lakefront parking project analysismedia.cleveland.com/business_impact/other/final lakefront... ·...

Final Report, September 5, 2014

Terminal Tower, Suite 62650 Public Square

Cleveland, OH 44113 www.desman.com

Lakefront Parking Project

Produced for:Greater Cleveland Partnership

Cleveland, OH

On Behalf of: Group Plan Commission

City of Cleveland

Prepared by:

Analysis

Lakefront Parking Project AnalysisGreater Cleveland Partnership

Final 9/5/2014

TOC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................. 1

STUDY AREA .................................................................................................................................................. 2

EXISTING CONDITIONS.................................................................................................................................... 4

FUTURE DEMAND FOR PARKING .................................................................................................................. 6

FUTURE NEED FOR PARKING IN THE STUDY AREA ..................................................................................... 12

PARKING GARAGE DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES................................................................................... 16

COMPARISON OF PARKING GARAGE DESIGN OPTIONS .............................................................................. 28

TRAFFIC ACCESS AND IMPACT ANALYSIS...................................................................................................... 30

PROJECTED FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF WILLARD PARK GARAGE EXPANSION .................................... 30

STUDY CONCLUSIONS .................................................................................................................................. 41

APPENDIX

Lakefront Parking Project Analysis Greater Cleveland Partnership

Final 9/5/2014

1

INTRODUCTION

DESMAN was retained by the Greater Cleveland Partnership (“GCP”) on behalf of the Group Plan Commission (“GPC”), with support from the City of Cleveland (“City”) and Cuyahoga County (“County”), to complete an in‐depth analysis of the future parking needs in the government and convention district of downtown Cleveland. The assignment was initially focused on re‐examining the functional and financial feasibility of the proposed Lakefront Intermodal Development Project, which was to be located on low‐lying land situated between the Memorial Shoreway and the north end of the lakefront bluff where Mall C terminates and where both Cleveland City Hall and the Cuyahoga County Courthouse are situated. The Lakefront Intermodal Development Project was conceived to be a 700‐space, multi‐level parking structure that would have vehicle access from both E. Ninth Street and the Memorial Shoreway and pedestrian access to E. Ninth Street and to both Mall C and the Inner Harbor area via a bridge that would span over the railroad and RTA tracks and the Memorial Shoreway. The project concept, originally developed by URS, was intended to provide additional parking capacity that would support both the convention center district and the Inner Harbor and offer a solution for physically linking the Mall area to the Waterfront area (see Exhibit 1). Though attempts to obtain Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Grant funding for the project from the U.S. Department of Transportation failed, local enthusiasm for the project remained strong, as did the need for additional parking and a pedestrian connection between the Mall and the Lakefront area. However, a number of questions about the viability of the project required further investigation. For example, did the project have sufficient parking to meet the increasing demand in the area; would it provide the level of customer service required by the key parking generators in the surrounding area; and could access to the garage, and traffic volumes produced by it, be effectively accommodated within the context of the area which is already challenged by the same issues. In essence, further due diligence was required to assess the physical and financial viability of the project.

Exhibit 1 Lakefront Intermodal Facility Concept

Source: URS


Final 9/5/2014

2

DESMAN’s scope of work was comprised of the following tasks:

1) Access and Parking Need Assessment – This task focused on qualifying and quantifying the prevailing and projected need for additional parking in the vicinity of the project site given the existing supply and typical consumption of parking spaces. The principle finding from this effort was to quantify the amount of additional parking needed in the area to optimally accommodate the wide range of event‐generated parking demand scenarios expected to occur in the future.

2) Garage & Bridge Facility Conceptualization – This task involved re‐fining the design, capacity, functionality, and accessibility of the proposed Intermodal Facility given the host of physical constraints and visual preferences for the overall development project. Ultimately, the aim of this task was to reach a conclusion and consensus as to whether or not the proposed Lakefront Intermodal Development project ought to be undertaken and, if not, in what capacity and where might an alternative parking development solution be sited. This task also included evaluating how the placement, alignment, design, scale, and massing of a lakefront pedestrian bridge connector might best be developed as an integral element of the Lakefront Intermodal Development project or as a freestanding structure.

3) Project Financial Performance Projections ‐ Assuming an appropriately sized and designed Lakefront Intermodal Development proved to be accessibly and functionally viable, this task was focused on determining how the facility would likely perform from a financial standpoint. A pro forma statement was to be developed that estimated the probable costs to construct and operate the facility and project how much revenue would by produced by the garage.

4) Interim Parking Plan – This task involved the formulation of a practical approach to accommodating the parking demand surges generated by the Cleveland Convention Center (“CC” or “Convention Center”), the Global Center for Health Innovation (“GCHI”) and other major event venues in the area while a permanent solution to the parking needs of the area was delivered.

DESMAN worked in conjunction with URS, which was separately contracted by the City and the GCP, to analyze the traffic access and capacity impacts of the development and the visual impacts the development would have on the lake views from the Convention Center Ballroom, the Mall and from E. Ninth Street. This report summarizes DESMAN’s analysis, findings and recommendations. STUDY AREA

Exhibit 2 depicts the study area boundary in red which encompasses City Hall, Willard Park Garage (“WPG”), the County Courthouse, Huntington Park Garage (“HPG”), the RTA station, and the Amtrak Station, including the land area north of Lakeside Avenue and south of the Memorial Shoreway between E. Ninth and W. Third Streets. The key event assembly venues, namely the Convention Center, the Public Auditorium and the site of the new Hilton Convention Hotel line the south side of Lakeside Avenue. Aside from City Hall and the Courthouse, the only other office buildings in the immediate area are the Federal


Final 9/5/2014

3

Building and the City/County Justice Center on the south side of Lakeside Avenue. Also highlighted on the same exhibit are the locations of existing public parking facilities to the south of the study area and an approximation of the distance these parking facilities are from the Lakeside Avenue entrance to the Convention Center. The site of the proposed Lakefront Intermodal Development (hereafter referred to as the “RTA Site”) is also identified. Once the study effort commenced, DESMAN recommended that the vacant hillside site immediately east of WPG (“WPG Expansion Site”) also be studied as a potential parking facility development location. Table 1 lists the public parking facilities located within and proximate to the study area, including the name of the facility, the address and the space capacity, as well as rate information for a few of the locations.

Exhibit 2 Study Area

Source: DESMAN


Final 9/5/2014

4

EXISTING CONDITIONS

Within the study area, parking demand typically peaks on normal weekdays between the hours of 10:00AM and 12:00PM. There are over 11,000 spaces within or close to 1,000 feet of the Convention Center entrance, however only WPG and HPG are within 500 feet, considered an acceptable walking distance, of the event venue’s main entrance. A survey of these parking facilities revealed that, aside from WPG and HPG, nearly all of the parking facilities in the area typically operate at or near “practical operating capacity” during the peak parking demand period on weekdays. The term “practical operating capacity” is parking industry terminology describing when the space capacity of a parking facility reaches 90% to 95% occupancy. When this occurs, users have great difficulty finding an unoccupied space, circulation inside the facility slows and the facility begins to experience severe operating inefficiencies. Despite the fact that many of the facilities in the area operate near capacity during the daytime on typical weekdays, during the off‐peak period, which is most weekday evenings and most weekends, when the majority downtown office and non‐retail commercial enterprises are closed, many of these public parking facilities have an abundance of surplus space capacity. Consequently, our effort to quantify the current and future peak period parking supply shortfall in the study area is focused on the supply and demand circumstances that will prevail during the daytime hours on weekdays.

