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Table 3: Existing Regulations Pertaining to Overnight Parking in Communities Studied

City: Nashua Albany Ann Arbor Concord Concord Manchester Meridian Portland Portsmouth Rochester West Hartford
State: AH NY Mi NC NK NK . 'D ME NH MN Cr

O.P. Prohibition Yes No? No No Nos No® No No® No No ® Yes

O.P. Permit Only Yes No? No No No No No yes” No” No Yes**

By RPP Only No ves? Yes * No Yes Yes” No ves ~ yes¥ Yes? No
NoOP? Regulations No Yes* Yes No Nof Not Yes No® No® No No
Notes;

1. On-street parking is downtown Aibany is free from 5:00 pm to 8:00 am the following day on weekdays and all day on weekends anc holidays.

2. Apermit is required to park overnight In Albany Parking Authority off-street facilities

3, Albany has established several RP#s to regulate parking in residential neighborhoods in effect from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, weekdays

4, in RPP Zones, there is a 2-hour time limit on vehicles without a RPP

5. Overnight parking is allowed on mest public streets under normal circumstances, Dut no vehicle can be parked in the same space for more than 48 consecutive hours
6. Overnight parking is allowed on mest public streets under normal circumstances for private vehicles, but prohibited far commercial vehicles between midnight and 5:00 AM.
7. RFP zones are designated by the Mayor and Soard of Alderman.

3. The city has established an "Odd/Even* policy between December 1 and April 15.

9. Portland does nat ban overnight parking, but has a complex and restrictive set of regulations for allowing overnight parking on public streets.

10. See Note 49 above, These restrictions include allowing for overnight parking on alternating sides of the street in different districts

11. Portland has 12 defined RPP Zones, all defined by City Council.

12, As noted previously, Portland has a elaborate set of regulations defining under what conditions overnight parking is allowed.

13. Parking in any free areas is limited to 72 hours maximum. Metered areas are enforced from 9am to 8pm, with an escalation rate structure after 3 hours.

14, Portsmouth piloted their Neighborhood Parking Program (NPP) in 2018-2015 and is working on expanding it with revisions.

15. Only very selected areas are subject to no regulation on overnight parking.

16. Rochester has an alternate side of the street regulation in places fram Octeber 1 to May 1 every year between 2am and 3pm.

17. Rochester has 24 distinct Residential Parking Permit areas

18. Under special circumstances, the City will grant very limited overnight parking passes ("Omit Tags”} to individuals demonstrating temporary need

In addition to Nashua, Portland, Maine and West Hartford both had programs which allowed for overnight
parking on public streets within the framework of a permit. West Hartford’s program offered only
temporary permits for those applicants demonstrating need criteria as well as residency; the permits were
referred to as “Omit Tags” because they instructed patrolling parking officers to ‘omit’ the holder from
sanction as long as the permit was in effect. Applicants for these permits could apply for them virtually
via web portal on the City of West Hartford’s website and qualified recipients did not receive a credential
but had their vehicle license plate added to the City’s “do not cite” list.

Portland, Maine offered permanent permits for overnight in nine defined zones across the city within an
elaborately structured program. Under this program, and depending on the zone, participants were
required to park on either the odd or even side of the street during certain prescribed hours of particular
days during the month, leaving the other side of the street open for snow removal and street
maintenance. In all but one of the zones, these requirements were in place from October 1 through May
31 each year; in the ninth zone, they were in effect the year round. No vehicle without a permit was
allowed to park overnight in these areas. The requirement to clear certain sides of the street on certain
days was in effect in most zones 11:30 PM or 12:00 AM to 7:00 AM the following day, with the exception
of one area where prohibitions were in effect from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM on certain days. It should be
noted that these permits did NOT allow holders to park on-street during snow emergencies when all
vehicles were required to clear public roadways.

Seven of the ten communities studied had some form of Residential Parking Permit (RPP} program in
place. While Albany, New York did not have a prohibition to overnight parking on downtown streets, it
has established three different RPP zones in neighborhoods abutting downtown which restrict parking on
the street to RPP holders only from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM on weekdays. The requirement for permits during
overnight hours and weekends was not in effect far these zones. Ann Arbor, Michigan inversely allows for
overnight parking in downtown streets without a permit, but requires a permit in eight neighborhoods to
park on street at any time. In these zones, non-permit holders may only park up to two hours without
being ticketed,

Concord, Manchester and Portsmouth all have RPP programs in place. Concord’s zones are in residential
neighborhoods abutting the main downtown core and State Capitol complex. Manchester's RPP are in
residential neighborhoods near commercial districts and were established by City Council in collaboration
with Mayor. Portsmouth recently completed a pilot program in one neighborhood and is studying
expansion of the program into adjacent areas.

