Honorable  Patrick  Madden   Mayor   City  of  Troy   Troy,  N.Y.  12180     Dear  Mayor  Madden,     It  is  my  pleasure  to  host  the  City  of  Troy  and  the  Office  of  Economic  Development  for  the   “Community  discussion  about  public  parking  in  the  city  of  Troy.”  We  are  very  pleased  that   Troy  Innovation  Garage  can  serve  as  a  venue  for  such  an  important  public  dialogue.     Since  moving  my  company  Gramercy  Communications  to  Troy  in  2012  I  have  been  a  vocal   advocate  for  the  commercial  sector’s  need  for  safe,  reliable  and  affordable  parking  within   the  BID  boundary.  This  advocacy  continued  through  my  chairmanship  of  the  BID  Board,   and  now,  is  particularly  critical  as  my  newest  investment  in  Troy  is  taking  full  flight  and  I   work  directly  trying  to  recruit  companies  and  entrepreneurs  to  work  downtown.  When  I   took  on  the  task  of  trying  to  understand  parking  concerns  I  heard  from  a  number  of  long-­‐ time  downtown  boosters  and  investors  who  told  me  that  they’d  “been  there,  done  that,”  in   trying  to  develop  and  implement  a  cohesive  modern  plan.    They  shared  with  me  the  old   studies  and  old  drawings.  One  thing  is  for  certain  from  my  research  -­‐  we’ve  studied  this   thing  to  death.  And  a  great  number  of  people  are  frustrated  and  think  the  city  is  not  willing   to  take  on  this  issue.  We  have  a  chance  right  now  to  turn  that.     As  you  know,  I  grew  up  in  Rensselaer  County.  I  knew  Troy  in  the  80’s  and  90’s.  I  took  the   bus  downtown  to  meet  up  with  my  high  school  friends  from  Lansingburgh.    Fresh  out  of   college,  I  worked  with  past  leaders  in  Troy  as  a  public  official  and  as  a  staff  member  for   former  Congressman  Mike  McNulty  and  Assembly  Majority  Leader  Ron  Canestrari,  whose   districts  both  included  Troy.    My  desire  to  invest  here  is  personal  and  rooted  in  decades  of   interest  and  involvement.     Today,  we  have  located  one  of  New  York  State’s  most  respected  and  dynamic  public   relations  agencies  here.  And,  it’s  worth  noting,  some  of  our  employees  moved  downtown   with  the  company.  As  you  know,  and  have  given  great  support,  I  invested  and  risked   significantly  in  downtown.  I  have  convinced  others  to  invest  private  money  here  too.  And  I   am  constantly  championing  our  city  throughout  the  region  and  state.     Mayor,  you  know  me  as  a  serious  person  who  has  built  multiple  successful  enterprises   from  scratch.    You  also  know  that  I  understand  public-­‐private  partnerships  and  understand   the  nuances  of  City  Hall  and  the  machinations  of  government.  So,  I  write  this  letter  with  all   seriousness  in  hopes  that  it  will  be  heard  with  all  due  consideration  and  appreciation.  You   have  taken  great  interest  in  our  project  and  I  am  very  grateful  for  the  time  and  energy  you   and  your  team  have  dedicated  to  Troy  Innovation  Garage  and  our  members.  I  am  someone     1   who  builds  consensus  and  knows  how  to  take  action.  This  issue  needs  immediate  attention   and  action.  I  am  willing  to  be  part  of  the  solution  so  long  as  we  all  are  willing  to  start  with  a   firm  understanding  of  the  real  challenges  and  that  there  is  not  a  “we  got  it”  and  “don’t   worry  about  it”  fix.     The  ideas  outlined  below  are  from  our  whole  Troy  Innovation  Garage  community.  We   understand  that  these  are  inherited  issues  as  well,  and  that  you  have  many  interests  to   balance  as  you  allocate  city  resources  and  your  time.    We  respectfully  ask  that  you   implement  these  changes  with  all  due  speed:                An  Alarming  90%  of  Businesses  Downtown  Say  We  Need  Expanded  Public  Parking     • In  public  survey  after  survey  parking  is  cited  as  the  biggest  problem  we  have   downtown.  My  firm  conducted  an  expansive  Downtown  BID  survey,  the  2016   “State  of  Downtown  Troy  Report.”  Nearly  90%  of  business  owners  called  for   expanded  public  parking.  By  comparison,  50%  asked  for  waterfront  access  and   25%  asked  for  more  bike  racks.                Parking  Investments  Have  Lagged  Far  Behind  Private  Investment     • There  is  a  dire  need  right  now  for  significant  public  investment  in  downtown   parking  if  we  hope  to  grow  the  Troy  economy,  attract  new  economy  jobs,  lure   entrepreneurs  and  startups,  and  compete  as  a  location  for  major  employers  to   locate.    As  you  and  I  have  heard  recently,  we  now  have  an  opportunity  to  grow   1,000  new  private  sector  jobs  within  the  BID  boundary  from  the  software  and   gaming  cluster  alone.  For  years,  and  still  true  today,  90%  of  businesses   downtown  are  under  20  employees.  