Table 1 Existing Public Parking Facilities

FACILITY NAMESpace

CapacityPractical Capacity1

General Monthly

Employee Monthly 1 Hour 3 Hour

Daily Maximum

601 Lakeside Ave Willard Park Garage 1,601 1,521 $110.00 $55.00 $2.25 $4.75 $9.003 Lakeside Ave Huntington Park Garage 1,103 1,048 $140.00 $85.00 $6.25 $7.50 $8.00

300 St Clair Ave Memorial Plaza Garage 985 9361301 E 6th St Penton Media Garage 632 6001370 W 3rd St 55 Public Square Garage 354 336770 St Clair Ave NE IMG Garage 300 285777 Rockwell Ave Calfee Garage 300 285801 Rockwell Ave Arvil (Rockwell) Garage 457 434200 Public Square Garage BP Garage 757 719515 Euclid Ave 515 Euclid Parking Facility 524 498

1075 Rockwell Ave One Cleveland Center 1120 1,0641411 E 9th St Cathedral Plaza Garage 562 5341121 E 10th St Erieview Garage 430 409600 Superior Avenue Fifth Third Center Garage 428 407

1169 E 9th St North Point Garage 1005 9551111 Lakeside Ave East Double Tree Garage 267 2541277 Hamilton Ave Firestone Tire Garage 454 431TOTAL EXISTING PARKING SUPPLY 11,279 10,7151 The term "Practical Capacity" refers to the maximum space occupancy before a facilty begins to experience operating inefficiencies.

500 Ft

500 ft to

1000 ft

+ 1000 ft

EXISTING GARAGES

2,569

2,877

5,270

$175.00

$182.00

$11.00

$12.00$11.00

$10.00$8.00

$7.50

Practical Space Capacity by Zone


Final 9/5/2014

5

Table 2 provides a breakdown of normal allocation of parking spaces at WPG and HPG.

Based on data and information provided by the Parking Divisions of both the City and County, it is estimated that there are only approximately 455 total spaces available to serve transient parkers during the peak weekday period (depicted in Exhibit 3). The HPG data revealed that approximately 722 transient (non‐monthly) parkers use the facility daily during an average weekday and that during the weekday peak period roughly 250 transient vehicles are usually parked in the facility, leaving only approximately 280 spaces available to serve the area’s event venues and the future hotel. Similarly, the WPG data indicated that approximately 800 transient parkers use the facility daily during an average weekday and that during the weekday peak period roughly 400 transient vehicles are usually parked in the facility, leaving only approximately 175 spaces available to serve the area’s event venues and the future hotel.

Exhibit 3 WPG & HPG Utilization & Surplus Capacity

Source: DESMAN

Table 2 WPG and HPG Space Supply & Typical Weekday Peak Period Utilization (Weekdays 10AM‐12PM)

WILLARD PARK GARAGE

HUNTINGTON PARK GARAGE

TOTAL PARKING SPACE SUPPLY 1,601 1,103 2,704 100%Plaza Level Spaces 227 230 457Interior Spaces 1,374 873 2,247

Public Sector Permit holders 651 749 1,400 52%Parking Garage Operations 6 4 10Govt. Vehicle Spaces 46 10 56City Council/Mayor's Staff, Depart. Heads 134 N/A 134County Courthouse Judges N/A 38 38County Council N/A 3 3City /County Employee Permit holders 465 694 1,159Non‐Government Permit holders 195 58 253 9%SUBTOTAL PERMIT HOLDERS 846 807 1,653 61%ASSUMED TRANSIENT CAPACITY 755 296 1,051 47%

AVERAGE PEAK PERIOD SPACE SURPLUS 175 280 455 17%Source: City and County Parking Divisions

WPG AND HPG COMBINED

CURRENT SPACE UTILIZATION

FACILITY SUPPLY AND CURRENT UTILIZATION (Weekday Peak Period)


Final 9/5/2014

6

These findings suggest that, at the present time, in order to free up more spaces to serve the needs of the Convention Center and new hotel, some of the current volume of monthly parkers at each facility may need to be reduced, or some of the current transient parkers using the facilities will have to be displaced in favor of hotel and Convention Center‐generated transient parkers. FUTURE DEMAND FOR PARKING

The Convention Center, the Global Center for Health Innovation, the Cleveland Public Auditorium (“CPA”), and the Hilton Convention Center Hotel (“HH” or “Hotel”) scheduled to be completed in 2016 are the main drivers behind the increasing demand for parking within the study area. In order to gain the best possible degree of understanding regarding the scope of the demand likely to be generated by these new and revitalized event venues, DESMAN sought historical and anticipated future programming and event attendance records from their respective management entities. Cleveland Convention Center & Global Center for Health Innovation

SMG, the management entity for the CC and the GCHI, provided records dating back to the opening of the venues, however only the actual and scheduled programming for 2014 was used in the demand analysis. While the 2014 schedule was more robust than that for 2013, it is important to note that the annual calendar of programmed events and attendance for these two venues is not expected to reach a normal or stabilized condition until possibly a year after the Hotel opens. Nevertheless, the data provided for 2014 was used as the basis for projecting the parking needs of both venues. The data provided by SMG for its 2014 bookings included actual and contracted events, dates, number of days events have/will run, attendance, and estimated hotel room nights. The bookings were categorized in one of the following ways: Meeting, Tradeshow, Consumer Show, Special Event, Sporting Event, or Convention. Table 3 provides an overview of how these event categories compared to one another from the perspective of annual bookings, event days, average attendance ranges, and associated hotel rooms nights.

Table 3 CC & GCHI Programming Summary for 2014

Over 1,000 500‐999 300‐499 100‐299 0‐99Tradeshows 15 51 11 52,230 27,975 62 11 3 1 0 0Sporting Events 4 7 7 36,006 43,500 14 4 0 0 0 0Consumer Shows 8 4 15 36,900 95 19 5 2 1 0 0Meetings 60 112 28 24,110 6,375 140 8 5 13 24 9Special Events 38 34 15 19,695 1,616 49 5 14 12 7 0Conventions 3 9 3 2,500 2,763 12 1 1 0 1 0TOTALS 128 217 79 171,441 82,324 296 34 25 27 32 9Source: SMG

Convention Center Event Categories

Total Room Nights

Event Bookings based on Attendance Total Event

Bookings

Weekdays Event Days

Weekend Event Days

Total Annual

Attendance

Total Event Days


Final 9/5/2014

7

While tradeshows accounted for the highest annual attendance, followed by Sporting Events and Consumer Shows, the lowest annual attendance was associated with the Conventions category. Tradeshows also produced the highest attendance volumes per booking. Exhibit 4 shows the seasonality of event bookings by event category.

Generally, there were twice as many event days scheduled on weekends as there were on weekdays and only Consumer Shows were scheduled to occur more on weekends than on weekdays. In contrast, the majority of the Meeting event dates were programmed for weekdays as opposed to weekends. The following provides a sense of the common parking characteristics associated with each of the Convention Center event categories.