Of the communities studied, only Meridian, Idaho appears to have no regulations pertaining to the use of
on-street parking at any time. This is curious as Meridian has a higher population density than Nashua and
comparable housing density, median income, and driving share. Conversations with the representatives
from the city’s Police Department and Department of Community Development indicate that competition
for curbside parking in limited by abundant development of off-street parking facilities adjacent to every
land use per local zoning code, However, both officials noted that parking is becoming a constant issue as
Meridian continues to grow and densify and that they anticipate having to institute greater regulation in
the near future to govern use of curbside assets.

As noted previously, Albany and Ann Arbor allow for free overnight parking on downtown streets without
a permit, but both cities also have RPP programs in place for residential districts abutting those
downtowns. In addition, both Albany and Ann Arbor have aggressive metering programs in place for on-
street parking outside their RPP zones during daytime hours to compel turnover. Enforcement of these
regulations in both cities is rigorous and fines are substantial for violations.

DIMENSIONAL CONSIDERSATIONS

Any manner of on-street parking, regardless of regulations and rules, can only exist if there is adequate
space along the roadway to allow for parking and safe passage of traffic. As a general rule, parking spaces
are between 8 and 9 in width and travel lanes are between 10’ and 11’ in width, so for a one-way street
with parallel parking along just one side, a minimum roadway with of 18’ to 20’ is required. Changing the
angle of the parking stalls, adding additional lanes of travel, and/or adding parking along both sides of the
roadway will further increase the dimensional requirements for roadway width.

The structure of the roadway along its length also will impact how many vehicles might be parked along
a particular length. As a general rule, there must be at least 20’ of contiguous, uninterrupted space along
the curb to accommodate one parallel parking space. Both the minimum width of a parallel parking space
and its length are determined by the typical vehicle width and length, plus allowances for lateral
clearances to open the vehicle’s door without interrupting flow along the adjacent travel lane on the
driver’s side, reasonable clearances between the vehicle and the curb on the passenger side, and
clearances to allow for the movement of vehicles in and out of each space. Studies of U.S. vehicle sales
over the last two decades have shown that the majority of all vehicles on the road across the country are
6.5’ wide by 17.5’ long or smaller. These dimensions represent the 85" percentile vehicle size of all
vehicles in operation within the United States which is consistent with a large SUV such as a Ford
Expedition or Chevrolet Suburban.

The linear run of contiguous, uninterrupted space along the curb will define how many vehicles may be
parked along that block face. At block face with 100’ of uninterrupted, contiguous curb can conceptually
park up to five vehicles based on a standard of 8’ x 20’ per space. In actual practice, the block face may
only support more or less vehicles depending on the size of each vehicle and the skill of each driver. In
urban centers where parking spaces are not individually delineated, vehicle sizes are smaller than the 85"

percentile, and drivers are practiced at parallel parking, it possible that up to seven cars might be parked
in the same 100’. Inversely, four large vehicles parked carelessly with several feet of separation between
each could fill the same 100’ block face, even though there is enough linear distance to support five
spaces,

Any interruption in the curb will further reduce the practical parking capacity of a length of roadway. Using
the example of the 100’ curb face, if there is a driveway of 10’ in width in the middle of the block, that
would reduce the 100’ of uninterrupted space into two segments of 45’ in length each, reducing the
practical capacity to just four vehicles at an assumed set aside of 20’ per space. The addition of second
driveway on the same block could easily reduce practical capacity to just three vehicles, even if it is only
10’ in width, because it would further reduce the total number of uninterrupted 20’ lengths of open curb
space along the block face.

