The Future of Parking in Downtown Hyannis · 2019. 5. 17. · Eventually residential coexistence...

A TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PANEL REPORT

The Future of Parking inDowntown Hyannis

Barnstable, Massachusetts

January 29, 2013

Executive Summary

1. ULI and the TAP Process ........................................... 5· Urban Land Institute (ULI)· Technical Assistance Panels (TAPs)· MassDevelopment Support· Panel Members· Stakeholders· TAP Process

2. Background and Assignment ..................................... 8· The Village of Hyannis· Recent Activity· Town of Barnstable’s Objectives for the TAP

3. Observations and Findings ........................................12· Identity· Parking and Circulation

4. Implementation …………….……………….…….…21· Potential Local Contributions· Potential State Contributions· Potential Private/Institutional Contributions· Potential Federal Contributions

5. Summary of Recommendations ……………………23· Short-Term Menu· Long-Term Vision

Table of Contents

A ULI Technical Assistance Panel 3

Under the direction of the Urban Land Institute’sBoston District Council, the Downtown HyannisTechnical Assistance Panel (TAP) convened inBarnstable, Massachusetts in January 2012,bringing together stakeholders, Town planners,community leaders, and a panel of planning,design, engineering, and developmentprofessionals for a day-long session focused onidentifying opportunities and strategies foraddressing the parking challenges faced bydowntown Hyannis. The report that follows,which summarizes the TAP recommendations, iscomprised of five chapters.

Chapter 1: ULI and the TAP Process gives anoverview of the Urban Land Institute’s BostonDistrict Council and its Technical AssistancePanels (TAPs) and provides a detailed list ofparticipants in the Downtown Hyannis TAPincluding Town officials, stakeholders, and thePanel of land use professionals.

Chapter 2: Background and Assignment givesbackground information about the village ofHyannis, provides an overview of the Town’splanning efforts to date related to parking anddowntown revitalization, and the Town ofBarnstable’s objectives for the TAP, as stated inits initial application.

Chapter 3: Observations and Findings presentsthe Panel’s suggestions for strengthening thevillage’s identity and its evaluation of parking andcirculation problems and ideas for solutions.

Chapter 4: Implementation discusses the possiblelocal, state, private/institutional, and federalsources of funding.

Chapter 5: Summary of Recommendationspresents a menu of short-term and long-termactionable items to be considered as the Town ofBarnstable works to improve the downtownHyannis parking situation.

Executive Summary


Map showing downtown Hyannis and surrounding landmarks (courtesy Hyannis Main Street Business Improvement District).


Urban Land Institute (ULI)

The Urban Land Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofitresearch and education organization supported byits members. Founded in 1936, the institute nowhas nearly 30,000 members worldwiderepresenting the entire spectrum of land use andreal estate development disciplines, working inprivate enterprise and public service, includingdevelopers, architects, planners, lawyers, bankers,economic development professionals, amongothers.

As the pre-eminent, multidisciplinary real estateforum, ULI facilitates the open exchange of ideas,information, and experience among local,national, and international industry leaders andpolicy makers dedicated to creating better places.The mission of the Urban Land Institute is toprovide leadership in the responsible use of landand to help sustain and create thrivingcommunities. The Boston District Council servesthe six New England states and has over 1,000members.

Technical Assistance Panels (TAPs)

The ULI Boston Real Estate Advisory Committeeconvenes Technical Assistance Panels (TAPs) atthe request of public officials and localstakeholders of communities and nonprofitorganizations facing complex land use challengeswho benefit from planning and developmentprofessionals providing pro bonorecommendations. At the TAP, a group of diverseprofessionals specially assembled with expertisein the issues posed typically spends one to twodays visiting and analyzing existing conditions,identifying specific planning and developmentissues, and formulating realistic and actionablerecommendations to move initiatives forward in a

way consistent with the applicant’s goals andobjectives.

MassDevelopment Support

MassDevelopment is the state’s finance anddevelopment authority. Both a lender anddeveloper, the agency works with businesses,nonprofits, and local, state, and federal officialsand agencies to strengthen the Massachusettseconomy. Through these collaborations,MassDevelopment helps create jobs, increase thenumber of housing units, eliminate blight, andaddress factors limiting economic growthincluding transportation, energy, andinfrastructure deficiencies.

Recognizing the alignment between ULI Boston’sTechnical Assistance Panels andMassDevelopment’s mission to supportsustainable redevelopment across theCommonwealth, in 2011 the two organizationspartnered to support TAPs in four Gateway Citiesthroughout the Commonwealth. The success ofthat initial year’s collaboration led to continuedsupport in 2012-13. The Downtown Hyannis TAPwas the sixth sponsored by MassDevelopment todate.