Tradeshow Parking – Tradeshows are most often scheduled during the summer and fall months. Attendees will usually be from the Midwest region and a majority will probably drive to the area. Since tradeshows tend to span three to four days, the event attendees will drive each day to the event locations and remain present at the shows location between the hours of 9:00AM and 4:00PM, as most tradeshow programming ends around 5:00PM or 6:00PM. After that time, the attendees might remain at the event site, but most attendees will take advantage of the free time to dine or be entertained away from the event site. The exception to this behavior would be if tradeshow attendees secured reservations at a hotel at or in close proximity to the convention site, which will be the case in Cleveland once the Hotel is built, which would mean that the attendees might walk to nearby dining and entertainment locations while their vehicle remains parked at their day‐long parking locations. In

Exhibit 4 2014 Event Bookings at the Convention Center & Global Center of Health Innovation, by Category


Final 9/5/2014

8

either case, the attendees at this type of event will tend to have lengthy parking durations. For the sake of analysis, it has been conservatively assumed that 2 event attendees will occupy every vehicle generate by a tradeshow. Sporting Event Parking – Nearly all attendees will arrive within one hour before the event start time. Those that drive will have an average of 2.5 occupants in their vehicle and they will park within a reasonable walking distance of the event location. Their parking duration of stay will typically be between 2 and 3 hours at most and they will vacant the vicinity of the event shortly before or immediately after it ends. The exception would be when the event has multiple competing schedules over an extended time period that attracts diverse fan groupings; day‐long or perhaps multi‐day gymnastics competitions or regional final or semi‐final wrestling or tennis tournaments would be a few examples. In this case, the parking dynamics of the event would be quite different as the parking demand would occur in waves throughout the timeframe for the event. Consumer Show Parking – These events attract nearly all local attendees. Although the shows can run between 9:00AM and 9:00pm, the majority of the attendees will spend 3 hours or less at the show, creating a high turnover pattern among the parking spaces in closest proximity to the event location. As the SMG data reveals, the consumer shows most often occur during weekends when there will usually be an abundance of available parking spaces on‐street and in area parking facilities. Consequently, the most conveniently located parking facilities may not always capture the predominant share of parking demand generated by the event. For the purposes of this analysis, we have assumed that 2.75 event attendees will occupy each vehicle generated by these events. Meeting Parking – Based on the information provided by SMG, the events categorized as Meetings vary widely in terms of attendance, schedule and duration. Convention Center meeting events are usually sponsored by corporations, industry groups, civic and business associations, and non‐profit organizations. Since the majority of meetings are held during weekdays, one can assume that most meetings have some connection to weekday business activities. Weekday attendees are on leave from their normal work site, they arrive shortly before the event is scheduled to start and most are unlikely to linger at the event venue after the event ends. While these meetings are often scheduled for 2 to 3 hours during early morning or midday hours, a sizable share of the meetings also can last throughout the course of normal business hours and beyond. The SMG data revealed that a third of the 60 meeting bookings scheduled in 2014 involved repeat gatherings over 2 to 4 consecutive days. The attendees of these meetings will commonly arrive from within the metropolitan area and, depending of the subject matter of the meetings, may even walk or catch a taxi from locations in the downtown area. Meeting event attendance totals range from a low of 25 to highs in the thousands. However, meeting attendance totals provided averaged out to


Final 9/5/2014

9

approximately 383 persons over the course of every month in 2014. For the purposes of this analysis, we have assumed that an average of 1.2 event attendees will occupy each vehicle generated by these weekday meeting events. Special Event Parking – The characteristics of special event bookings at the CC are similar to meetings, but they occur less frequently and have shown to involve larger numbers of attendees per event day and rarely do special events booking involve more the one day. Per event day attendee totals for 2014 ranged from a minimum of 100 attendees to a high of slightly more than 1,000 attendees. Given the higher event day attendance averages for these special events, we have assumed that these events tend to be special occasions such as annual award banquets, annual corporate meetings or perhaps professional, technical or corporate education and/or training sessions. As such, it has been assumed that many attendees are from the same industry, corporate or professional or technical field and would more likely travel to the event in groups. Therefore, for the purposes of this analysis, we have assumed that an average of 2 event attendees will occupy each vehicle generated by special events gatherings. Convention Event Parking – Because there is significant competition among convention center operators to book regional and/or national conventions, it not surprising that the CC had only 3 convention bookings in 2014. The low number of bookings also related to the fact that the revitalization of the Convention Center was completed in the fall of 2013 and most major convention sponsors make convention booking reservations three to four years in advance of the event date; SMG reported that nine conventions will be held at the facility in 2015, indicating that the CC will see its convention event programming increase in the future. Both 2014 and 2015 convention event booking data reveals that these events often last for between 3 and 5 days and attract between 200 and 1,500 registered attendees. These attendees commonly book multi‐night stays at nearby hotels and thus remain in the vicinity of the convention center to attend each day’s event sessions, which are mostly scheduled during normal business hours. While convention attendees will travel to Cleveland by car and air, it has been assumed that local factors such as the local entertainment and dining destinations, relatively little regional traffic congestion, and low to moderate market pricing for goods and entertainment, will tend to prompt most air travelers arriving in this market to rent a car, rather than rely on taxis or public transportation. Since each of the existing off‐site hotels in the immediate vicinity of the CC have dedicated parking to accommodate their guests, it has been assumed that most convention event attendees will not require parking at either WPG or HPG. Of those that will require parking at WPG or HPG, these individuals will either be the attendees staying at the new Hotel, which will not have any on‐site parking, or those that choose a more remote hotel located outside of what would be considered a


Final 9/5/2014

10

comfortable walking distance. Therefore, it has been assumed that the vehicles of attendees staying at the HH will have their personal or rental vehicle parked in HPG from late evening through the following daytime hours of the convention each event day. The convention event attendees that stay at other remote hotel sites will display parking behaviors that would be similar to downtown workers keeping their vehicle in the same location, be it at WPG, HPG or some other nearby parking facility, during normal business hours. Given the fact that the convention event attendees’ parking needs will vary with their choice of hotel accommodations, it has been assumed that 2 event attendees will occupy each vehicle generated by a convention event.

Cleveland Public Auditorium & Convention Center

The CPA is managed by the City of Cleveland and booking for the venue is completely independent of SMG’s management of the CC. The CPA is a large facility comprised of the 6,000‐seat Public Hall, the 3,000‐seat Music Hall, the 600‐seat Little Theater, and approximately 100,000 SF of meeting space broken‐down into 13 separate meeting rooms. The lower level of the facility where the meeting space is located is physically connected to the convention center. Based on information provided by the City, the CPA has not been aggressively marketed as an event venue since the latest improvements were completed in conjunction with the CC makeover. The programming at the facility has mostly involved business meetings, training and testing programs held in association with, or sponsored by, the City of Cleveland. These events typically occur during weekday business hours and draw government employees and citizens that often are either already parked in the area or rely on public transit as the travel mode to the venue. The few large special events that have occurred recently at this venue include the FEDEX tennis tournament, Regional High School Division 2 Wrestling Tournament, National Cheerleaders Competition, and some programming for the Gay Games. These events usually span weekend periods when the supply of available parking in the area is plentiful. Some of these events will return to the venue annually, while others are viewed as one‐time bookings. It is also difficult to predict the likely turnout for events of this nature. Fortunately, many of these types of events and concerts at the CPA pre‐sell tickets which will allow for some advance planning relative to parking accommodations, but day of event tickets can often drive the demand for parking well beyond initial expectations. Table 5 give a representation of the CPA’s 2014 event programming and DESMAN’s estimates of the vehicle generation associated with the four primary types of event categories reported to be booked at the venue.


Final 9/5/2014

11

A detailed tabulation of the 2014 CC and CPA Event Programming is included in Appendix A. The table also includes peak period vehicle generation estimates for event date.