Other factors which impact the amount of uninterrupted, contiguous space along a curb face include
minimum setbacks from various structures. Some of these setbacks are prescribed to preserve the
efficient flow of traffic within the community, including emergency and service vehicles. As a general rule,
most communities mandate no vehicle may park within a certain distance of an intersections to
accommodate the wider turning movements of long wheelbase vehicles such as fire engines, ambulances,
snow plows, and garbage trucks. Other setbacks, such as prescribed ‘no parking’ areas adjacent to fire
hydrants, exist to assure quick and easy access to resources during emergencies.

Other setbacks such as required ‘no parking’ areas to either side of a curb cut for a driveway or alley exist
to preserve site lines for drivers so they can see oncoming traffic along the roadway from a safe vantage
point within the driveway or alleyway. Without these setbacks, individuals could park right up to the edge
of the curb cut, requiring drivers attempting exit the driveway or alleyway to pull into the roadway to see
if oncoming traffic is present before pulling out.

DESMAN reviewed the code of ordinances and zoning code for Nashua as well as the ten comparable
communities for required setbacks from crosswalks; stop signs or traffic signals; driveways; alleyways;
intersections without crosswalks, stop signs, or traffic signals; fire hydrants; and other structures.
DESMAN also collected information, where available, on dimension standard for parallel parking space,
travel lanes in roadways, and other pertinent regulations pertaining to parking on public streets. Where
there were no clear regulations regarding these items, DESMAN noted this category as “n/a”. A summary
of this research is shown in Table 3.

Table 3: Dimensional Standards for On-Street Parking

City: ANashuo Albany Ann Arbor = Concord Concord Manchester Meridian Portland Pertsmouth Rochester West Hartford
State: WH NY MI NC iH NH ID ME NH MN oT
Setback fram Crosswalk nfo 20° 20° 20° 20° 20° 29° 20 nfa 20° 25!
Setback from Sign/Signal 2 30° 30 so 30" 30, 30! 30° nfs 30° nfs
Setback from Drive way 2 . nfa 4 néa Ey 5 nfa S nfa s nfa
Setback irom Alley nfo nfa 4 n/a nja * njfa * nféa nja afa 3 nfa
Setback from Intersection " 25 ~ nfa i nfa 20° 27 afa 23° 20 20' 25
Setback from Fire Hydrant 13’ 15' 15! is’ 15" 3 15° 10° 15' id 10'
Setback from Other Verious “20475 * ao-79 oo ao-7s' © apt a sono “ona 20-75 ~ onfa
Parking Stall Dimensiens oy 23 exzs' ~ ofn2g ~ ogstxa3* a'x22 * gtxgast oxgat ote a2" x20“ 875x200 ox a0
Drive Aisle Width nfo wo az at ag aang aya * aaoet isjg ~ ayer 2/20"
Other Regulations afa iw nfa zz nfa n/a fa nia nfa 26-34 ~ nfa

As the table shows, there are currently regulations in Nashua dictating setbacks from signs and signals,
driveways, intersections, and fire hydrants. Article XII of the Nashua Code of Ordinances also carries
multiple sections (320-61, 320-62, 320-64, 320-69, 320-70) which dictate where parking may or may not

3. Assess operating costs for drying facility. Evaluate cost-benefit of utilizing hot water from existing
CH&P generators and/or biogas to drive the drying process versus use of natural gas. Assess hot
water needs and impact on operation of 1 versus 2 CH&P generators.

4. Develop site layout plan to determine impact on facilities adjacent to the Sludge Processing
Building at the Nashua WWTF. In particular, assess impacts on facilities to north of Sludge
Processing Building including maintaining access to existing primary sedimentation tanks and scum
well and Maintenance Facility. Assess space requirement for potential future processing options
like subsequent pyrolysis of the dried biosolids.

5. Assess space requirements for a new Maintenance Facility if this proves necessary. Develop
concept plan including site layout plan for new Maintenance Facility as well as the planned Vehicle
Garage. Assess cost impact of relocating Maintenance Facility.

6. Identify required scope elements for building system improvements (architectural, structural,
mechanical, instrumentation and controls, and electrical) and document in discipline-specific
technical memoranda. Develop preliminary cost estimates for each discipline.

G. Prepare Draft Preliminary Design Report and Drawings

1. Prepare draft Preliminary Design Report (PDR) package that includes all technical memoranda, final

design criteria, preliminary drawings and an outline of technical specifications.
i. Prepare a permitting plan for the proposed drying facility including any federal, state, and
local requirements.
ii. Identify the sequence of construction for the facility, assess the necessary construction
duration, and develop an overall project schedule.
iii. Submit a full construction cost estimate for the recommended plan.

