The steps in this plan are designed to:

• Improve the customer parking experience
• Optimize utilization of available parking in Downtown Bend.
• Establish funding for parking improvements and increasing future parking capacity.  

Some of the project identified for 2020 are:

• Re-stripe the North Mirror Pond lot
• Re-stripe the selected streets in the Downtown Bend Economic Improvement District (EID)
• Center entrances to Troy lot, re-stripe & install more bike parking
• Replace split elevator systems in the Centennial Garage
• Repair cracked concrete in the Centennial Garage
• Design and install new signage on all levels of the Centennial Garage
• Investigate feasibility to change traffic flow to one-way in the Centennial Garage
• Create a mural art program in the Centennial Garage

​​1. Formalize the Guiding Principles as policies in appropriate City documents. 
2. Adopt the 85% Rule as the standard for measuring the performance of the parking supply and triggering specific management strategies, rates, permit prices and efforts by discrete zone. 
3. Centralize the management and administration of parking in a Parking Services Division, integrated with the broader program of transportation services management. 
4. Create the position of Parking Demand Manager for the City of Bend. Develop a job description and submit a service package to hire an appropriate individual. 
5. Establish a Downtown Parking Advisory Committee to assist in the implementation and ongoing review of the parking plan. 
6. Evaluate collection of data to measure parking impacts in select neighborhoods adjacent to the downtown, as well as feasibility and cost of neighborhood permit programs (e.g., administration, process and stakeholder education). 
7. Develop funding options to support parking management, maintain the existing parking supply, and support future growth, ensuring the financial feasibility of the system. 
8. Create a cohesive pricing policy for on- and off-street parking in downtown Bend. Support new policy with a rate/fee study to inform appropriate adjustments to current pricing formats to cover the cost of managing the downtown parking system. 
9. Evaluate and implement solutions to safety impediments that create inconvenient and inefficient connections to parking, e.g., lighting, sidewalk/paths, lot conditions, etc. 
10. Establish business-to-business and residential outreach on parking issues, including education and planning, and a Customer First Partnership with the Downtown Bend Business Association. 
11. Identify off-street shared-use opportunities based on data from the 2016 parking study. Establish goals for transitioning permit users and long-term parkers out of on-street parking, begin outreach to opportunity sites, negotiate agreements, and sell permits. 
12. Implement variable-rate pricing for on-street permits based on location, demand, and availability of parking. This will create pricing differentials between “premium” and underutilized locations. 
13. Reduce or phase out the number of “2-Hour or as Otherwise Specified” on-street stalls in coordination with Strategies 11 and 12 above to simply “2-Hour Parking”. 
14. Based on documented parking behavior, establish four distinct on-street parking management zones in the downtown parking district. Use 2016 or newer data to define the boundaries. 
15. Eliminate free parking for the first two hours at the Mirror Pond lots. 
16. Create a critical path timeline to a new parking brand that can be utilized at all City-owned lots and shared facilities, and in marketing/communications. 
17. Standardize the design of on-street parking signage in the parking management district and incorporate the new brand/logo. 
18. Rename all public parking facilities by address. 
19. Establish best-practice protocols and performance metrics for enforcement personnel and support enforcement with appropriate technology. 20. Where practical, expand the bike parking network to connect parking and the downtown, encouraging employee bike commute trips and drawing customers to downtown businesses. 
21. Develop a reasonable schedule of data collection—every two years —to assess the performance of the parking supply and support the 85% Rule for decision-making. 
22. Using data collected per Strategy 21, evaluate on-street pricing by zone in high-occupancy areas. If peak occupancy exceeds 85%, implement on-street pricing during enforcement hours where appropriate. - If on-street pricing is implemented, review on-street time stays established in Strategy 14. 
23. Eliminate free parking in the public garage when garage occupancies exceed 85% and on-street parking is priced. Implement demand-based pricing for all hours of enforced parking—e.g., hourly, evening, weekend, overnight, and event rates. 
24. Develop and implement improvements at the downtown public parking garage to enhance its appearance, identity, safety, revenue control, communications technology, and pedestrian access. 
25. Solicit firms to establish wayfinding and dynamic signage systems in the public right of way, integrated with the off-street system and using the brand/logo developed per Strategy 16. 
26. If existing parking becomes limited, explore expanding access capacity with new transit and parking. 
27. Develop cost forecasts and feasible financing methods for preferred parking supply and transit/shuttle options. 
28. Expand capacity as necessary and feasible.

​Parking Garage - $40/mo
Newport Lot - $20/mo
Hospital Hill (Doubletree) - $30/mo
Yellow Street Parking - $30/mo
​Green Street Parking - $50/mo

Visitors
Visitors come to us in cars.  They drive over from Portland, they come up from California.  Those who fly-in usually rent a car for their stay.  Most people who visit Bend come to see our historic Downtown & shop in our local boutiques, and they do so in their cars.

Senior Citizens
Downtown Bend has an abundance of Senior Citizens who visit Downtown to shop with our local merchants and eat meals prepared by our award winning chefs.  Many seniors do not feel that alternative modes of transportation offer them the safety, efficiency and ease they desire.

Shoppers
34% of our Downtown district is retail shops.  When people go shopping, they need a way to transport their goods.  It would be impossible to get a Jeffrey Murphy print or a new appliance from Kitchen Complements home safely using alternative modes of transportation.

Disabled Citizens
26.2% of Deschutes County citizens are disabled, and 19.3% of our national population is disabled.  Many disabled citizens find that driving their car is easier and more effective for them than using alternative modes of transportation.

Late Night Events
Downtown Bend serves as the center for late night activity.  We have various theatres, art galleries, bars and music venues that close after 9pm.  Late night biking or bussing is not an easy, safe or efficient option for many visitors enjoying the late night activities, or the staff that makes those activities possible.  In fact, the last bus in Downtown Bend is at 7:35pm.

Injured Citizens
Bend is the land of vigorous outdoor activity.  With this pursuit often comes short-term injuries.  In fact, when you look at a local calendar of events, you'll notice several workshops dedicated to teaching people how to deal with minor injuries from outdoor play.  However, the truth is when you are injured - you are driving your car.  

Children & Families
Downtown Bend attracts families with small children.  Local and visiting families love to play in Drake Park, go out to lunch, visit the toy store, and (of course) all the kids love Goody's and Cravin's in Downtown Bend.  Families with multiple small children often do not find it easy, safe or efficient to use alternative forms of transportation.  We want to make sure to keep Downtown accessible to them.  

Inclement Weather
Let's face it - Bend is in the high desert and therefore we experience winter. While some folks still ride their bikes in the winter months, many people are 'fair weather riders'.  Citizens also tend to not want to wait for the bus when the temps are below freezing.  It is important that our Downtown business district retains its vibrancy in winter months - and that requires having places for visitors to park their cars.