City Seeking Public Input on Parking Management Recommendations

Published on June 12, 2025

The City of Melbourne will be hosting a public meeting to present findings of a recently completed study of parking issues and challenges in Downtown Melbourne and to ask for public input on recommended parking management strategies to improve parking conditions. 

The meeting will be held on June 26 at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chamber at City Hall (900 E. Strawbridge Avenue, Melbourne).

Residents, business owners, and visitors to Downtown Melbourne are encouraged to attend to learn about the study’s findings and to provide input on its recommendations. This input will be included in the final parking management presentation to Melbourne City Council.  

To compile the study and its recommendations, the City’s consultant THA reviewed existing policies and practices; worked with City staff; conducted individual meetings with City Council members; and hosted two public meetings with study area business owners, residents, and stakeholders to obtain meaningful information, opinions, and recommendations for improving parking in Downtown Melbourne. 

THA also conducted a parking demand study and analysis that was based on inventorying existing parking assets and performing occupancy counts and observations over three days in January 2025. 

The study showed that although there are plenty of parking spaces to meet demand on the most visited times on weekdays and on weekends, most of these spaces were located outside of the Downtown core area of New Haven Avenue and its closest side streets. This was found to be due primarily to long-term parking on those streets by Downtown business owners and employees.

To help ensure there is enough convenient parking for patrons and customers, THA recommends first improving enforcement of the current three-hour time limit for on-street parking. 

As demand for parking grows in Downtown, they recommend phasing in paid parking spaces in the core area with a fee of $1 per hour, while leaving abundant free parking spaces on surrounding side streets and in the City Hall parking garage and parking lots. (Peer cities charge $2-$3 per hour for parking.)

THA also recommends maximizing the use of existing city parking assets by improving these areas with better directional signage and lighting. 

For more information about the meeting, please contact the City of Melbourne Community Development Department at community.development@mlbfl.org or 321-608-7500.