2. Submit a draft of the PDR documents to the City for review and comment. Meet with the City to
review comments. The draft preliminary design package will be completed within 180 days of
receiving authorization to proceed.

H. Prepare Final Preliminary Design Report

1. Review City and NHDES comments and provide a memorandum with written responses to all
comments to the satisfaction of the City, including updating drawings, cost estimate and report
sections as necessary.

2. Submit the final PDR package to NHDES for review and comment.

WriGHT-PIERCE = 3 of 3

Engineering a Better Environment

occur under a variety of conditions and along a host of roadways. The city’s zoning codes defines an
acceptable parallel parking space as 9’ x 23’, which ts roughly aligned with the requirements in the other
municipalities. DESMAN could not find language defining minimum travel lane widths.

Among the studied communities, most required a minimum ‘no parking’ set back of 20’ from any
crosswalk. While Nashua requires a minimum setback of 25’ from any sign or signal, the other
communities surveyed fixed this distance at between 30’ and 50’. Only half of the communities studied
has a minimum required setback of between 4’ and 5’ to either side of a driveway, in contrast to Nashua’s
requirement of just 2’. Only Ann Arbor and Rochester defined required setback from either side of an
alleyway; Manchester has a blanket prohibition for parking in any alley,

Nashua’s requirement for 25’ from any unregulated intersection was in line, if slightly more conservative
than some of the other municipalities studied and setbacks from fire hydrants were generally in line with
requirements in the other cities. Several communities carried minimum setbacks of 20’ to either side of a
driveway servicing a fire station and a probation of curbside parking for a distance of 75’ along the curb
opposite of the fire station driveway as well as prohibition of curbside parking within 50’ of a rail crossing.
Concord, NH prohibits on-street parking on any roadway where doing so would reduce the width of the
adjacent travel lane to less than 12’; Manchester carries the same requirement in their ordinances.

Minimum widths for parallel parking spaces varied from 8’ to 9’ and minimum lengths for the stalls varied
from 20’ up to 25’. Code for the other communities mandated required travel lane widths of between 10’
and 15’ per lane; in some cases, these requirements depended on whether the roadway was one-way or
two-ways. Concord, NH requires a fixed width of 15’ per lane, which would require 30’ in total width for
a two-way road with no curbside parking; a two-way road way with parallel parking on both sides must
be at least 48’ in width. Manchester requires 12’ of width for a one-way road, but only 20’ of width fora
two-way road, implying that the two-way street encompasses two 10’ travel lanes. Portsmouth requires
at least 14’ in width for single direction roadways or 24’ for two-way roads. In many of these cases, the
width of the one-way roadway is less influenced by the dynamics of vehicles pulling in and out of curbside
spaces than the lateral space required to ensure safe efficient passage of municipal safety and service
vehicles.

Other regulations noted included the following:

* in Albany, NY, the minimum width per travel lane is 11’ unless the roadway must also
accommodate bicycle traffic, at which point the mandated minimum travel lane width is increased
to 13’ per lane.

e in Concord, NC on-street parking is not allowed on any street where doing so would reduce the
clear travel distance between curbs to less than 22’ along a public street or 10’ along an alleyway.

e In Meridian, ID, on-street parking is prohibited for vehicles of 12,000 Ibs. or more GVWR. In
addition, no trailer or mobile home may be parked on a public street for longer than 72
consecutive hours.

* In Portland, ME, unless otherwise posted, no individual may park in front of any business for
longer than one hour between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM, Monday through Saturday with the
exception of state and federal holidays.

e =n Rochester, MN curbside parking is not allowed on any one-way street of less than 28’ feet in
total width (curb-to-curb) or any two-way street of less than 26’ feet in width. On one-way streets

of less than 34’ and two-way streets of less than 30’, on-street parking is only allowed along one
curb face.

ESTABLISHMENT OF PARKING PERMIT PROGRAMS

Parking permit programs, especially RPP programs, are generally established following one of two
methodologies.

