The Downtown Parking Solutions project represents an important component of the City’s efforts to strengthen the economic vitality of downtown Hillsboro. A Report prepared for the City in 2002 identified parking as an important issue to be addressed if we are to move forward with new private investment downtown.

Recognizing the importance of parking to the future success of downtown, in 2005 the City of Hillsboro in partnership with the City of Beaverton secured a grant from the Oregon Department of Transportation, to identify solutions to the two cities’ downtown parking challenges. The focus of this project was two-fold: first, to identify ways to better manage our existing parking situation, and second, to look at some longer term strategies (specifically, structured parking) as we increase downtown density over time.

To perform this work, the cities retained a consultant team consisting of Parametrix, LLC and Rick Williams.  The City also appointed a Stakeholder Advisory Committee, consisting of property and business owners and others with an interest in the downtown parking situation.  The SAC was tasked with providing guidance to City staff and the consultant team in the development of recommended actions.

The project was completed in Spring, 2007.  The final report, endorsed by the SAC and approved by City Council following briefings of both the Planning Commission and the Transportation Committee, incorporates a series of short-, mid-, and long-term strategies.  Key strategies include the following:

• Increased fines and increased enforcement for on-street parking violations
• Modifications in zoning requirements affecting parking, including elimination of the minimum parking requirement in certain situations
• Creation of a downtown parking district
• Intermediate or Long term construction of parking garages, one near the retail core/Civic Center, and one serving the Tuality/Pacific campus and environs
• Coordination of shared parking agreements among private property owners
• Establish a “customer first” ethic among downtown property and business owners, preserving prime location on-street parking for customers, and directing employees to more distant locations (or increasing transit use and other alternative modes to reduce parking demand)

To read the Executive Summary for the Downtown Parking Solutions Project which includes recommendations for future parking actions, click here.

For more information about the Downtown Parking Solutions project, please contact John Southgate, Economic Development Manager for the City of Hillsboro, at (503) 681-6229.