MassDevelopment partnered with ULI Boston tosponsor the Downtown Hyannis TAP, under thedirection of Jim Lydon, Senior Vice President atMassDevelopment.

1. ULI and the TAP Process


Panel Members

ULI Boston convened a panel of volunteerswhose members represent a range of thedisciplines associated with the challenges ofimproving downtown Hyannis’ parkingenvironment.

Disciplines represented included architecture andurban planning, development, traffic/parkingconsulting, and infrastructure engineering.Members were selected with the intent ofconvening a robust array of professional expertiserelevant to the Town’s objectives for this TAP.The following is the list of panelists:

· Victor Karen, Citybuilding Enterprises (TAPCo-Chair)

· Christopher Papavasiliou, Nutter McClennen& Fish (TAP Co-Chair)

· Ted Brovitz, Urban Planner, Howard/Stein-Hudson Associates

· Duncan Cook, Market Analyst, NOAA· Rosalind Gorin, Developer, H.N. Gorin Inc.· Randall Hart, Transportation Engineer,

VHB/Vanasse Hangen Brustlin· William Lyons Jr., Infrastructure Advisor,

Fort Hill Infrastructure Services· Andrew Singer, Attorney, Singer & Singer· Edmund Starzec, Real Estate Consultant,

MassDevelopment· Michael Wang, Architect, Form + Place· David Panagore, Panagore Associates, New

Haven Parking Authority

JoAnne Miller Buntich of the Barnstable GrowthManagement Department served as primarycontact for ULI Boston for the Town. Also inattendance was Jim Lydon, Senior Vice Presidentat MassDevelopment.

Virginia Quinn served as a consulting technicalwriter, while Michelle Landers of ULI Bostonprovided organizational and technical support inpreparation for and during the TAP event.

Stakeholders

The TAP benefited from the participation of adiverse group of stakeholders—policy makers,Town staff, business owners, property owners,and representatives of area institutions—who metwith the Panel and shared information, ideas, andopinions on a range of issues affecting thedowntown Hyannis parking situation.Stakeholders at the session included:

· Thomas Cahir, Executive Director, Cape CodRegional Transit Authority

· Wayne Lamson, General Manager, SteamshipAuthority

· Philip Scudder, Vice President of Marketing,Hy-Line Cruises

· David Scudder, Vice President of Operations,Hy-line Cruises

· Douglas Mitchell, retired developer and localresident

· Arthur Mombourquette, Chief OperatingOffice, Cape Cod Healthcare

· Richard Penn, President, Puritan Cape Cod· Elizabeth Wurfbain, Executive Director,

Hyannis Business Improvement District· Jessica Sylvia, Executive Director, Hyannis

Area Chamber of Commerce· Dave Columbo, Main Street Business

Improvement District, restaurant owner· Richard Scali, Barnstable Regulatory Services

Consumer Affairs Supervisor· Steven Seymour, Special Projects

Manager/Traffic Engineer, Barnstable GrowthManagement Department

· Art Traczyk, Regulatory Review/DesignPlanner, Barnstable Growth ManagementDepartment

· Glenn Cannon, Technical Services Director,Cape Cod Commission


TAP Process

The Downtown Hyannis TAP was held on January29, 2013 at the Barnstable Town Hall. In themorning, Joanne Miller Buntich, Director of theTown’s Growth Management Department,welcomed the Panelists at Town Hall, thenmembers of the Growth Management Departmentstaff led a bus tour of downtown Hyannis and thewaterfront. The tour drove past private commercialparking lots serving the Hy-Line ferry to Martha’sVineyard and Nantucket; the Town-owned parkinglot on Ocean Street; several properties whereinformal non-permitted parking occurs; Cape CodHospital; one of the three Steamship Authority lots;the Regional Transit Authority center; the shops,restaurants, public buildings, and schools on MainStreet; the mix of public and private lots on NorthStreet; then returned to Town Hall.

After the tour, the ULI Panel interviewed a diverseseries of stakeholders to gain a better understandingof the relevant issues, dynamics, and opportunitiessurrounding parking in downtown Hyannis and thewaterfront. The Panelists then engaged in anintensive charrette to develop recommendationsaddressing some of the critical issues associatedwith revitalization of the area. The TAP concludedwith a presentation that was shared with Town staffand members of the community at a public meetingthat evening at the community room of theSteamship Authority. The Powerpoint presentationis available electronically at the ULI Bostonwebsite http://boston.uli.org.