In many cases, City staff study the issue at the direction of community or municipal leaders for a particular
area, zone or neighborhood. The impetus for this program of study may come from the citizenry who are
upset about increasing competition for curbside parking in their area or increasing traffic congestion,
parking enforcement officers reporting heightened issues with the management of existing rules or
regulations, or community organizers concerned about trends in local parking behavior or the possible
impact of an impending development.

Whatever the source of concern, it is typically communicated up to the representative for that particular
area, who brings it to the municipality’s legislative body or executive, who will in turn instruct some
member(s) of city staff to assess the issue and return with a report and recommendations. The city staff
may undertake the study themselves or contract with a subject matter specialist. Either way, the results
of the study will commonly define the scope and scale of the issue, recommend geographic boundaries
for a proposed permit program as well as rules and regulations, and describe how the program should be
administered. This information is present in open public session, allowing for potentially impacted citizens
to comment. A final program, incorporating these comments, is prepared and submitted to the legislative
body for the community for ratification. This appears to be the process employed in Albany (NY), Concord
(NH}, Manchester (NH}, and Portland (ME).

The other methodology aliows for citizens to petition for the establishment of a parking permit area. This
is the approach employed in Ann Arbor (Mjj, Portsmouth (NH}, and Rochester (MN) for creating RPP
zones. In each instance, a member of the neighborhood or district organizes a campaign to establish a
parking permit program in their area. The boundaries of the proposed program are defined in
collaboration with city staff, but it is up to members of that neighborhood to circulate and present a
petition indicating the majority of impacted constituents within the proposed zone are in favor of the
program. The percentage defining a majority varies from municipality to municipality; in Ann Arbor it is
60% of more of all impacted residents; in Portsmouth and Rochester (MN), the standard was 75% of all
households within the proposed district. If the organizer can prove majority consent, the issue advances.

Once majority consent is established, a representative of municipal government will be charged with
studying the proposal and preparing a recommended program. This representative may be a City staff
member from Parking, Transportation, Planning, Engineering and/or the Public Works; members of an
official committee, board, or other legislative body addressing issues of parking or transportation within
the municipality; or an outside subject matter expert. This individual or body may work independently or
in collaboration with members of the community petitioning for recognition. The outcome of this work
process is recommended program with defines the following, at minimum:

e The physical boundaries of the proposed permit area;

e Rules, regulations, and criteria regarding who may apply for a permit;

e Rules and regulations for awarding a permit, including how permits are to be distributed among
constituents;

e Rules and regulations for addressing visiter/contractor/commercial parking needs in the area;
* Hours that the program is to be in effect and logic supperting those hours;

e Recommended penalties for violating program rules and regulations;

* Fees (if any) associated with the program;

« The method for addressing the cost of implementation, administration, and enforcement;

e Designation of implementation, administration, and enforcement duties within the City.

These recommendations may be presented to the petitioners in advance for review or submitted to them
in tandem with presentation to the community’s legislative body. Hf the later occurs, there is typically a
period for public review and comment prior to the issue advancing for ratification.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR NASHUA

DESMAN believes there is significant appetite in some wards and neighborhoods for a change in the
overnight parking policy, but not enough support for a wholesale dismantling of the current policy in
place. As such, we do not recommend simple abolishment of the current prohibition on overnight parking
across the City of Nashua.

Core Rules

Instead, DESMAN recommends the City of Nashua adopt a program which will allow citizens to request
designation of areas impacted within the city as parking permit zones. Within these zones, if established
and ratified following due process, permit holders would be able to park on public streets overnight
without censure provided they:

1. Follow rules and regulations established for the program, including parking only in designated
areas.

2. Renew their permits annually and agree to update their vehicle and contact information at any
time in which either changes within forty-eight (48) hours of the change.

3. Abide by parking rules and regulations governing curbside spaces when in effect. This means if
the parking spaces within a permit zone are subject to metering during standard business hours,
permit holders must pay the meter fee. Similarly, time limits established to ensure turnover in
commercial or mixed districts are valid during hours of enforcement for permit holders without
exception.

4. Remove their vehicle from the street during the dates and times designated for trash collection
on that particular street, without exception. This applies to both sides of the roadway.

5. Remove their vehicle from all roadways for periodic snow emergencies, snow removal and street
maintenance, without exception.