We  do  not  have  the  infrastructure  or  plan  in   place  to  keep  startups  that  will  grow  to  300  employees,  or  to  lure  new  major   corporate  employers  looking  to  relocate  to  New  York  State  or  from  a  suburban   location  to  downtown.  Parking  needs  to  part  of  the  package.     • Also,  in  the  past  4  years,  approximately  250  new  apartments  have  come  online   downtown.    There  is  an  additional  125  apartments  being  planned  or  about  to   come  online.     • Downtown  Troy  has  benefitted  in  the  last  5  years  from  hundreds  of  millions  of   dollars  in  private  sector  investment  in  a  variety  of  commercial  projects.    The  new   “citizens”  who  come  with  these  projects  are  greeted  everyday  with  1970’s   infrastructure,  and  public  and  private  parking  that  says  “we  just  don’t  care  about   ourselves.”  Frankly,  it’s  embarrassing  and  many  of  us  are  sick  of  apologizing  and   saying  “it  will  get  better.”     • We  live  in  a  car-­‐centric  region,  so  parking  is  always  a  factor  with  employers.  I   know  major  private  sector  employers  who  have  come  calling  here  and  walked     2     •   away  because  they  could  not  accommodate  their  diversity  of  employees.  I’ve  met   with  them  and  I’ve  directed  them  to  your  offices.     The  message  from  City  Hall  has  to  change,  and  the  public  sector  needs  to  step  up   and  invest  too.     City-­‐Owned  Surface  Lots  Are  In  Appalling  Condition     • The  city  should  feel  ashamed  for  even  charging  people  to  park  in  the  existing   city-­‐owned  surface  downtown  lots.  They  are  in  terrible  physical  condition,   poorly  cared  for,  and  poorly  managed.  In  fact,  city-­‐owned  property  has  now   become  some  of  downtown’s  biggest  eyesores.     • Surface  lots  need  to  be  inviting  –  well  signed,  well  groomed,  well  lit,  striped   appropriately  and  allow  access  to  both  daily  users  and  monthly  parkers.     • The  city  should  have  a  maintenance  program  for  lots  and  a  capital  improvement   program.  The  city  ought  to  also  actively  try  to  acquire  other  non  buildable  lots   for  expanded  public  off-­‐street  surface     • The  current  parking  “sticker”  system  has  to  go.  This  is  at  least  40  years  out  of   date.  We  need  swipe  card  or  smart  phone  entry  to  public  lots.  There  should  be   multi-­‐meter  options  that  allow  daily  users  to  park  in  lots.  I  would  guess  that   most  downtown  public  parking  users  also  regularly  pay  tickets  for  not   “switching”  their  sticker.  I  have  talked  to  dozens  of  them.     •     There  needs  to  be  clearly  identified  and  accessible  handicapped  parking.  Lots   need  multiple  ingress  and  egress  points  for  handicapped  parkers.   On-­‐Street  Parking  is  the  Wild  West     • Less  than  10%  of  downtown  spaces  are  metered.  That  makes  no  sense   whatsoever  and  needs  to  be  halted  immediately.  Our  troubles  with  one  faulty   meter  here  on  4th  Street  has  cost  me  and  my  team  countless  hours  of  staff  time,   and  has  caused  tremendous  frustration  in  our  community.  I  know  you  felt  it  the   last  time  you  came  here.  The  whole  BID  needs  to  be  metered,  or  none  of  it  should   be.     • Parking  enforcement  is  inconsistent  and  unfair.  If  meters  don’t  work,  tickets   ought  not  to  be  issued.  Enforcement  time  is  wasted  in  city  owned  lots  and   garages  versus  the  on-­‐street  parking.  Enforcement  officers  need  to  be   “customer-­‐centric”  and  present  downtown  in  the  best  light.       3   • The  meters  need  to  use  smart  phone  technology,  and  also  allow  non-­‐car  drivers   (motorcycles  and  scooters)  the  ability  to  pay  for  space.  A  meter  plan  should  also   take  into  account  utilization  rates  and  be  weighted  to  help  spread  parking   throughout  the  district.  Heavy  retail  areas  need  more  space  turnover.   • All  spaces  need  to  be  striped  to  clearly  delineate  parking  and  non-­‐parking  spots.   We  need  a  firm  and  understandable  plan  for  handicapped  on-­‐street  parking  and   their  locations  clearly  identified.           Garages  Ought  to  Be  Publicly  Owned  and  Available  24/7/365;  We  Need  More   •     •   State  Street  Garage  needs  an  immediate  upgrade.  The  condition  of  this  facility  is   a  huge  knock  on  the  city.     Both  State  Street  Garage  and  5th  Avenue  Garage  need  cameras  inside  and   outside.  At  a  recent  BID  public  safety  meeting,  police  requested  private  property   owners  to  use  cameras  and  to  register  them.  We  have  done  so  at  my  property   along  with  many  property  owners.  I  ask  the  city  to  do  the  same  at  all  city  owned   parking  lots  and  garages.   • The  following  is  no  disrespect  to  the  current  ownership  who  we  have  worked   collaboratively  with  and  who  has  also  invested  significantly  in  downtown.   Rather,  it’s  a  matter  of  better  public  policy:  The  city  should  acquire  back  Uncle   Sam  Garage  and  make  much  needed  improvements  to  expand  public  access.  This   facility  is  one  of  the  major  pieces  of  the  city’s  image,  a  main  gateway  to   downtown  and  lifeblood  of  many  downtown  businesses  and  organizations.  It   needs  to  be  publicly  managed  for  the  benefit  of  all.    In  the  short  term,  there   needs  to  be  clear  signage  in  Uncle  Sam  Garage  about  public  use  of  the  facility  and   posted  hours  in  accordance  with  the  sale,  purchase  and  IDA  agreements.  As  a   facility  receiving  generous  tax    benefits,  there  needs  to  be  a  maintenance   program  which  also  addresses  cleanliness,  lighting,  safety  and  cameras.  The   parking  spots  need  to  be  clearly  striped  and  delineated.   • In  the  past  few  years  the  city  has  made  multiple  applications  to  the  state  for  a   new  parking  structure  across  the  street  from  City  Hall.    Downtown  needs  an   additional  1000  parking  spaces,  and  we  suggest  that  500  come  in  the  form  of   new  garage  spots.  We  need  these  to  be  inside  the  BID  boundary  and  suggest  two   garages  at  strategic  locations  in  the  district.    While  this  is  consistent  with   previous  studies,  it  is  more  consistent  with  the  reality  of  the  growing   commercial  sector  and  plethora  of  apartments  I  detailed  above.   • The  goal  for  all  pay  parking  should  not  be  to  find  a  way  to  offer  “free  nights  and   weekends.”    The  goal  should  be  to  lower  the  overall  parking  cost  for  all  users  at   all  times.    We  ask  that  all  users  pay  their  fair  share  and  the  burden  of  payment         4   not  be  borne  by  commercial  companies  and  our  employees.      While  we   appreciate  that  some  have  benefitted  greatly  from  free  parking,  we  also   acknowledge  that  we  would  also  benefit  from  free  parking.  If  its  not  possible  to   extend  that  free  benefit  during  the  day,  we  suggest  using  night  time  and   weekend  as  a  way  to  generate  revenues  to  bring  down  daytime  costs  too.     •     The  parking  garage  being  considered  at  1  Monument  Square  should  be  owned   and  managed  by  the  city  not  a  private  entity.  The  allocation  of  public  state   monies  from  former  Senator  Bruno  should  be  used  for  this  facility  for  the  entire   public’s  benefit.   New  Public-­‐Private  Partnerships     • •   The  Y  Lot  should  be  considered  an  option  for  a  strategically  located  parking   garage  as  has  been  detailed  in  past  plans  and  drawings.  The  ownership  of  the   surface  should  be  viewed  as  an  opportunity  to  collaborate  amongst  interested   parties  and  expand  parking  and  not  a  hard  stop  to  even  talking.  This  lot  is  the   best  example  of  “shared”  use  that  is  so  prevalent  in  planning,  and  would  benefit   a  variety  of  downtown  stakeholders.       There  are  number  of  privately  held  lots  around  the  district  that  have  periods  of   very  low  to  no  utilization.  These  owners  should  enter  into  an  agreement  with  the   city  or  parking  management  system  to  be  included  in  helping  to  solve  the   current  needs.   Wayfinding  &  Signage  Needs  to  Match  Our  Vibe     •     We  need  a  comprehensive  brand  and  signage  package  that  matches  Troy’s   current  vibe.  The  hodge-­‐podge  of  signs  and  mix  of  unprofessional  markers   makes  us  all  look  bad.   We  Need  Accurate  Public  Data,  Available  Quarterly  &  Yearly     •   •   I  recently  counted  the  spaces  in  the  State  Street  Garage  as  189.  The  most  recent   parking  study,  and  all  city  materials  cite  the  garage  as  having  360  spots.  This   glaring  inaccuracy  is  just  one  example  of  the  huge  problems  we  have  faced  when   trying  to  contemplate  the  future  of  parking.  The  data  needs  to  be  right  on  the   money  and  updated  regularly.  If  data  is  not  completely  accurate  we  cannot  trust   presented  solutions.   We  also  need  transparency.    The  city  should  publish  the  leaseholders  of  all   downtown  parking  permits  so  we  have  an  understanding  of  where  parking  is   being  utilized  and  by  whom.   5     Thank  you,  once  again,  for  dedicating  city  time  and  resources  to  this  significant  issue.    I   hope  that  you  find  agreement  with  many  issues  and  ideas  outlined.  I  am  available  to  talk  at   any  time  about  this  or  any  other  downtown  matter  where  my  background  and  experience   can  help  stimulate  progress.                 Sincerely,                         Tom  Nardacci       6