The Village of Hyannis

Hyannis is a village important to the commercialand maritime history of Cape Cod. Hyannis MainStreet has served with distinction as a seaporthome to captains and commerce. Through fire anddepression it emerged as a regional hub until thesteady transformation of the economy by theautomobile. Following incentives created bymajor roadways, the retail base and residentialdevelopment motored further away from thehistoric center. Eventually residential coexistencewith commerce was viewed as inconsistent andzoned out of the Main Street area. The presenceof civic, institutional, and transportation usessecured Hyannis’ standing as a regional center,but downtown’s livability and vitality weredepleted by the loss of people and business.

For more than a decade, the Town has activelyinvested in Hyannis’ traditional main street andworking waterfront to reverse the trend of decline.Downtown Hyannis has been the center of acommunity-wide revitalization effort aimed atstrengthening and diversifying the economy,improving infrastructure and streetscape, adding arange of housing types, and promoting the area asa year-round destination for local and regionalvisitors. Through regulatory reform and publicinvestment, the Town is successfullyimplementing a revitalization plan thatencourages redevelopment along historicfootprints and the creation of an equitable andsustainable community. The Town’s plancapitalizes on a unique opportunity for people ofvaried means to live as neighbors unified by acommon desire for active social interaction withinlivable, workable, walkable village setting.

Parking and Downtown RevitalizationThe Town of Barnstable, in partnership with theCape Cod Commission, has designated downtownHyannis as a regional “Growth Incentive Zone”(GIZ). This designation, along with correlatingprograms and policies, supports propertyredevelopment, job creation, and year-roundresidential development through permitstreamlining, density bonuses, and otherdevelopment incentives. Since the initiation of theGIZ, suggestions for both additional surfaceparking and structured parking have been putforward as a means of accommodating theprojected parking demand produced by thistargeted development initiative. The Towncontinues to seek parking strategies that reinforceestablished smart growth policies and contributeto the market growth of commercial, cultural andhousing sectors. Strategies must balance acommitment to economic development with theestablished goals of fostering a pedestrian-oriented environment and supporting alternativemodes of transportation.

2. Background and Assignment


Addressing the parking challenge is integral to theongoing effort to promote downtown economicdevelopment and business retention. HyannisMain Street is primarily comprised of retaildestinations, cafés and restaurants, and culturalfacilities that appeal to the tourist market. Theeconomy remains largely reliant on visitorsarriving in private automobiles, unfamiliar withthe area and easily frustrated and deterred bycongestion and inconvenience. Many experienceHyannis for the first time when attending popularpeak-season events, which magnify theuncoordinated state of downtown parkinginfrastructure.

The diversity of uses in downtown Hyannisnecessitates parking options to accommodateconvenience and purpose-driven shoppers,restaurant patrons, and day-long or weekend-longvisitors, in addition to business owners andemployees. Studies of tourist expenditures haveshown that there is a direct relationship betweentourist trip satisfaction and levels of spending;improving the overall visitor experience,including the provision of predictable andconvenient parking, is vital to the success of localbusinesses and downtown’s ability to attractrepeat visitors.

Downtown Parking StatusThe resulting successes of these revitalizationefforts have brought new challenges for the Townand the business community. With newinvestment, especially in the retail and restaurantsectors, has come a demand for convenient,visible, and perpetually available parking. Severalparking studies have shown that adequate supplyexists to meet short-term demand, but theperceived parking short-fall has resulted in a trenddetrimental to the long-term viability of the street:downtown Hyannis finds itself faced with the“Pensacola Parking Syndrome.” Andres Duany’ssynopsis of the issue readily summarizes the fearsof planners and historians working in downtownHyannis:

[A] Charming old downtown with awonderful pedestrian realm finds itself inneed of more parking spaces. It tears down afew historic buildings and replaces them withsurface parking lots, making the downtownboth easier to park in and less pleasant towalk through. As more people drive, it tearsdown a few more buildings, with the sameresult. Eventually, what remains of the olddowntown becomes unpleasant enough toundermine the desire to visit, and the demandfor parking is easily satisfied by the supply…

This threat is coupled with the long-standingchallenge of meeting the demands of the ferryservice from Hyannis Harbor to Martha’sVineyard and Nantucket. This service necessitatesinfrastructure to accommodate thousands oftravelers each summer, many who leave theirvehicles behind for weekend stays on the islands.The Steamship Authority, in an effort to respondto the demand for parking, operates severalremote lots with free shuttle service. Nonetheless,there remains a strong market for low-overheadsurface parking operations in close proximity tothe terminals, which consume valuable harbor-front real estate. Further, illegal “bootleg” parkinglots persist in the historic residential area nearestto the harbor, undermining the viability of aneighborhood revival.