Application for Consideration

Citizens would have the right to submit a request for establishment of a parking permit program area.
This request would include a narrative describing: why those citizens are requesting establishment of the
program; the proposed boundaries of the program area’; the objectives of the program; an inventory of

1 As a general practice, a proposed permit area should not exceed three contiguous blocks in length or width, making for a
maximum potential permit area of not more than nine square blocks. In DESMAN’s experience, this represents the maximum
reasonable walking distance between parking and destination for a community of Nashua’s size and scale,

the addresses of all homes, businesses, and institutions within the boundaries of the proposed program
area; and a petition indicating at least two-thirds (67%) of all households within the proposed program
area support the initiative’. This application should also include the names and contact information for
at least three citizens living within the proposed program area which will constitute representation for
the application in all matters dealing with the City. This group of individuals will be hereafter referenced
as the Citizen’s Council. This request would be submitted to Economic Development for further study.

Capacity Testing

A representative of Nashua Economic Development would work in tandem with the City Engineer's office
to assess the potential program area. Specificaily, City staff would consider the dimensions of all public
roadways within the proposed program area and estimate parking capacity across the area under the
following restrictions:

1. Parking lanes along curbs must be at least 8’ in width, abutting a travel lane of not less than 12’
in width. One-way streets with parking along on curb must be 20’ or greater width. One-way
Streets with parking along both curbs must be a minimum of 28’ in width. Two-way streets with
parking along one curb must be at least 32’ in width. Two-way streets with parking along both
curbs must be at least 40’ in width.

2. Forthe purposes of estimating capacity, City staff should assume each contiguous, uninterrupted
20’ length of roadway can accommodate a single vehicle.

3. In measuring contiguous, uninterrupted curb space City staff should assume the following
minimum setbacks for various structures:

a. There shali be no parking within 15’ of a fire hydrant.

b. There shall be no parking within 25’ of any crosswalk or stop sign along any curb face.
For crosswalks, the measure shall be taken from the edge of the crosswalk closest to the
middle of the block face. For stop signs, the measure shall be taken from the sign along
the curb where the sign is installed and from the place the sign would be if installed on
the opposite curb as measured fram the nearest curb of the cross street.

c. There shall be no parking within 25’ of any stop line associated with a traffic signal. If no
stop line is marked, curbside parking should be prohibited within 35’ of the curb of the
nearest cross street.

d. There shall be no parking within 35’ of any unregulated intersection of public roadway
as measured from the curb of the nearest cross street.

e. There shall be no parking within 3’ of the curb cut for any private driveway or alleyway.

f. There shall be no parking within 20’ of the curb cut for any fire station or other
emergency services building.

g. There shail be no parking along the curb for a distance of 75’ opposite the driveway to
any fire station or emergency services building. This distance shall be measured from the
center of the driveway to 37.5’ in either direction when possible.

? Note that this standard asks only that 67% or more of all households within the proposed program area ‘support’ the initiative
and does not obligate all those households signing the petition to actively participate in a program, if established. Additionally,
‘support’ in this case may be defined as an absence of any objections to the creation of parking permit zone.

4, Based on the preceding specifications, City staff will estimate the parking capacity within the
proposed program area.

5. Based on the preceding specifications, City staff will prepare a drawing to scale defining
allowable parking areas and no parking areas across the proposed program area.

In a public meeting, City staff will present the results of their study to one or more representatives of
citizens petitioning for establishment of the program.

Quantification Testing

The Citizen’s Council will estimate the number of potential program participants within the proposed
program area through a second petition process which will ask each household supporting the
establishment of a parking permit zone to identify 1) the total number of vehicles in each household, 2)
the number of vehicles which can be parked on their property in legitimate off-street parking spaces,° and
3) the number of vehicles they propose to park on public streets overnight. The latter figure will be
considered an estimate of potential participation and will be submitted to the City in writing along with
the supporting petition.

City staff will compare the estimate of potential participation to the calculated parking capacity within the
proposed permit zone and produce a ratio of requested permits to allowable capacity. If the ratio is less
than one (1) requested permit per available parking space, City staff will calculate the ratio of legitimate
parking spaces per total households* within the program area. City staff will issue a technical
memorandum indicating the surplus in parking capacity for the program area relative to the estimate of
potential participation and establishing the maximum ratio of parking permits per household to the
nearest whole number, rounding down for any fraction less than .85°. This technical memorandum should
be issued back to the Citizen’s Council, who will be responsible for informing their constituents of the
findings. At the City’s discretion, the Board of Alderman may request a second petition be executed by
the Citizen’s Council confirming at least two-thirds majority still support the application in light of these
calculations.

