On September 9, 2019, the City Commission authorized to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Downtown Valet Parking Services Pilot Program. The RFP was released on September 18, 2019. The City received one response from qualified operator. The proposal is from The Parking Solution, the company that has been operating the Downtown Valet Parking Program for the previous four years.
A selection committee consisting of City and CRA staff, Stuart Main Street board member and Downtown Business Association (DBA) board member was formed to review the proposal.
In the absence of competitive proposals, the committee evaluated The Parking Solution based on previous performance and experience in Downtown Stuart and the fact that they maintained their previous rate of $5.00 per parked car to visitors despite reporting little to no revenue on Downtown parking in the last two years. They also provide parking services for other businesses in Stuart including LouRonzo’s Italian Restaurant in downtown, Mondo WoodFire Grill, Dinallo’s, Fresh Catch and Atlantic Symphony Orchestra at Lyrics.
The Downtown Valet Parking Services Pilot Program will be operated during the peak season, Thursday thru Saturday in the evenings from 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM from December 1, 2019 – May 31, 2020, with the option to extend the contract two times for one-year renewals, for a total of three years. The valet service provider will use the City’s designated parking areas including the City Hall parking lot and the parking spaces behind the annex building, which has about 60 parking spaces available with the two lots combined. The valet operator will be able to park cars closer and stack cars, which will allow to increase the car storage.
The goal of the valet parking pilot program is to enhance the customer experience in Downtown Stuart and provide an overall benefit by achieving the following objectives:
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Increase overall parking capacity to meet the demand during season;
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Create a positive customer service with the objective of repeat business:
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Provide a greater convenience for Downtown visitors;
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Improve visitor’s shopping and dining experience.
It is recommended that the City enter into an agreement with The Parking Solution based on their experience, qualifications, customer cost ($5), and their proposed flat fee of $150 per month and revenue sharing of $2.50 for each car parked after the first 40 cars parked on each day of service. Below is a table of possible revenue sharing with the City after 40 paid customers on nightly basis:
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# of parked cars/night
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> 40 paid customer/night
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Revenue Split/night
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|
50
|
10
|
$25
|
|
60
|
20
|
$50
|
|
70
|
30
|
$75
|
|
100
|
60
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$150
|
|
120 (max)
|
80
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$200
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Approval of this item allows the City to properly manage parking and enhance accessibility in the downtown. There is no cost to the City to operate this program. The valet parking program has the potential to generate additional revenue for the City.
Staff is in the process of finalizing a license agreement with the vendor. It should be complete by the time the meeting takes place.