Additional traffic and parking pressure is placedon the Hyannis Inner Harbor area by the CapeCod Hospital, located on the east side ofdowntown. The hospital employs approximately2,000 people and serves the Cape Cod region. Thefacility generates a significant year-round parkingdemand and maintains a large number of surfaceparking spaces south of Main Street. The hospitalalso provides valet service for their daytimevisitors. Nevertheless, parked vehicles spill outinto the surrounding neighborhood andcongestion is increased by visitors seekingconvenient parking.

Recent Activity

Several recent proposals to demolish buildings orredevelop lots for accessory surface parking havecatalyzed this request for technical support. Theseproposals were seen as inconsistent withdowntown goals: the applications and inquiriesproposed parking areas that would haveencroached on residential neighborhoods,interrupted the active Main Street streetscape, andcreated dead space in center of a budding arts andculture district. Further, the continued

privatization of parking areas to serve individualbusinesses is generating additional unwarranteddemand and threatens to create a visual blight ondowntown. These trends underscore the need toreengage the business community in a discussionregarding parking and reevaluate short- and long-term solutions to meeting demand. Theimportance of providing predictable parking isrecognized by all community stakeholders. TheTown is advocating for a strategy that willcomprehensively address the issue in a mannerthat will serve all downtown stakeholders withoutcompromising the composition of the builtenvironment.

The Town has dedicated resources to studying theparking infrastructure necessary to support andencourage new downtown development. The mostrecent include:· Gateway Hyannis: Hyannis Harbor Land Use Analysis and Economic Development Strategy, Utile, Inc. (May 2010)· Informational Signage Strategy, Kennen

Landscape Architecture (March 2008)· Growth Incentive Zone Application (2006)· Rich & Associates Parking Study (2004)


Town of Barnstable’s Objectives forthe TAP

Faced with these challenges and commitments,the Town seeks innovative solutions to allowbetter access to existing parking supply and toimprove parking management. Hyannis’ uniqueurban environment presents a need to viewparking through an architectural lens. In thistransitional moment, there is a desire for design-oriented solutions to effectively integrate parkinginto the urban fabric of Hyannis and minimize thecompetitive role of surface parking in thedowntown real estate market. As a primaryprovider of parking, the Town is looking toeffectively utilize land dedicated to surfaceparking by promoting better management andultimately increasing capacity to meet long-termdemand. The Town also seeks to promotecollaboration amongst private sector entities andto build alliances with primary parking demandgenerators to produce and implement multi-faceted strategies to fulfill the parking needs ofthe diverse and dynamic downtown community.Current private sector parking managementstrategies in and around Hyannis Harbor arevaried, quite competitive and include remote valetparking and inappropriate use of single familyhomes for short-term parking.

The Town asked the Panel to address a range ofissues related to the availability and managementof parking in downtown Hyannis, including:

Parking Management Strategies: Managementof existing on- and off-street parking resources.· How can existing parking resources be more

effectively coordinated? Existing parking dataindicates that at times of peak parkingdemand peak, some Main Street lots are atfull capacity, while others remainunderutilized. Many private parking lotsremain empty during off-peak business hoursand on weekends.

· Are there parking management trends andtechnologies that could be applieddowntown? Strategies should be judged based

on their ability to contribute to reduced trafficand parking congestion, create predictableparking options for first-time and repeatvisitors, and respond to the needs of thedowntown business community.

· What opportunities for improved wayfinding,either through physical and promotionalstrategies, would improve the visitorexperience, especially for those unfamiliarwith the Hyannis area?

· Are there opportunities for promotionalstrategies to advertise downtown as awalkable destination to encourage access byalternative modes of transportation ordiscourage multiple trips within thecommercial center?

Infrastructure Planning and Design: Design-oriented strategies for meeting future parkingdemand that are consistent with the establishedgoal of promoting pedestrian-orienteddevelopment.· Identify strategies for addressing future

parking demand without compromising acommitment to pedestrian-oriented urbandesign. The objective is to integrate parkinginto the historic urban fabric of downtownand the harbor. Parking should be not betreated as primary land use, but an accessorycomponent of the larger downtown andharbor area.

· Potential strategies should be responsive todemands for parking produced by bothseasonal visitors and year-round residents.Major parking demand generators includingthe ferries should be considered.

· Opportunities should be judged by theirability to support additional developmentpotential downtown, including year-roundresidential development and redevelopmentof underutilized parcels at gateway locationsand the harbor.

Implementation Strategies: to accompanymanagement and planning recommendations.· Recommendations to implement the strategies

proffered by the Panel.· Recommendations may include potential

funding sources, public/private partnershipopportunities or other solutions developed.


