Downtown Parking Strategy

Council formally approved the 2021 Downtown Parking Strategy on March 9, 2021.

Click here to read the 2021 Downtown Parking Strategy

The major features of the attached strategy include:

  • The “Context” chapter provides background information on parking in Nelson and the theory of parking policy approaches.
  • A summary of all consultation undertaken and a summary of the survey results. More detailed information from the survey is included in Appendix B and C.
  • Eleven “Guiding Principles for Decisions on Parking” (pages 15-17). These principles seek to balance all residents’ needs, define the City’s role in parking management, underscore the City’s commitment to financial sustainability, and provide support for active transportation, and the transition to electric vehicles
  • Sixty-one “Recommended Actions” (beginning on page 19) under thirteen headers:
    1. Maximize Current Parking Assets
    2. Financial Sustainability
    3. Park-and-Ride
    4. City Parkade
    5. Downtown Residential Streets
    6. Residential Guest Permits
    7. Making Parking Easier through Customer Service
    8. Parking Requirements
    9. Veterans and Seniors Parking (no actions proposed)
    10. Carsharing
    11. Tradesperson and Commercial Delivery
    12. Effective Enforcement and Increased Compliance
    13. Electric Vehicles
  • An implementation table recommending which actions should be pursued in the short, medium, and long term (Appendix A; page 35).

A downtown parking strategy establishes a clear, goal-driven framework for the community that will assist staff in decisions and policy projects related to parking. The strategy is designed to help the City to achieve its sustainability goals, including economic, social, and environment goals. It continues to recognize that convenient and accessible parking in the downtown that has regular turnover is critical to downtown businesses. It is complementary to the Nelson Next climate plan, the Active Transportation Plan, the Downtown Urban Design Strategy, transit planning, and the West Kootenay 100% Renewable Energy Plan.