Paso Robles faced a unique parking challenge: balancing the need for better downtown parking management while preserving the city’s small-town charm. Until 2018, Paso Robles had no on-street parking restrictions and prior attempts at paid parking had been met with resistance. Recognizing the importance of customer convenience and community engagement, the city partnered with DIXON to develop an innovative solution.

DIXON worked with city leadership and stakeholders to create a customer-first approach to parking, emphasizing community outreach, data-driven decision-making, and technology-based solutions. The collaboration started with an employee parking permit pilot program in 2018. This voluntary, compliance-based initiative encouraged employees to park in designated off-street lots to free up prime on-street spaces for customers.

Data collected through License Plate Recognition (LPR) technology during the six-month pilot revealed valuable insights into parking occupancy and utilization. Ultimately, the data demonstrated that a more structured on-street policy was needed to improve downtown parking availability.
‍

Key Achievements

• Customer Value Model: Introduced an innovative rate structure offering two hours of free on-street parking per day, followed by a $1 per hour pay-to-stay rate, ensuring flexibility for visitors while encouraging turnover.
  ‍
• Employee Parking Program: Developed a low-cost ($5/month) employee parking permit program with guaranteed off-street spaces to reduce competition for on-street parking.
  ‍
• Stakeholder Engagement: Conducted targeted outreach with downtown businesses, community groups, and residents to build broad support for the new parking solutions.
  ‍
• Parking Ambassador Approach: Created a positive enforcement strategy focused on education, customer service, and first-time warnings to ensure a welcoming visitor experience.
  ‍
• Data-Driven Decisions: Used LPR data to guide policy development and measure the program’s success, enabling continuous improvements.