Identity

Hyannis clearly has great bones. The village isrich in historic, cultural, and civic resources (forexample, the Kennedy Museum, MaritimeMuseum, Melody Tent, Mid-Cape FarmersMarket, FOOD District, beaches within walkingdistance of downtown), but these attractions arenot as well known to visitors as they could be. Aconcerted effort should be made to establish theidentity of Hyannis as a destination in its ownright, lest it become known merely as a parkingplace for the ferries to somewhere else – a place,in the words of Gertrude Stein, with “no therethere.”

What does Hyannis’ identity have to do with theparking situation? The components of thatidentity will shape the future urban form of itsdowntown, and making the most of the village’smany resources will enable the generation ofmore economic activity that over time willencourage new infill development and perhapsincrease vehicular demand to a level that supportsstructured parking year-round. The Panel feltstrongly that promoting the village is just asimportant for Hyannis’ long-term vitality asmanaging the parking.

In this regard, the Panel strongly recommends thatthe Town consider reverting Main Street to itshistoric two-way circulation pattern. That way, allvisitors to Hyannis from both east and west willclearly know they’ve entered downtown. Atpresent, driving in from the west, one hardlyknows Main Street is but a block away beforearriving at the ferry lots and embarking forNantucket or Martha’s Vineyard.

The Panel feels the two-way Main Street wouldbe the single most important way that the retailenvironment can be more strongly tied topotential demand from the tourist economy.

The Panel is certainly mindful that this proposalhas been hotly debated over the course of time,and the one-way pairing was established toalleviate traffic bottlenecks that in summermonths backed up for quite a distance. But thePanel also understands that improvements areunder study for Route 28, and suggests thatsolutions to the back-ups be part of such studiesin the context of a two-way Main Street.

Other towns on the Cape with two-way MainStreets (Falmouth and Chatham, for example)have a stronger image than does Hyannis, and

3. Observations and Findings


traffic there functions tolerably well, even in thesummer. Moreover, traffic calming attendant withtwo-way rather than one-way circulation willbenefit the pedestrian experience and ultimatelythe retail shops too, as it is pedestrians who shopand not passing automobiles.

Supported by a program of parking managementincentives that direct drivers effectively to off-street parking locations, the Panel believes thatthe potential for traffic congestion resulting fromtwo-way circulation can be mitigated.

A two-way Main Street harkens back to theevocative images of picture postcards of Hyannis,much in the minds of many of the stakeholdersinterviewed by the Panel. It is the single mostimportant move that can be made in harnessingthe future economic growth and development ofHyannis to the vitality of its bygone days, still sovivid to these stakeholders.

Effective signage and wayfinding systems are anessential part of drawing people into Hyannis,then, once they are there, of getting them wherethey want to go. There should be signs at highwayrest stops and service stations directing travelersinto Hyannis; then there should be informationclearly directing visitors to their destinations andthe location of the appropriate type of parkingthey need: short-term for Main Street shoppersand diners, medium-term for day trippers, orlong-term for ferry travelers. Effort could bemade to establish a visual “gateway” at theintersection of Barnstable Road and Main Streetthat communicates a sense of arrival.

The existing directional signposts, althoughattractive, become lost among the streetscapeclutter of Main Street. Their pedestrian scale isappropriate for sidewalks, but needs to besupplemented by larger signage that is visible todrivers.


Attractively designed and effectively placed wayfinding banners and kioskscan help establish a strong identity for Hyannis.


Hyannis can draw inspiration from other NewEngland towns of various scales that havesuccessfully integrated parking into their historicdowntowns:

· Concord, Massachusetts is similar toHyannis in the pedestrian scale of its historicvernacular architecture. Its public parking, allin surface lots, incorporates a series ofpedestrian mews that connect the lots to MainStreet through beautifully designed alleywayswith paving, landscaping, and shops that wrapthe corner.

· Mashpee Commons, although it is newconstruction based on historic village models,features wrapped corner storefronts that makethe connections from the main street to theparking areas a much more pleasantpedestrian experience.

· Portsmouth, New Hampshire, with a similarhistoric core and pedestrian scale, has analmost imperceptible parking garage tuckedunobtrusively into its downtown, with nonegative impact on the streetscape quality.

· After years of trying to satisfy increasingdemand with only surface parking, Freeport,Maine recently created a parking “plinth,”reclaiming the ground plain with shops allaround and moving layers of parkingunderground.


