Vehicles park along Main Street in downtown Hendersonville. Hendersonville City Council approved a budget amendment of $24,875 Thursday to pay for a comprehensive parking study by Dixon Resources Unlimited in August.
In the midst of peak leaf season, as some of the last waves of tourists wash over the City of Four Seasons, filling parking spaces and flooding traffic lanes, a special group of consultants will be watching.
Hendersonville City Council approved a budget amendment of $24,875 to pay for a comprehensive parking study by Dixon Resources Unlimited in August.
With pen and pad and modern technology, consultants will be counting spaces, surveying downtown visitors and seeking the advice of a steering committee before drafting a plan to curb parking complaints.
Dixon Resources visited the city last month to begin its baseline study, City Manager John Connet told the council at its meeting last week. The consultants will be returning Oct. 17-22 to conduct a more in-depth investigation, using technology on utility poles downtown to count people moving in and out of spaces.
Dixon representatives will also conduct physical counts of spaces and survey 100 downtown visitors about parking during their visit.
“We are in the middle of our survey,” Connet said, but they hope to have the full study completed by January.
The comprehensive parking study will examine current and future supply and demand, best locations for metered parking, meter equipment recommendations and parking policies.
As part of the study, the city is recruiting volunteers to serve on a parking steering committee and in three focus groups, which will consist of downtown business owners, downtown employees and downtown residents.
The steering committee will meet four times to give advice or feedback to the consultants, Connet said.
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