Unlike the CC, there are far fewer major events booked for the future at the CPA so it’s difficult to forecast the scope and frequency of programming at the facility in the years to come. Therefore, for the purposes of this study, we assumed that, at the very least, the number, scope and types of events programmed at the venue in 2014 could reasonably be repeated in the future. However, this is likely a conservative outlook as we believe that the use of the CPA will modestly increase as the number of bookings at the CC increases in the coming years. Hilton Convention Center Hotel

The Hilton Convention Center Hotel is scheduled to open in 2016. The facility will have ±600 rooms, a ±21,000 SF grand ballroom, a ±15,000 SF junior ballroom, approximately 11,000 SF of meeting space, and ±15,500 SF of restaurant/lounge space.

Hotel Guest Parking ‐ The supply of hotel rooms on non‐convention center related event dates can conservatively be assumed to be at least 71% occupied (i.e. 426 occupied rooms), which is typical for the downtown hotel market at large. If 90% of the average non‐convention center related event date room occupants require parking, approximately 383 parking spaces will be needed. When the regularly‐present hotel managers, administrators and key support staff are factored in, the Hotel is expected to generate a need for a minimum of ±425 parking

Table 5 2014 Event bookings at the Cleveland Public Auditorium and estimates of probable vehicle generation

Meetings Special Ev. Sporting Ev. TicketedAnnual WKDY Event Bookings 13 10 2 2Annual WKDY Event Days 19 11 5 11Total Annual Weekday Attendance 8,965 8966 10000 7,104Annual Average Weekday Attendance 2,864 1,868 2000 645Assumed Per Vehicle Occupancy 1.5 2 2.5 2.5Average Vehicle Generation by Event Category 1909 934 800 258

Cleveland Public Auditorium 2014 Events

Exhibit 5 Hilton Hotel rendering

Cooper Carey Architects


Final 9/5/2014

12

spaces on a daily basis. A portion of the hotel guests will typically check‐out by or before noon each day and new guests will check‐in after 3:00pm, but the population of hotel guests that will typically remain in the downtown area and thus remain parked in the vicinity of the hotel during business will be unpredictable. Guest bookings related to Hotel and CC based events can be expected to generate parkers that stay throughout the day. Therefore, we believe it is reasonable to assume that the new hotel will have a minimum around the clock demand for approximately 400 spaces regardless of whether a related major event is being held at either the CC or the new hotel.

Restaurant/Lounge Parking – According to the Hotel architect, the 15,500 SF of restaurant/lounge space is comprised of a three‐meal dining establishment, a grab‐n‐go pantry, and a penthouse bar/lounge. While each of these food and beverage spaces will primarily serve hotel guests, both the restaurant and bar/lounge are also expected to be downtown trip destinations among non‐hotel guests particularly during the lunch, dinner and evening hours. For the purposes of this analysis, we have not accounted for any parking demand being specifically generated by the existence of food and beverage elements of the hotel since we believe that the majority of the patrons will be from the immediate downtown area and, at least during weekday business hours, will not drive to the site.

Ballroom & Meeting Space Parking – The Hotel has a generous amount of ballroom and meeting space which can be programmed and used in conjunction with a CC event or completely independent of activities at the CC. While it is unlikely that the Grand Ballroom, the Junior Ballroom and all of the meeting space will regularly be in use simultaneously, this situation could occur on occasion. The programming of this assembly space and the occupants using the space could either be largely comprised of hotel guests or non‐guests. In the latter case, any demand for parking that is generated by the use of the hotel assembly spaces would be additive to the base demand generated by the typical room occupancy. The parking demand volumes and duration of stay scenarios stemming from the programming of the Hotel assembly space are almost limitless. However, Table 6 provides a sense

Table 6 Potential Range of Parking Demand Generated by the Convention Center Hotel Assembly Spaces

Grand Ballroom SF

Junior Ballroom SF

Meeting Space SF

Assembly Space SF 21,000 15,000 10,986Theatre Style Seating Capacity 3,000 2,143 1,569Assumed Occupants Per Vehicle 2.00 2.00 2.00

Above Average Assembly Space Occupancy 50% 50% 50%Non‐Captive Event Attendee Percentage 65% 65% 75%Above Average Event Vehicle Generation 488 348 294

Common Assembly Space Occupancy 30% 30% 30%Non‐Captive Event Attendee Percentage 65% 65% 75%Common Event Vehicle Generation 293 209 177


Final 9/5/2014

13

of the potential vehicle generation that could materialize for each of the three types of assembly spaces available at the new Convention Center Hotel.

In order to determine potential vehicle generation, first, the total square footage of assembly space in each category was converted to a maximum space occupancy number based on theater style seating. It was then assumed that every vehicle generated by an event at one of three assembly spaces would have at least 2 occupants. We then assumed an above average and a common percentage occupancy level of the maximum seating capacity for the three assembly space categories.

Exhibit 6 depicts the hourly vehicle accumulation pattern of parkers that could be attributed to the various elements of the Convention Center Hotel. It shows that room guest parking demand will typically be greatest during early and late evening hours, restaurant and bar parking demand will parallel normal dining hours, and parking demand associated with the use of the hotel assembly spaces could materialize at any time between 9:00am and 10:00pm, but that large volumes will tend to occur during evening hours.

It is estimated that an hourly average of approximately 300 parkers will typically be generated by the new hotel when the hotel assembly spaces are not in use. When one or more of the hotel assembly spaces are use, it is estimated that more than 500 parkers can be generated by the hotel on weekdays. It is

Exhibit 6 Representative Hourly Accumulation of Weekday Parkers at the Convention Center Hotel


Final 9/5/2014

14

important to note that these vehicle accumulation figures for the hotel are assumed to be achievable regardless of event programming at either the CC or the GCHI. Whenever hotel room night occupancy and assembly space use is related to programming at the CC and/or GCHI, the hotel vehicle accumulation figures may or may not increase, however the duration of stay patterns of the accumulated vehicles will likely be extended as the Hotel would most likely serve as the headquarters for a CC or GCHI event.

FUTURE NEED FOR PARKING IN THE STUDY AREA

Exhibit 7 depicts the parking demand generated by the combined events held at the CC, GCHI, and the CPA in 2014, as well as the hotel room occupancy attributed to event programming at the CC, GCHI and CPA. The reported dates and attendance characteristics of the 2014 events held at the CC, GCHI, and the CPA are converted to vehicle generation estimations. By spreading these over the calendar year, one gets a sense of the variances in parking demand when single and multiple large and small events occur. Based on this analysis, it has been determined that up to approximately 1,100 parking spaces will need to be available (above and beyond the prevailing weekday demand in the area) to accommodate the combined event activities held at the CC, GCHI and the CPA, as well as the recurring guest occupancy and restaurant patronage at the new Hotel. This 1,100 space figure represents the 85th percentile of future parking demand that will be generated throughout the coming years. This finding means that with the provision of up to 1,100 parking spaces in the study area on weekdays, the Convention Center District (i.e. encompassing of the CC, GCHI, CPA and the new Hilton Hotel) will have an ample supply of parking to effectively serve the demand 85% of the time during weekday. In other words, only 15% of the time might the combined weekday parking demand generated by these land uses surpass this 1,100‐space parking supply target. This finding does not necessarily mean that a 1,100‐space parking facility will need to be developed in the study area. The County has been contemplating entering into a parking agreement with SMG and the Hotel operator that would essentially pledge that up to 500 parking spaces in HPG to be available on a 24‐hour basis to accommodate the shared daily parking needs of the both the CC and the Hotel. The 500‐space allocation at HPG would easily accommodate the daily non‐event parking demand (i.e. ±300 spaces) of the hotel and leave approximately 200 spaces to serve most small to mid‐sized events held at either the CC, CPA or at the assembly spaces in the Hotel. Therefore, if the County follows through with this proposed parking agreement, then the calculated weekday parking target of 1,100 spaces would essentially be reduced to approximately 600 spaces. These 600 spaces would be needed when the larger attendance events occur and/or when large attendance figures are produced by the simultaneous occurrence of multiple events at one or more venues.