Parking and Circulation

Once Hyannis has strengthened its identity as adestination in its own right, and is successfullygetting more people to spend time here, thereneeds to be a cohesive program in place thatenhances the perception of the downtown as aplace that is easy to get into and out of; a placewhere people can park and walk to stores withoutstress or aggravation. The problem is notexclusive to Hyannis—many small downtownshave grappled with the effective organization andmanagement of parking, but here it is exacerbatedby the seasonal spike in traffic. Although thelong-term solution is likely to be structuredparking, for which there may not yet be adequateyear-round demand, the Panel felt the shorter-term needs can be satisfied by establishing astronger parking management plan.

Hyannis’ Main Street is over a mile long,considerably longer than similar thoroughfares inmany other towns. One challenge is how to keepit vital over that long distance. The Panel founddifferent issues at play in different parts of thestudy area; so, for the purposes of this evaluation,the Panel decided to break the area into twosegments.

A. East SegmentThe East Segment includes the major trafficgenerators and parking users: Cape Cod Hospital,Steamship Authority, Hy-Line, and HyannisTransportation Center, along with otherwaterfront users and East Main Street properties.All of these large entities are thriving andgrowing, generating increasing demand forparking, although there is disinvestment in theneighborhoods that lie between them.

East Segment Diagram, showing potential location of future structured parking.


This area (encompassing the blocks betweenMain Street, South Street, Lewis Bay Road, andPleasant Street) offers the highest potential forcentralized shared structured parking. It is an easywalk to the hospital, the docks, and thetransportation center. A garage in this locationwould over time free up valuable waterfrontproperty for more productive redevelopment asmixed-use, office, commercial, and/or residentialprojects, bringing connectivity and new vitalityalong the waterfront and reversing neighborhooddisinvestment.

Market-rate housing in this segment could beattractive for hospital staff and other people whowant to live downtown, and would build up acustomer base of year-round residents to supportdowntown area businesses. In the off-season, thegarage could possibly provide storage facilitiesfor island residents/businesses.

B. Middle/West SegmentThe second segment includes the core businessdistrict along Main Street, where visitors’ firstimpressions of Hyannis occur. Expanding theavailable parking here is not really feasible, butthere are opportunities to better organize andcoordinate the ample existing parking,transforming what is now passive cooperationinto more active management.

Parking Coordination· Public/private coordination of North Street

lotsThe North Street lots, with mixed public andprivate ownership, provide an opportunity forrethinking circulation, streetscapeimprovements, and access points/connectivityto Main Street. Directional signage needs tobe improved; currently, it is unclear to driverson Main Street where to go to park. Visitorsdriving into downtown need to know that thebest opportunity to park is to take a right ontoSea Street Extension and follow it to the lotson North Street.

Middle/West Segment Diagram, showing areas along Main Street for improved parking coordination and management.


· Better defining short-term and long-termparking locationsIdentify appropriate and more remotelocations for designated long-term customer,resident, and employee parking. It isimportant to continue enforcing parking limitsfor Main Street parking to keep thosedesirable on-street spaces turning over. Somebusinesses already do a good job of requiringemployees to park in remote sections of lots,but more should be encouraged to do so.Better use can be made of remote, vacant, andunderutilized lots for employee and otherlong-term parking users.

· Shared parking agreementsDefine who the users are (office, retail,restaurant, institutional) block-by-block andcoordinate peak hour demands. Explorebusiness-to-business cooperation amongadjacent neighbors – for example, could abank share onsite parking with a dinnerrestaurant in the same block? Could a churchallow weekday shopper parking?

· Valet parkingA shared valet parking system, operated andmanaged by the BID rather than by individualowners, could make use of remote off-peakparking lots. Valet stations could bestrategically located block-by-block to servethe entire district rather than individualbusinesses.

Parking and Intermodal Enhancement· Wayfinding system and gateway treatments

It is important for travelers to know wherethey are going withouthaving to penetrate anyfurther into the centralbusiness district than theymust. The existingwayfinding signs get lost insidewalk clutter. A high-quality system of tastefulbanners attached to frameson light poles, (seeexample from Amherst,Massachusetts, at left)

rather than at street level, would be morevisible from cars.

· Outlying signageIt is also important for signage to happenbeyond the immediate downtown area; forexample, signage at the Route 6 interchangeand/or at rest stops and service stations wouldenable visitors to get familiar with the lay ofthe land and understand their parking optionsbefore arriving, leaving them with a morepositive overall impression of Hyannis.

· Side street parkingExpand on-street parking on side streetswhere possible.

· Main Street two-way trafficReconsider Main Street/South Streetconversion back to two-way traffic. Thepositive economic results that can come fromre-establishing two-way traffic in a smalldowntown are well documented. The Townshould re-consider the study conducted by theHyannis Main Street BID in 2000 andevaluate other case studies of municipalitiesthat have converted back to two-way flowwith positive results.