If the ratio is more than one (1) requested permit per available parking space within the proposed program
area, City staff will calculate two ratios:

a. The ratio of the number of available parking spaces within the proposed program area to the
number of households expressing interest in acquiring a permit. This ratio should be rounded to
the nearest whole number, rounding downward for any ratio less than .85 spaces per household.

5 This first two figures will enable the City and Board of Alderman to quickly discern if the requested application is a convenience
ora necessity when evaluating the application.

* This ratio is critical because it establishes the maximum number of permits which can be purchased per household within a
program area should interest in participating in the program grow in the future after the zone is formally established. As a general
rule, each single-family home should be considered one househoid, while multi-family residential buildings should be considered
one household per unit.

5 While parking capacity will be measured according to an assumed 20’ per length of contiguous, uninterrupted curb space, the
recommendation is to establish areas of allowable parking on city streets according to zones, rather than individual spaces. in
practice, DESMAN has found that motivated citizens may be able to park vehicles with greater efficiency in an undefined space
according to the vehicle’s dimensions, to a degree. Rounding up ta the next whole number on fractions of .86 or higher when
calculating allowable permits per household recognizes and allows for this practice.

This ratio will establish the maximum number of permits which can be issued per household in
the ingugural year of the program’.

b. The ratio of the number of available parking spaces within the proposed program area to the
number of total households within the proposed program area. This ratio should be rounded to
the nearest whole number, rounding downward for any ratio less than .85 spaces per household.
This ratio will establish the absolute maximum number of permits per household which can be
issued in any year.

City staff will issue a technical memorandum documenting these calculations to the Citizen’s Council, who
will be responsible for informing their constituents of the findings. At the City’s discretion, the Board of
Alderman may request a second petition be executed by the Citizen’s Council confirming at least two-
thirds majority still support the application in light of these calculations.

Rate Setting for Parking Permits

Should the petitioning citizens still wish to proceed, City staff will prepare a technical report detailing their
findings, including the estimated capacity within the proposed program area, any other parking
regulations impacting on-street parking within the area currently in effect, the estimated demand for the
program, and calculated allocation of permits per household. In addition, City staff will prepare an
estimate of cost for marking allowable parking lanes’ within the proposed parking area, posting signs® on
each block face indicating the establishment of a parking permit area and the hours of effect, and
administering the program as estimated by the City’s Parking Manager. This last cost item program
administration, may include:

e Costs associated in automating portions of the program where appropriate. As a best practice,
many municipalities automate certain tasks, such as preparing an application for a permit and
uploading qualifying documents. In some instances, this may require acquisition of software to
support this. Automating these processes allows the municipal staff to process, approve, or deny
applications as their work schedule allows, rather than requiring the staffing of a customer service
center during prescribed hours solely for these tasks. Communication between constituents and
municipal staff can be affected through email, which creates a record of communications between
parties, assuring for transparency.

e Costs associated with increasing staffing to handle the processing of applications and renewals.
Even with the automation of certain processes, the addition time and effort required to manage
these programs can overwhelm an already small and highly utilized staff. The addition of clerks,

® In permit zones where potential demand for overnight parking exceeds capacity, but not all households in the zone wish to
acquire a permit, the Board of Alderman may require the Citizen’s Council to perfarm annual petitions to determine the number
of households wishing to participate in the program for the coming fiscal year. In these instances, the Citizen’s Council will need
to submit completed petitions to Nashua Economic Development no fater than sixty (60) days before the end of the current fiscal
year to allow the City to determine the appropriate number of permits per participating household which may be sold at the start
of the next fiscal year.

? Where possible, DESMAN recommends marking out lanes of allowable parking area along each block face, rather than individual
stalls. In practice, this allows permit holders to maximize available allowable curbside space according to the dimensions of their
vehicle, rather than the prescribed dimensions of the 85"* percentile design vehicle. Of course, this can only be done if the area
is not already subject to stall markings to support metering or other programs, in which case the existing pavement markings
take precedent.

8 All signs and pavement markings must be compliant with MUCTD and/or local regulations.