Final 9/5/2014

15

Exhibit 7 Convention Center Area Weekday Parking Demand Summary

Source: Generated from data provided by SMG and the City of Cleveland and parking demand modeling done by DESMAN for the new hotel project.


Final 9/5/2014

16

PARKING GARAGE DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

URS Parking Facility Design Study

As previously noted, the initial focus of this study area was on the Lakefront Intermodal Development project that was envisioned to be situated directly north of WPG between the RTA rail line and the South Marginal Roadway. The earlier design study of the Intermodal Facility done by URS involved two different schemes for the layout of a multi‐level parking structure sited between a public transit light rail station and the City’s Amtrak station situated between East 9th Street, West 3rd Street, the eastbound ramp from the Memorial Shoreway and the RTA light rail lines (the RTA site). While parking was the primary focus of the project, the placement of the structure was also strategic in that the garage was envisioned to also serve as a midpoint pedestal for a pedestrian bridge structure that would provide a connection from the Mall C area to the Inner Harbor area on the waterfront. Exhibits 8 and 9 depict the structural footprint, access and circulation schemes for the two different facility concepts developed by URS. The key difference between the facility concepts is that the first 3‐bay wide concept would cause the elimination of the eastbound ramp to East 9th Street from the Memorial Shoreway and the second 2‐bay wide concept would avoid the elimination of the ramp to East 9th Street. The ingress and egress points for each concept were quite limited and largely dictated by the existing elevations, slopes and alignments of the surrounding roadways. Although it was assumed that a facility at this location would likely needed to accommodate approximately 700 vehicles, the total space capacity for the two URS concepts was unspecified since ±700 spaces would be achievable by extending the length and/or by adding parking levels to the structure. DESMAN Parking Facility Design Alternatives

DESMAN set out to improve upon the efficiency and functional garage schemes for the subject site and revisit the placement, alignment and design of the access points to the facility given the facility size and probable utilization characteristics. Our work was guided by the previous finding of the need for an additional ±600 spaces satisfactorily support the projected future demand for parking in the district, the fact that there is strong opposition to the possible elimination of the eastbound ramp to East 9th Street, and the desire to preserve the lakefront views from the Convention Center ballroom. In addition to studying the URS concepts, DESMAN also suggested to the client group that the horizontal expansion of WPG be examined as an alternative parking development site. The vacant hillside site to the east of WPG is City‐owned and was originally intended as a possible future development site.


Final 9/5/2014

17

Exhibit 8 Original Design Study of the Lakefront Intermodal Development by URS in 2013 (Concept I 3‐Bay Wide Parking Structure)


Final 9/5/2014

18

Exhibit 9 Original Design Study of the Lakefront Intermodal Development by URS in 2013 (Concept II 2‐Bay Wide Parking Structure)


Final 9/5/2014

19

DESMAN produced a total of five design options for the subject sites – three options for the RTA site and two options for the WPG expansion site. Exhibits 10 through 14 provide graphic depictions of the massing and orientation of the five garage design options superimposed on aerial images of the two sites. More detailed schematic drawings showing access points, internal circulation and parking level space layouts for each design option are included in the Appendix B. Facility Design Options for the RTA Site Each of the facility design options for the RTA site are similar in that each structure can be accessed from the eastbound ramp from West 3rd Street, East 9th Street and from the South Marginal Roadway where the eastbound one‐way traffic flow would have to be changed to one‐way westbound. The main differences between the three design options for the RTA site is in the size and placement of the structural footprint of each option resulting in different space capacities. All three parking facility options positioned the westernmost limit of the garage structure approximately 175 feet east of the west end of Willard Park Garage. The limit to the length of the parking structure was established in order to insure a full range of design flexibility for the desired pedestrian bridge connector that will link Mall C to the landing area at North Coast Harbor between the Science Center and the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. While each garage option could be extended to the west and perhaps integrated with the pedestrian bridge, the purpose behind fixing the west limit of the parking structure in each instance was to determine the space capacity of each design option given the different footprints associated with each option.

Design Option 1 (RTA Site) – Shown in Exhibit 10, this option is a 3 level, 3 bay, single helix structure designed to provide 605 parking spaces. The footprint of this structure requires the elimination of the eastbound ramp to East 9th Street from the Memorial Shoreway. The northernmost parking bay of the structure and a second level access drive from the structure to East 9th Street consumes the existing right of way of the freeway ramp. The existing traffic signalization where the second level access drive intersects with East 9th Street would be retained to facilitate peak hour access to and from the structure. The other vehicle entry/exit point is situated at the easternmost end on the grade level of the structure, which is only one parking bay wide; this same parking bay is also designed to be the internal ramp leading to the two upper parking levels of the structure. The other two parking bays on the second and third level of the structure are flat and span over a grade level roadway which passes behind the structure and links the South Marginal Roadway to the access drive from the West 3rd Street ramp. The elevation of this structure would be approximately 620 feet above grade. Design Option 2 (RTA Site) – Shown in Exhibit 11, this option is a 4 level, 2 bay, single helix structure designed to provide 550 parking spaces. The footprint of this structure is shifted southward and thus allows for the retention of the eastbound ramp to East 9th Street from the Memorial Shoreway. The northernmost parking bay of the structure and a second level access drive from the structure to East 9th Street are positioned to the south of the existing right‐of‐way of the freeway ramp. Aside from the


Final 9/5/2014

20

facility’s 2‐bay width, the main differences between this design and Option 1 is that the primary access drive from the third parking level intersects with East 9th Street at a point which is about halfway between the existing freeway ramp and the existing east access driveway to WPG. Additionally, because the footprint of the structure is narrower than Option 1, a fourth parking level is needed to reach the 550‐space capacity. The elevation of this structure would approximately 631 feet above grade. Design Option 3 (RTA Site) – Shown in Exhibit 12, this option is also a 3 level, 2 bay, single helix structure, but this options is designed to provide 451 parking spaces. The footprint of this structure is almost identical to Design Option 2, except for the fact the third parking level which is 3 bays wide extends over the existing RTA station platform. Also, the like Design Option 2, the primary access drive from the third parking level intersects with East 9th Street at a point which is about halfway between the existing freeway ramp and the existing east access driveway to WPG. The elevation of this structure would approximately 620 feet above grade.

Facility Design Options for the WPG Expansion Site The horizontal expansion of WPG would simply be an extension of the existing structure. The exterior façade of the existing structure would be removed, the flat structural concrete slabs of each interior parking level would be extended, the access to and from East 9th Street could be retained, and the interior ramps in the existing garage could provide vertical vehicular circulation between the parking levels of the expansion structure, while all other aspects of the existing garage would remain unaltered. As a consequence, the layout of parking spaces in the expanded structure would be quite efficient and the basic access and internal circulation of WPG would be unchanged, although some existing spaces inside WPG would need to be eliminated to establish the required internal circulation. The only restriction upon the footprint of the expanded structure was that, according to a historic property covenant, anything built in the area is prohibited from encroaching upon the northern boundary of Willard Park which is aligned with the north facade of Cleveland City Hall.