· Multi-purpose trailFinish the connection of the multi-purposetrail between Main Street, Bearses Way,Route 28, and Route 132 to tie in theneighborhoods north of Main Street andencourage more bicycle connections to


· Strategic parking placement and infilldevelopmentConsider incentives for infill development onvacant lots along Main Street to improve thepedestrian environment. Fill in the “missingteeth” in the 500 block of Main Street withmixed-use development, with frontagesmeeting the sidewalk and parking behind.Evaluate parking time limitsOn- and off-street public parking time limitsshould be based on proximity to the corebusiness area along Main Street. Shorter timelimited (such as 30 minutes to 2 hours) shouldapply to on-street parking spaces where highcustomer turnover is desirable and beneficialto nearby businesses. On-street parking onside streets and off-street parking lots shouldbe timed for longer periods and geared forlocal workers and customers that are planningon staying in the village center for anextended period of time. Any parking timelimits program has to be coupled withconsistent enforcement to ensure properturnover of spaces and with an effectivedirectional sign program that allowscustomers to easily find short- and long-termparking throughout the village center.Consider parking meters in core area ofMain StreetInstalling meters along Main Street in the corearea would improve short-term parkingturnover, reduced long-term employee inmost valuable spaces, reduce manualenforcement needs on Main Street andprovide revenue that could be reinvested inimproved downtown parking. A cost-effectivealternative to individual meters would beparking meter stations, which provide a seriesof centralized locations covering segments ofon-street public parking areas where feeswould be paid.Improve public and private parking lotconnectivityOn-site observations indicate that privateparking efficiency could be improved inseveral places in the downtown Hyannis. The

Town should consider incentives for privateproperty owners to coordinate and provideinternal connection where possible whichcould result in the creation of additionalparking spaces, improved circulation andreduction in curb-cuts.Establish a parking sticker permit programA sticker permit program could be institutedfor downtown residents and employees toencourage them to park in more remotelocations away from the core area along MainStreet where customer parking is critical tobusiness success. Permits could be issued forselected remote lots along South Street, thenorth side of North Street, or at the HyannisTransportation Center. Town employeesshould also have parking stickers and berequired to park in remote lots during thepeak summer season.Evaluate the parking bylawReview the parking regulations for downtownto ensure that required parking spaces isappropriate and allows for a variety ofreduction methods such as shared parking andaccess, existing and new on-street parkingoffsets, remote parking agreements foremployees and residents, valet parking, andcontributions to in-lieu parking funds forenhanced public parking system.

C. Parking Management (Both Segments)Parking needs to be recognized as a utility, likewater or electricity. Automobiles are thepredominant way people come to Hyannis; theyare the lifeblood that makes the downtown work.Ample parking is available, but much of it isunder-utilized; and many downtown uses arespace intensive. Improvements to the utilization,coordination, and management of existing parkingwill result in a better experience for residents andvisitors alike. The intention would be to developand implement a plan that, by helping to create abetter overall visitor experience, is understood bythe community as increasing value for both largeand small area businesses.


· Public/Private PartnershipsThere is an eclectic mix of users andproviders in downtown Hyannis. In thiscontext, the municipality is only one ofmultiple players, and not necessarily thedominant one—they own some lots, theyhave some control, but there are many othercreators and users of demands. So a public/private partnership for management has abetter chance of succeeding than onedeveloped solely by the municipality. TheCape Cod RTA’s existing multi-modalworking group has already demonstratedgood success; that model could be built uponto address parking-related issues.

· Parking Management AgreementCreate a parking framework that local ownersand businesses can sign on to. Begin theprocess by building a coalition of willingsupporters who will encourage voluntaryparticipation by area businesses andinstitutions; if that doesn’t work, participationcould be made a requirement of contractzoning. The scope of the situation does notyet require the establishment of a full-blownmunicipal parking authority; at this point, aparking management agreement would bestbe administered by the Hyannis BID. TheBID could take responsibility off parking lotowners to operate lots and contract formaintenance (coordinated plowing, forexample); other functions could includemonitoring demand and utilization,maintaining relationships with enforcementagencies, and advocating for signage.


The evaluation of these kinds of situationstypically generate a wish list of desirablesolutions, but there is seldom a single source offunding large enough to pay for it all. The Panelrecommends pursuing a “three-legged stool”approach, taking full advantage of all availablelocal, state, and private sector/institutionalresources.

Potential Local Contributions

· District Improvement Finance (DIF) Program

If Hyannis decides to restore Main Street totwo-way traffic, or to pursue structuredparking, it may be possible to raise fundsthrough the DIF program. For example, theTown draws a line around a study area, andcan then capture the growth in property taxeswithin that district resulting from newbusinesses that spring up because additionalparking has been provided. Anotherpossibility would be if a more remote lot wasredeveloped into a building, the Town couldcapture the property tax growth and apply ittoward infrastructure improvement costs.

