The City of Monroe, NC, is located approximately 25 miles southeast of Charlotte. With a historic downtown and anticipated development, Monroe contracted WGI to conduct a parking assessment and provide parking pricing, occupancy, maintenance, and design recommendations. WGI staff collected data via multiple site visits to capture conditions at typical peak times and during events.

The parking supply and demand analysis showed a surplus of parking supply/capacity to meet the City’s current parking demand. Most existing City off-street parking locations were designed for maximum efficiency and included the limit of possible parking spaces the site can provide. An analysis was also performed to identify a site, conceptualize, and estimate costs for structured parking. In coordination with City staff, the Old Police Lot at the corner of Hayne and Morgan was identified as the ideal site to provide additional parking.

As of the study’s conclusion, WGI found that the City had recently eliminated parking enforcement. WGI recommended that the City reinstate parking enforcement for time-limited spaces to support the economic revitalization of Downtown. In addition, WGI recommended procuring parking technologies to enhance the efficiency of enforcement staff while also providing robust data on parking demand and occupancy. WGI’s recommendations also focused on curb, crosswalk, mobility, and sidewalk improvements to promote a more walkable Monroe that will aid in balancing parking demand for the City.

Project Highlights

The study included providing short (0-2 years), mid (3-5 years), and long-term (5-10 years) recommendations regarding the following issues:

• Parking organizational structure
• Parking technologies
• Parking supply, current, and future demand
• Parking rates/time limits and Enforcement
• Mobility Improvements
• Wayfinding and informational signage
• Downtown beautification
• Improved pedestrian experience