Design Option 4 (WPG Expansion Site) – While several similar design variations for the WPG expansion were explored which involved reducing the depth and width of the structure, only Design Option 4 would yield the necessary amount of additional space, in this case approximately 629 net new spaces. As shown in Exhibit 13, this option is a 5 level, 3 bay structure cut into the hillside of the site. Substantial retaining walls would be required to stabilize the hillside on the north edge park and along East 9th Street. The exiting access drive to East 9th Street would need to be reconstructed and realigned with the access drive to the garage beneath the North Point Office building on the opposite side of East 9th Street. The roof level of the structure would tie into the existing Plaza level of the WPG and vehicular ingress and egress to the area would be provided via the existing vehicular entry and exit points to the


Final 9/5/2014

21

Plaza level of the garage. The other four parking levels of the expanded structure would be accessed from each corresponding level inside Willard Park Garage. Design Option 5 (WPG Expansion Site) – Shown in Exhibit 14, this option is almost identical to Design Option 4, however the east‐west length of the two uppermost parking levels of the Design Option 5 structure are reduced by approximately 75 feet in order to preserve some of the north‐south view corridor from East 9th Street. The modification would reduce the capacity of the expansion structure to 525 net new spaces. Also, the placement of a pedestrian stairway and elevator shaft would need to change in this scheme. Exhibit 15, produced by URS, provides a visual sense of how Design Option 5 might appear from East 9th Street.


Final 9/5/2014

22

Exhibit 10 RTA Site: Facility Design Option 1


Final 9/5/2014

23



Final 9/5/2014

24



Final 9/5/2014

25

Exhibit 13 Willard Park Garage Expansion Option 4


Final 9/5/2014

26

Exhibit 14 Willard Park Garage Expansion Option 5


Final 9/5/2014

27

Exhibit 15 Willard Park Garage Expansion Option 5 ‐ Visualization Images by URS


Final 9/5/2014

28

COMPARISION OF PARKING GARAGE DESIGN OPTIONS

Cost Comparison of Parking Garage Design Options DESMAN relied on Donley’s Inc., a local Cleveland construction company, to provide cost estimates for the five garage design options. As noted, the estimates on Table 7 include only the probable hard construction cost for each garage structure and for the railroad crash protection walls and hillside retainer walls requires for each option. It is important to note that, in the case of the two WPG expansion site options, the per space construction cost is based the count of net new spaces gained by each option, but the total cost is based on the actual number of parking spaces to be constructed. Based on this cost comparison, Design Option 4 is most desirable from a cost‐per‐net‐new‐space perspective. A list of the assumptions and qualifications made by Donley’s can be found in Appendix C of this report.

Site and Design Option Selection Preference Though the probable construction cost of each design option is important, a number of other equally important factors were also considered in our effort to select a preferred parking garage development from among the previously discussed design options. Table 8 below lists the other site and project selection criteria which DESMAN deemed to be of significant importance. Each selection criteria is given a weight of 3, 2 or 1 to represent the relative importance of each. The criteria deemed to be of most importance are given a “3” and least important criteria are given a “1”.

Table 7 Construction Cost Comparison of the Project Design Options

SPACES (Constructed)

SPACES (Net New) Total SF SF/SPACE $/SF $/NET SPACE TOTAL COST

RTA Site Facility Designs Option #1 605 n/a 223,830 370.0 $67.87 $25,111 $15,192,248Option #2 550 n/a 198,960 361.7 $68.45 $24,762 $13,619,220Option #3 451 n/a 174,090 386.0 $74.95 $28,930 $13,047,210

Willard Park Garage Expansion Site Facility DesignsOption #4 684 629 202,195 295.6 $67.91 $21,831 $13,731,700Option #5 581 526 171,387 295.0 $74.73 $24,351 $12,808,460

Prepared by Donley's*Note: Estimates include costs for required retaining walls, railroad crash walls and construction management fee, however costs for major utility relocations, permits, A/E design fees, geotech testing, site/landscaping improvements, soil remediation, backfill of exsitng foundations, traffic signalization, access control equipment, emergency power system interior painting/staining and signage are not included. See Donley's Cost Assumptions and Qualifications.

ESTIMATE OF PROBABLE CONTRUCTION COST


Final 9/5/2014

29

Between the two possible parking garage development sites, the WPG expansion site possessed more inherent advantages than did the RTA site, and the design options at the WPG site received higher rankings than all of the options at the RTA site. The advantages of the Design Option 4 garage are as follows:

1) It would be physically more proximate to the main entrances to the CC, CPA and the Hotel and would also support major lakefront events,

2) It would yield slightly more than the 600‐spaces needed to serve the area, 3) It offers direct and obvious vehicular and pedestrian access, 4) The site is entirely owned by the City and free of any complicating easements, 5) It has the lowest per space construction costs, 6) It is expected to require the least amount of site preparation from an expense standpoint, 7) The site could be immediately available for development, 8) It would require the fewest 3rd party approvals and thus could be developed faster, 9) The project would minimally impact the existing views and physical surroundings of the area,

and 10) The expanded facility at this site would likely capture more parkers than the RTA site given its

location and ease of access.

These pros and cons associated with each of the design options were presented and discussed among the Client Group. Since the Client Group did not reach a consensus regarding the relative importance of preserving the existing view corridor from East 9th Street (which accounts for the only real difference

Table 8 Ranking of Design Options for Parking Garage Development based on Key Selection Criteria

Option 1 Option 2 Option 3 Option 4 Option 5605 Spaces 550 Spaces 451 Spaces 629 Spaces 529 Spaces

Net Gain in Spaces 3 30 21 18 30 24Adjacency to Parking Demand (Walking Distance) 3 15 15 15 24 24Vehicular/Pedestrian Accessibility 3 18 15 15 24 24Site Control Challenge 3 15 21 18 30 30Construction Costs (SF Cost Per/Space) 3 15 18 12 27 18Associated Site Preparation Cost 2 10 14 12 27 27Third Party Approvals/Delivery Timetable 2 8 12 10 16 16Site Control Challenge 2 14 14 14 20 20Garage Design Functionality 2 10 10 10 20 18User Acceptance 1 5 5 5 9 9Visual Impact on Surroundings 1 8 8 8 8 10MAXIMUM POSSIBLE SCORE (1) /TOTAL SCORE 250 148 153 137 235 220RANKING 4 3 5 1 2(1) Maximum possible score for each factor equals Weight X 10 (Highest Point Value)

PARKING GARAGE SITE SELECTION CRITERIA

Weight

RTA Site Willard Garage Site


Final 9/5/2014

30

between Design Options 4 and 5), Design Option 4 was selected for continued study as a possible project undertaking to satisfy the future parking needs of the Convention Center District. TRAFFIC ACCESS AND IMPACT ANALYSIS