Potential State Contributions

· Predevelopment LoanPredevelopment loans front money to acommunity to investigate sites and do initialplanning and legal work. The money getsrepaid only if there is an eventual landtransaction.

· Planning AssistanceThe state commits staff time to consult withthe community on an as-needed pro-bonobasis.

· Brownfields ProgramsFunds may be available under a variety ofdifferent state programs if a site underconsideration needs environmentalremediation.

· MassWorks ProgramMassworks has helped fund parking garagesin the state over the last few years, typicallycovering 10-15% of the overall cost of agarage, if it can be demonstrated that thegarage will have a direct positive economicdevelopment impact (housing or jobcreation).

· I-Cubed ProgramThe Infrastructure Incentive Initiative fundslarge infrastructure projects associated withprivate development projects; for example, alarge hotel project that demonstrated thecreation of new jobs. The program is likeDIF, except it allows the segregation ofincremental growth. A single mega-project orseveral medium-sized projects taken togethermight qualify.

· Steamship AuthorityThe Steamship Authority is a quasi-publicstate agency. It might be possible to partnerwith them for the long-term leasing of anumber of spaces in a prospective garage thatwould facilitate financing of the garage.

4. Implementation


Potential Private/InstitutionalContributions

· Long-term contracts to lease garage spacesCape Cod Hospital or other large downtownuser might be interested in leasing garagespaces.

· Land swaps and other public-privateagreementsPossible “win-win” land swaps betweendowntown entities.

· PILOTs (Payments in Lieu of Taxes)Another funding source may be paymentsmade voluntarily by tax-exempt nonprofits asa substitute for property taxes.

Potential Federal Contributions

An additional leg of the “stool” might be federalinvolvement. For example, the US EconomicDevelopment Administration may match stategrants; and other federal opportunities may beavailable.


5. Summary of Recommendations

As the Town of Barnstable pursues long-termparking solutions for the Hyannis downtown, itshould always be kept in mind that parking is autility; its value is in support of other activities,not in and of itself. The overall goal in solvingHyannis’ parking situation is to increaseeconomic activity and enhance the amenities inthe downtown district.

Short-Term Menu

� Restore Main and South Streets to two-waycirculation� Develop comprehensive wayfinding signage

improvements and create gateways� Promote cultural and civic resources� Enforce parking regulations� Create pedestrian connections from North

Street lots to Main Street� Coordinate multi-modal use and parking

demand� Establish connections to harbor/beaches and

activity generators

Hyannis’ identity ought not to be merely as theparking place for ferry passengers. It is importantto accentuate the positives of the village’shistorical and cultural amenities, and to de-emphasize the visual impact of oceans of parking.

At present, the one-way traffic pattern of Mainand South Streets is auto-centric, focused on theefficient movement of cars through the Town.The Panel strongly encourages the Town toconsider restoring the two-way traffic pattern.Such a change would get people out of their carsand onto the sidewalks as pedestrians, enrichingthe vitality of the downtown area and benefittingits retail and dining establishments. It will make ahuge difference in how visitors experience theTown, and it can be accomplished now; it caneffectively “prime the pump” by creating an area

that is attractive for private developmentinvestment.

Long-Term Vision

� Develop shared parking garage� Build workforce housing near and off Main

Street and transportation nodes� Promote mixed-use infill along Main Street� Change zoning to prohibit parking lots as

principal use

Jump-starting economic activity in the downtown,through identity enhancement, better parkingmanagement, and traffic circulation changes, willcreate a platform for the longer-termimprovements to take place.

Prohibiting parking lots as a principal use shouldbe seriously considered. Although zoning changesmay seem like a short-term solution, changing atown’s zoning has long-term implications. It isimportant to make sure the zoning ordinance, theGrowth Improvement Zone, and the overlaydistricts all contribute to the intendedconsequence of making the desired land usesactually happen.

The likeliest long-term solution is structuredparking, concentrated in one place and benefittingall the business interests, both waterfront anddowntown, both seasonal and year-round.

The long-term vision only emerges after theshorter-term issues are addressed. Sufficientdemand doesn’t currently exist for structuredparking or for the kinds of development thatmight be possible in the longer term. Butaddressing the short-term issues now willultimately lead to the creation of an environmentthat makes structured parking and newdevelopment feasible.

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The Future of Parking in Downtown Hyannis · 2019. 5. 17. · Eventually residential coexistence...

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