you are likely to be in town for over 2 hours you should use the two 6 hour lots (E. Shadbolt 35 spaces, S. Anderson 42 spaces); or the three 23 hour lots (N. Lapeer 14 spaces, Children’s Park 69 spaces, the Art Center 19 spaces) which are within one block or a two minute walk of the main downtown intersection.  In addition there are two shared parking spaces on N. Broadway (Sherman’s Publication/State Farm Insurance and the lot across from the DDA office) and for now on E. Flint (former Pet Centre site)  that can be used for customers, employees and residents.
To help promote the awareness of the various available parking with these changes the DDA will be issuing information materials including maps to be provided to all the businesses only with various media parking strategies.
Your input is welcome to continue to improve the parking management of Downtown Lake Orion.
Together we can continue to make the Village of Lake Orion a great destination for all – businesses, employees, residents, customers, patrons and visitors.
For additional information visit:
www.lakeorion.org    or    www.downtownlakeorion.org/parking