URS was commissioned jointly by the City of Cleveland and the GCP to complete a traffic analysis which originally was solely focused on three design options developed for the RTA site. However, in the midst of URS’ study, the Client Group eliminated each of the design options for the RTA site from serious consideration and URS was tasked with studying the traffic impacts expected as a result of a garage development at the WPG expansion site. The objectives of the traffic analysis were to verify the existing AM and PM period traffic volumes on certain street surrounding the development site and to determine the capacity limitations and Level of Service (LOS) at key intersections surrounding the area. Once these critical existing conditions were verified, the aim of the analysis was to determine if, and to what extent, the traffic volumes and circulation patterns expected to result from proposed parking garage development could by absorbed and accommodated by the surrounding street network and to identify what traffic impact mitigation measures might be required to do so. DESMAN depended upon URS to provide the details concerning the design, access, and the anticipated weekday peak period traffic arrival and departure volumes for the preferred Design Option 4. The report prepared by URS, which is included in Appendix D of this report, concluded that the preferred plan to increase the capacity of the existing WPG by 629 parking spaces will not cause the current LOS (which is currently at LOS D or better) on the impacted streets to degrade to unacceptable levels. However, a preliminary signal warrant analysis did reveal that a traffic signal would most likely be required at the point where the east access driveway to WPG intersects with East 9th Street. The introduction of a traffic signal at this location would insure that significant volumes of traffic could enter and exit the expanded garage smoothly during peak activity periods. PROJECTED FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF THE WILLARD PARK GARAGE EXPANSION PROJECT

Project Financing and Development Costs Table 9 provides a breakdown of the estimated cost to finance and develop the expansion to the Willard Park Garage expansions. The development costs for the project including the hard construction costs, professional fees, construction management is estimated to be $14.9 million. If the project were to be financed with tax exempt bonds at 5.75% for a 25 year term, the size of the bond issue would be approximately $18.3 million which would include the cost of issuance, debt service reserve and 12 months of capitalized interest during construction. The annual debt service obligation for the project is estimated to be approximately $1.4 million. See Appendix C for construction cost estimate assumptions and qualifications.


Final 9/5/2014

31

Project Utilization of the Expanded Willard Park Garage Forecasting the probable financial performance of the WPG expansion first required the formulation of a series of assumptions relating to when and to what extent the parking capacity at WPG will be used to accommodate the projected parking needs of the CC, GCHI, CPA and the HH. However, before this could be done it was necessary to first adopt some assumptions about the amount of event and non‐event related parking demand that would regularly be served by the available parking capacity at the HPG because the County envisioned having the HPG be the primary parking place for the new hotel and convention center.

Table 9 Estimate of Willard Parking Garage Expansion Development & Financing: ‐ Design Option 4

PARKING FACILITY DESCRIPTION Parking Levels Area SF Const. SP. Net SP202,195 Total Garage SF Area Plaza 40,439 135 132

684 Constructed Garage Spaces One 40,439 102 92629 Net New Spaces Two 40,439 149 135

Three 40,439 149 135Four 40,439 149 135Total 202,195 684 629

Total Garage Construction Cost including CM fee $13,731,700Construction Contingency Cost 5.0% $686,585

Professional Fees Architectural/Engineering 5.0% $686,585

Estimated Project Cost $15,104,870Less: Construction Fund Earnings Credit @ 1.5% $130,000Less: CITY Equity Contributions TBD $0

PRINCIPAL TO BE FINANCED $14,974,870

FINANCING COSTCost of Issuance 3% of Issue $550,000Debt Service Reserve Obligation $1,400,000Capitalized Interest ‐ 12 months $1,400,000

BOND SIZE $18,324,870

DEBT SERVICE PAYMENT CALCULATION Tax ExemptPrincipal $18,324,870Rate 5.75%Term 25

Annual Level Debt Service Payment $1,400,000


Final 9/5/2014

32

Current and Future Consumption of HPG and WPG Parking Supply Table 10 provides a breakdown of current and assumed future surplus parking capacity available at both the HPG and WPG before and after the proposed expansion of WPG. The majority of spaces in both garages are presently be used during weekday business hours by mostly city and county employees with monthly parking privileges. A modest portion of the spaces in both garages are reserved for government VIP’s, City/County‐owned vehicles, and the parking staffers that operate the facilities. The balance of the daily weekday parkers, on average, are general or non‐government affiliated monthly and transient customers. Given these average estimates of daily weekday parking utilization, WPG frequently has approximately 235 surplus parking spaces available to serve the event activities in the convention center district. The County presently has an informal commitment to provide up to 300 parking spaces will be for the CC on an as needed basis during weekday business hours. The CC is required to notify the County in advance of its event parking needs because the HPG parking staff typically has to limit the intake of transient parkers on such occasions to accommodate the event parking needs of the CC. It is important to point out that the supply of surplus parking at peak periods on weekdays at both of these two parking facilities can vary widely when there are no events scheduled at the CC, GCHI or the CPA. For example, the parking needs of jurors and court sessions observers at the Courthouse and Justice Centers can often cause significant surges in peak hour parking demand on weekdays. Similarly, public meetings, hearings and event press conferences held by the Mayor, City Council, or other boards and commissions can also cause one of both these garages fill to capacity and be temporarily closed. Presently, on weekends when there are no events scheduled in the area both the HPG and WPG are closed. However on occasion when area event activity creates a substance demand for parking, one or both garages will open. Except for the spaces in both garages dedicated or reserved for City and County‐owned vehicles, garage parking staff and for some VIPs on weekends, the majority of the space capacity in the garages is available to serve the area event venues. On weekdays during business hours monthly and transient parkers regularly consume most of the available spaces in both garages – on average approximately 235 spaces are left unoccupied during the peak demand period at WPG and HPG is filled nearly to capacity. However, the amount of unoccupied spaces in both garage steadily increases during afternoon hours and by early evening on weekdays, after most employees vacant the facilities, amount of unoccupied spaces in each garage approaches 90% of capacity. For the purpose of modeling the financial performance of the WPG expansion project, it was necessary to adopt some future benchmark assumptions regarding the average consumption of available parking spaces at each facility during weekday peak demand periods. While the space capacity at HPG will remain unchanged, the proposed expansion project (i.e. design option 4) will increase the total capacity of WPG to 2,030 spaces. As a result, it is estimated that the typical weekday peak period parking supply surplus at WPG would increase from approximately 235 spaces to 864 spaces.


Final 9/5/2014

33

In the future, the County will continue with its event parking commitment to the CC and GCHI. Beginning in 2015 the County will pledge to provide up to 500 event parking spaces to the CC and GCHI during weekday business hours and as many spaces as are available during weekday evenings and during weekends. This means that in the near term, the CC will be assured of have enough parking to accommodate most weekday peak period event activities. As a consequence, the future estimate of surplus parking capacity on weekdays at the expanded WPG, theoretically would only be consumed by CC event attendees after the HPG (i.e. 500‐space commitment) is filled to capacity. After the Convention Center Hotel (HH) project is completed in 2016 the same 500‐space commitment will also be available to support the parking needs of the hotel guests and to accommodate hotel patrons attending non‐convention center related events hosted in any of the hotel’s dining or assembly spaces. For the purposes of this analysis, it is estimated that the hotel will require approximately 220 to 300 parking spaces during weekday peak periods to serve only room guests and on a late evening and overnight basis between 426 and possibly 500 spaces will be needed just for hotel room guests. This assumption is based on the new hotel sustaining a 71% nightly room occupancy rate which is common for downtown Cleveland hotels. Given the daily parking needs of the new hotel after 2016, it is reasonable to conclude that at least during peak weekday hours there the HPG will only have between 200 and 250 of its 500‐space parking

Table 10 Estimated surplus capacity at HPG & WPG before and after expansion project

HPG WPG HPG WPGExisting & Future Parking Space Capacities 1,103 1,601 1,103 2,230Parking Supply User Groups: City/County Vehicle & Parking Staff Spaces 1 14 52 14 52VIP Reserved Spaces 41 134 41 134Non‐Reserved City/Co. Empl. Monthlies 694 560 694 560General Public Monthlies 58 300 58 300Prevailing Peak Periond Daily Transients 125 320 125 320Max. County Space Commitment for CC/Hilton Hotel 2 300 0 500

Avg. Peak Period Parking Surplus WEEKDAYS (129) 235 (329) 864Avg. Peak Period Parking Surplus WEEKENDS 789 1,549 589 2,178

Note:Average peak period supply surplus estimates derived from actual 2014 data provided by City & County. 1 City/County Vehicle & Parking Staff Spaces utilization assumed to applicable for weekdays and weekends.2 County's parking commitment for CC/Hilton Hotel assumed to be applicable for weekdays and weekends.

