April 2025

Downtown Parking Study Community Discussion

• Date: Thursday, 4/10/25 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
• Location: North Conference Room, City Hall

City staff will lead the discussion beginning with a recap of the recommendations and then seek input from businesses, downtown residents, and all residents who would wish to attend regarding the recommendations. 

The Community Discussion was recorded and appears below:

February 2025: New Parking Study Accepted

Final parking study findings were presented to City Council during a public discussion held on 2/10/25 with City Council acceptance of the new parking study at their 2/11/25 legislative session.

View the 12.18.24 Downtown Parking Study.pdf

January 2025: Draft Parking Study Presented

Fishbeck Parking Consultant Jon Forster completed and shared a draft of the new parking study in December 2024. A formal presentation on the draft study was made on 1/20/25 for the City Council and members of the public with an opportunity to provide feedback. 

A Work Session was held on 1/21/25 to discuss the public presentation and public comments from the 1/20/25  meeting.   

Eau Claire Parking Study Recommendations DRAFT 12/10/24

Eau Claire Parking Recommendation Matrix 2024

Comparable Cities - Eau Claire Parking Study - 2024

May 17, 2024: Updated Parking Study in City Manager's Weekly Update

https://www.eauclairewi.gov/Home/Components/News/News/11413/90

From the newsletter:

"Public Engagement Opportunities with Parking Consultant: As mentioned in last week’s newsletter, our parking study consultant, Jon Forster from Fishbeck Consulting, will be in Eau Claire to kick off the 2024 Downtown Parking Study next week (from May 20th to 23rd). The 2024 Downtown Parking Study is focusing on parking operations in the greater downtown area, largely the areas around North and South Barstow Street, Water Street, and East Grand Avenue. We are updating our prior study, as it is our understanding that the COVID crisis changed the landscape of downtown parking not only in Eau Claire, but across the nation. The study will focus on best management practices for parking in our downtown as well as other aspects of parking management, such as future parking lot/ramp locations and sizes, public/private partnerships, parking enforcement, paid on-street parking, and other items related to parking operations.

Members of the public and City Council are invited to an open house beginning at 6:30PM on Wednesday, May 22nd in the North Conference Room of City Hall to hear a brief presentation of the goals of the parking study. At that meeting, members of the public can provide input to the consultant on their perceptions and experiences with downtown parking. This is the first step in the Downtown Parking Study. Providing as much input as possible is important as it will help the consultant generate recommendations to be shared later in the study process. 

Members of the public are also invited to join in walking tours of the downtown with the consultant to provide input firsthand to him regarding downtown parking. To sign up for a tour, use the following link: https://calendly.com/d/ck7x-q28-tbx (space is limited)." 

May 10, 2024: City Shares Plans about New Parking Study

https://www.eauclairewi.gov/Home/Components/News/News/11403/90

From the newsletter:

"Parking Consultant: Speaking of parking, the City is working with a consultant to update a study the City carried out on parking in 2019 and 2020 (see: Parking Study Update | City of Eau Claire, Wisconsin (eauclairewi.gov)). The consultant will be in Eau Claire the week of May 20th to 24th to meet with stakeholders, businesses, elected officials, and City staff to kick off the work. The study has a special focus on the challenges and needs related to parking in and near the Downtown, as referenced by the Putnam Heights residents. Here’s the agenda for the three-day visit:

• Tuesday, May 21st is being set aside for walking tours with the consultant throughout the downtown. 
• Wednesday, May 22nd is reserved for meetings with the consultant in City Hall. The consultant will attend a DECI Parking and Infrastructure meeting scheduled for noon on the 22nd. 
• Thursday, May 23 will serve as a wrap-up day for follow-up meetings, if necessary. 

A sign-up link will be emailed out to businesses, stakeholders, and City Council members with times available. We will share more information once it’s available so that people can get involved. The consultant is currently in an information-gathering phase. Later this summer, he will return to share compiled analysis and solicit policy direction from the Council and community."

Sign up for City Manager Hirsch's Weekly Updates and other news directly from the City on the eNotifications page of our website, found here: https://www.eauclairewi.gov/our-city/sign-up-for-e-notifications

April 2024: Fishbeck Awarded Contract for New Downtown Parking Study

In April 2024, the City Council awarded a contract to Fishbeck Inc., for completion of a downtown parking study. Following this approval, a new parking study began, which focused on the following:

Evaluation of Current & Projected Future Downtown Parking Demand

Development of Strategies to Effectively Manage Parking Supply

Recommendation of Parking Operations, Staff Efficiencies & Improvements

Guidance on Future Discussions of Parking Structure Replacements

Study Purpose

The purpose of the Comprehensive Parking Study Update was to evaluate current & projected future parking demand, find efficient methods to accommodate existing and future demand, review organizational structure, the benefits of a parking utility, policies and parking technology, current and proposed parking ordinances, and to provide recommendations to allow proactive decision making.

Virtual Listening Sessions

December 2020

A parking study informational session took place on Friday, December 4th.

View 12.04.20 Parking Study Information Session Agenda.pdf.

City Council Meetings

December 2020

A public discussion with the City Council about the parking study update took place on Monday, 12/07/20 with and adoption of the study by City Council took place at their Tuesday, 12/08/20 legislative session.

View the November 2020 Comprehensive Parking Study Update.pdf

There were two presentations held in October 2019 of the Eau Claire Parking Study preliminary findings. Each presentation had a separate focus (one focused on the residential & neighborhood parking and the other focused on the downtown parking) but the public was invited to attend both presentations to offer comments & suggestions prior to the final study.

View the October 2019 Parking Study Preliminary Findings.pdf

Purchase Recommendation Approved 

In March 2019, the City Council approved the purchase recommendation to have WGI, Inc., complete an update to the Comprehensive Downtown Parking Study, which had been completed in 2015.

Following this approval, an updated parking study took place, which focused on the downtown business districts, Third Ward & Historic Randall Park & North Riverfronts Neighborhoods.