Parking: A Hot Topic in Old Town Beaverton

I knew I had found a defining advocacy topic, when I heard a City Council member say during a public session that if people need to drive to visit (Old Town) Beaverton, they should find another place to go.

It’s easy to tell someone to park up at the Reser and walk half a mile to businesses in Old Town. Notwithstanding seasonal weather, views like this ignore the fact that a good portion of our population face mobility challenges.

After the City Council session, I asked some Beaverton High School students whether the desire to drive a vehicle is an older generational habit. I was trying to see if the narrative coming from local leaders — that Beaverton is a great place to walk and bike and take mass transit — is shared by the youngest driving-age members of our community. They rejected the notion, saying Beaverton is a driving town as it lacks adequate pubic transportation to get everywhere they need to go. Many youth accept that you need a car to get around in Beaverton.

The Beaverton High School renovation, slated for completion in 2026 will have an expanded parking lot, reflecting the student perspective, and not so much with ongoing City messaging. No matter how much everyone is pressed to walk, bike, and use mass transit, it would appear residents and voters, old and young, even the School District — all of the existing behaviors — are based on a different set of needs.

Increased Business Density in Old Town

When Restaurant Row was envisioned by prior City leadership, no forethought was given to what would happen to parking in Old Town Beaverton. Prior to 2018, the district was already a date night spot. I recall back in 2008, when I first started visiting the district, parking was already an issue on many nights.

With recent additions of more than a dozen restaurants into the immediate vicinity of 1st and Watson, more on Broadway, and more high-density housing throughout Old Town, it was only a matter of time before we would see negative results from the impact of increased density. In the past three years, we have lost numerous restaurants and retail businesses — some moving to a different district, others to an entirely different town — and most have listed parking concerns as a factor. Recent City communications celebrate new businesses filling vacancies, but don’t mention those leaving, which by our estimates is a net negative result.

Anyone can witness the traffic situation for themselves. Even in summertime — during which Old Town sees less foot and vehicular traffic than in the Fall and Spring — roadways get clogged. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings between 6 and 8 PM, the district is at peak volume. Several of us have welcomed City leaders to reserve a table at our establishments to sit and watch what happens. So far, none have accepted the invite.

Old Town is full of vehicles on these nights. Not just visitors, but also delivery drivers double parking while picking up to-go orders. Cars circle blocks several times. Some double park on 1st Street and in private lots. It is challenging and frustrating for visitors who cannot find a place to park. A few bad experiences on the part of a visitor tells them there is never enough parking, and that means we’ve lost them for good.

The 3rd and Washington Parking Lot

Much has been said about using the parking lot at 3rd and Washington. It is the same lot used by Farmers Market on Saturdays when in session; At all other times it is open as a free lot for public use.

Combined, the parking lot and adjacent stall parking along Washington Avenue hold about 130 parking spaces, including several ADA-accessible parking stalls. This looks good on paper, until you consider that multiple large restaurants and bars with outdoor patios opened in the district as part of the Restaurant Row expansion, and any one of these businesses alone could account for all 130 spaces in the 3rd and Washington lot. Still, it’s something, and the lot could and should get more use by those capable of walking longer distances.

Lack of awareness to this lot makes many visitors to the district wary. When I mention the 3rd and Washington lot, it’s as if they’re hearing this for the first time ever. A public lot, three blocks from my bar? There’s no question the lot needs better signage, including directional signs instructing people down the street how to get there.

Then, there’s also the aspect that people have a hard time changing their behaviors. The lot is identified on most map services and apps as the location of Farmers Market, not as a public parking lot. On days when the market is in session, there are numerous signs everywhere shooing drivers away from that lot. It’s understandable for visitors to assume the lot is always off-limits. So even if the City is able to direct people there, they may not associate it with being an open lot for their use. Better informational signage is also required, to help folks know it is essentially a “mixed use” lot and that outside of Farmers Market, it’s free for everyone’s use.

Even better, it might help if there were a concerted, collaborative marketing approach, undertaken by the City, local organizations, and local businesses, to share information about the 3rd and Washington lot in a way that reaches across demographics of the community.

City-Sponsored Parking Solutions

The City has instituted a few programs and is taking some steps. BURA (Beaverton Urban Redevelopment Agency) have contracted a private parking enforcement company to ticket individuals staying longer than posted times on street parking spaces. The idea is that this will free up spaces for others, and prevent overnight parking by people living in high-density complexes with on-site, fee-base parking.