Existing Condition After WPG Expansion


Final 9/5/2014

34

commitment available to accommodate other events hosted at the hotel and/or the CC and GCHI. Although, the County could decide to relocate or displace more of its current population of its monthly parkers at HPG in order to accommodate more event‐driven parking demand on weekdays, such a response by the County has not been factored into the financial performance forecast for the WPG expansion proposal. Table 11 provides a breakdown of DESMAN’s assumptions regarding the number of parking spaces expected to be typically available at the HPG and at the expanded WPG during weekday business hours, weekday evenings and on weekends when no significant events are being hosted at the four primary event venues (i.e. the CC, the GCHI, the HH and CPA) in the study area. The table includes peak period space occupancy estimates for each of the current facility user groups at both facilities, and the projected space occupancy estimate attributed to new hotel at the HPG. Only the expanded WPG will be left with a significant amount of surplus space capacity during weekday business hours to accommodate CC, GCHI and CPA generated‐event parking demand. However, together both facilities will an abundance of surplus capacity on weekday evenings and on weekends.

The HPG and WPG surplus parking space counts during weekday business hours, weekday evenings, and weekends shown on Table 11 were adopted as average space capacity limits for financial modeling purposes. In the financial performance model the earlier discussed future forecast of event parking volumes were assigned to either one or both garages based on the amount of surplus space capacity at each garage at the time period of each event. Given the anticipated daily parking needs of the Hotel’s restaurant patrons and room guests during weekday business hours, the HPG is not expected to be able to accommodate very much of the CC and CPA generated event parking volumes. Theoretically, the expanded WPG should have ±900 spaces available to serve the prevailing background demand in the area and any event‐related parking demand generated by the CC and/or CPA.


Final 9/5/2014

35

Table 11 Assumed Peak Period Utilization of Parking Spaces at HPG and WPG during typical dates when no events are booked at the CC, CPA & HH

HUNTINGTON PARK GARAGE 1103‐Spaces Adj. Peak Pk. SurplusSpace Occupancy by User Group Occ.

1Capacity

Weekdays ‐ Daytime 1,005 98Office/Cuyahoga County ‐ Vehicles 14Office/Cuyahoga County ‐ VIP Reserved 41Office/Cuyahoga County ‐ Employees 541Office/Cuyahoga County ‐ General Public Mon. 0Office/Cuyahoga County ‐ General Public Trans 75Hilton Hotel ‐ Guests 270Hilton Hotel ‐ Restaurant Partons 64Weekdays ‐ Evening 515 588Office/Cuyahoga County ‐ Vehicles 14Office/Cuyahoga County ‐ VIP Reserved 4Office/Cuyahoga County ‐ Employees 81Office/Cuyahoga County ‐ General Public Mon. 0Office/Cuyahoga County ‐ General Public Trans 50Hilton Hotel ‐ Guests 270Hilton Hotel ‐ Restaurant Partons 96Weekends 401 702Office/Cuyahoga County ‐ Vehicles 14Office/Cuyahoga County ‐ VIP Reserved 4Office/Cuyahoga County ‐ Employees 0Office/Cuyahoga County ‐ General Public Mon. 0Office/Cuyahoga County ‐ General Public Trans 50Hilton Hotel ‐ Guests 268Hilton Hotel ‐ Restaurant Partons 65

WILLARD PARK GARAGE 2203‐Spaces Adj. Peak Pk. SurplusSpace Occupancy by User Group Occ.

1Capacity

Weekdays ‐ Daytime 1,323 907Office/City Hall ‐ Vehicles 52Office/City Hall ‐ VIP Reserved 134Office/City Hall ‐ Employees 532Office/City Hall ‐ General Public Mon. 285Office/City Hall ‐ General Public Trans 320Weekdays ‐ Evening 225 2,005Office/City Hall ‐ Vehicles 52Office/City Hall ‐ VIP Reserved 7Office/City Hall ‐ Employees 56Office/City Hall ‐ General Public Mon. 30Office/City Hall ‐ General Public Trans 80Weekends 52 2,178Office/City Hall ‐ Vehicles 52Office/City Hall ‐ VIP Reserved 0Office/City Hall ‐ Employees 0Office/City Hall ‐ General Public Mon. 0Office/City Hall ‐ General Public Trans 0


Final 9/5/2014

36

Event‐Related Parking Demand Captured at Willard Park Garage

Table 12 contains a summary of the event‐related parking demand projected to be captured annually at the WPG. The annual event parking volumes shown on the table are based on all various categories of events held at the CC and CPA, the number of expected event days per years, and an assumed percentage of total event vehicles been captured at WPG. It is important to note that on weekdays during business hours only the events and dates projected to produce peak period parking event‐levels beyond that which could be solely accommodated at HPG are included in the annual volume calculations. In theory, annual event parking calculations represent the spillover volumes from the HPG. In no instance was it assumed that WPG would capture 100% of the event parking demand, as some parkers will always find parking elsewhere and in some cases, most likely during the daytime on weekdays, the volume of event demand is expected to exceed the amount surplus capacity available at WPG. These annual event parking volumes projected to be captured at WPG should be viewed as being conservative because only a few major weekday evening meeting events scheduled at the CC were deemed generated parking volumes that might substantially exceed the available capacity at HPG. The reasoning behind this assumption is that during the weekday evenings and weekends when most if not all the County employee population is absent, HPG is projected to able to accommodate the parking needs of the hotel and still have an average of ±580 and ±700 spaces, respectively available to accommodate any event parking volumes generated CC or CPA (see Table 11). Also during the evening and weekend time periods there should be plenty of unused parking spaces on‐street and in other public parking garages in the surrounding area. In reality there will probably be more event activity periods occurring on weekday evenings or on weekends that will require parking accommodations at both HPG and WPG as well as at other on‐ and off‐street parking locations in the surrounding area. There will also be many event activity periods occurring on weekday evenings and weekends when the WPG will be in competition with HPG to capture its share of the parking volumes even when the overall parking demand generated by an event could easily accommodated by only one of the two facilities. Since there is such a wide range of potential circumstances and outcomes relating to the WPG capturing CC or CPA event parkers during weekday evenings and on weekends, it was easier and more conservative to only include the capture of parking volumes from the very largest meetings, consumer shows and sporting events held at the CC. Lastly, Table 12 also includes prospects that the 629 parking spaces added to WPG will fill to capacity when some of the major lakefront‐based events and festivals occur. For example, it is assumed that the 629 parking spaces added to WPG would be fully consumed on Cleveland Browns game days, during the National Airshow weekend and when several other major festivals happen on the Lakefront.


Final 9/5/2014

37

Table 12 Estimated Annual Volumes of�

lakefront parking project analysismedia.cleveland.com/business_impact/other/final lakefront... ·...

Documents