Along Broadway Street, the City recently changed parking times to allow up to 2 hours per space, and plans are in the works to enforce parking times on Saturdays as well.

It was suggested by another business owner that the City should consider extending enforcement to Saturdays on 1st Street as well, just like is underway on Broadway. I am not opposed to this.

Without additional solutions though, these measures alone will not resolve every issue. It is difficult to encourage more visitors to Old Town when parking is a real concern that seems to largely go unanswered.

ADA and Mobility Challenged Parking Needs

Outside of all this, there’s the real, daily needs of our mobility challenged community. Even if parking is freed up throughout the district, there are but a handful of marked ADA parking spaces, mostly in private lots, with only a couple on public city streets.

It’s common to see vehicles double-park right along Watson Avenue during peak traffic times, to drop off mobility challenged passengers heading for a restaurant, which holds up traffic and creates safety hazards.

The requirements to walk more than a block or two is the make or break for this portion of our visiting demographic. They deserve fair and equitable access to our district.

A frequent comment on social threads is that more ADA parking is needed, everywhere. To date, we’ve seen nothing from the City, BURA, or other local organizations regarding the needs of this demographic. The lack of ADA parking is a direct reflection of how little our district is able to cater to this important part of our community.

Potential Parking Solutions

There has been a few discussions of building a new parking structure in Old Town, but where would it go? This is a valid concern. We don’t wish to see any further demolition of historic buildings than has already occurred. Also, a large concrete structure won’t add to the curb appeal of Old Town. But, what if an existing space were to be upgraded?

What would it take to add a level or two to the existing parking lot at 3rd and Washington? Could it accommodate 300 or more vehicles? Would this turn the lot into a protected, covered space that could also benefit Farmers Market vendors on poor-weather days? Could the City offset construction costs by charging a nominal, per-vehicle fee for its use during peak times?

What about the expanded parking lot planned for Beaverton High School? It will sit empty when school is not in session, or on nights when there are no home games. I understand it is school property, but here is an opportunity for students to raise money for school programs by monitoring and collecting fees for parking in the lot after hours, such as on high-traffic nights in Old Town.

And, what if the City were to enforce parking times on Saturdays for 1st Street parking spaces, like are currently underway on Broadway Street?

These are but a few ideas that have been discussed among us business owners, and at least on paper they hold potential benefits for all. We’re not the experts when it comes to City planning, traffic management, or any of the many important things done by those who serve our community. We are, however business owners that constantly problem-solve just to keep things running, so it’s possible our observations and ideas have some merit, particularly in the absence of anything else being done by local leaders.

There are many more ideas, but real conversations must take place first.

Summary and Asks

This post, though lengthy, hopefully illuminates how extensive is the topic of Old Town parking. Conversations are a starting point. Here are our requests, in the spirit of furthering them into potential action steps:

1. We ask the City to engage in-person with businesses throughout Old Town Beaverton, not by way of surveys but face-to-face, to garner feedback about our collective parking concerns.

2. We ask the City to look at increasing parking enforcement times on 1st Street to include Saturdays.

3. We ask the City to institute better signage and directions to improve awareness of the 3rd and Washington parking lot.

4. We ask the City to open a dialogue with the Beaverton School District about opening its parking lot for use by the public when school is out of session and there are no home games, with a pilot program run by students to collect fees for public parking.

5. We ask the City to perform a study on the 3rd and Washington parking lot, to determine if additional levels could be installed, and to consider a pay-per-use fee to offset construction costs.

6. Above all else, we ask the City to evaluate and install additional ADA parking along public streets to better meet the needs of our mobility challenged community members.

Inaction will keep everything in the current situation: Upset business owners, upset customers, and fewer return visitors to our district. The situation is more complicated than suggesting everyone walk or bicycle. It’s unrealistic to tell everyone parking is available — you just have to walk enough blocks to make it happen — when we’ve lost so many businesses already that recognized more parking is needed.

Our goal is to ensure equitable access to our district for all, regardless of age or the type of transportation they choose. We humbly call upon local leadership to listen to and recognize our concerns.

David Anderson
Co-Owner, Syndicate Wine Bar