Downtown Parking

The effort to identify and budget for additional downtown parking comes after an extensive public input process, research, and the adoption of the 2022 Downtown Parking Plan. In all, the Town of Windsor has identified over 361+ new parking spaces.

Here is a summary of newly identified downtown parking opportunities:

6th Street Windsor Lake Corridor On-Street Parking - Over the summer, 140 spaces were identified and created using existing on-street space throughout the 6th Street Windsor Lake corridor between Main St. and Cedar Street. Parallel spaces were designated in locations adjacent to residential access. New angled on-street public parking spaces were added.

Ash Street Parking Lot & 106 6th Street Lot - In September 2022, the Town of Windsor closed on two properties: one on Ash Street located directly north and adjacent to Main Street businesses; and a property at 106-6th Street which is located across the street from the American Legion. Both properties are slated for future parking. The Ash Street public parking lot is budgeted for development in 2023 with anticipated completion by Memorial Day. It adds 52 free public parking spaces. The 106-6th Street property will be developed into public parking further into the future.

Boardwalk Park Museum Lot - Town staff also identified additional parking between the Windsor Severance Fire Museum and the Windsor History Museum at Boardwalk Park. The new lot, will provide 41 new free public parking spaces, just north of the railroad tracks, providing convenient access to the museums, and negating the need to cross railroad tracks to attend popular events at Boardwalk Park. It makes use of space that was previously unused. The town is also working to create accessible spaces adjacent to Boardwalk Park at the 5th Street roundabout entrance.

Windsor Lake Birch Street Lot - Visit Windsor Lake’s Birch Street parking lot during the summer months with its direct access to the swim beach, walking trail, fishing pier, concession stand, playground, and boat launch access, and surely, the lot is likely full. The Windsor Lake Birch Street parking lot will expand in 2023 with the addition of 28 new parking spaces. The expansion will not have a negative impact current dedicated recreational space. Instead, the town is turning a landscape median and expanding a portion of the property into usable parking.

Downtown Business Shared Use Lots - Last, and probably the largest positive impact on downtown parking, is a shared-use agreement that would support turning over 100 private business parking spaces into free public parking opportunities. The lots are located on the south side of Main Street in the 400-500 block and the 500-600 block. To the benefit of businesses, the Town of Windsor would help with operating and maintaining the shared-use lots, taking that burden off of property owners. To the benefit of the town, visitors could access and utilize dedicated free public parking spaces, conveniently located on the south side of Main St. This effort supports the adopted Downtown Parking Plan by providing improved and dispersed parking throughout the downtown corridor to the benefit of all downtown businesses. Property owners are currently reviewing agreements.

Related News Releases:

July 22, 2022 - Windsor Identifies Initial Downtown Parking Improvements Near Boardwalk Park Press Release
July 26, 2022 - Windsor Moves to Improve Traffic Flow on Highway 392 Press Release
July 27, 2022 - Windsor Identifies Additional Parking Opportunities for Boardwalk Park Events Press Release

After two years of data collection, input gathering, and draft proposals, Windsor’s Town Board approved the Downtown Parking Study on Monday, July 11, 2022, and prior to its adoption, staff began actively working to identify and improve downtown public parking.

The first part of this on-going effort looks at the area north of Main St. and west of Windsor Lake.

Here are some highlights:

• The Town of Windsor finalizes the purchase of property at 106 N. 6th St. on Thurs., Sept. 1, and on the lot located between 501 and 517 Ash Street on Fri., Sept. 30. Both will become dedicated public parking.
• Existing roadside parking will be restriped to the west of Windsor Lake, on both Birch St. and 6th St. Parallel parking will be on roads adjacent to homes and angled parking added where having more parking will not impact homeowner access.
• There are improvements coming to Boardwalk Park parking! The Boardwalk Park 5th St. roundabout entrance by the Farmer’s Market Pavilion is being redesignated to create more accessible parking for persons with disabilities.
• Windsor is looking into expanding the existing parking lot adjacent to the Windsor-Severance Fire Museum.
• The main Windsor Lake public lot on Birch St. can expand without impeding existing recreational space.

Meanwhile, Windsor’s Town Board, along with Town Manager Shane Hale and town staff, continue to look at improving downtown parking options to the benefit of all downtown businesses.

Thank you to everyone that attended the public open house and provided feedback. The project team has reviewed comments and is working on the next steps to bring the draft plan to adoption. Residents have asked some questions about the draft recommendation for a potential parking structure directly south of town hall. We value resident questions and engagement and are still in the early planning stages. We have included some additional details below.

Will any steps be taken to address safety and security in the parking structure?

Yes, the structure will likely be designed to have appropriate lighting for day and nighttime parking and utilize security cameras.

How will cars access the garage?

The garage will likely utilize an access control system with lift gate arms to let cars in and out of the structure.

How tall will the garage be?

The garage would be no more than three levels. Even at three levels it would not surpass the adjacent town hall building in height.

Will the garage have a level of underground parking?

Adding an underground level was not originally an option the project team explored, but it could be considered moving forward and would need further study. Adding underground parking would likely significantly increase building costs.

Check out our latest parking data and findings, and mark your calendar to join us this Thursday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Windsor Severance Fire Rescue Station, 100 N 7th St. for our final public open house. A short formal presentation will be held at 6 p.m. with time dedicated before and after for residents to review materials at their own pace and ask questions.

Project consultants have worked to identify options for additional downtown parking space. Their draft recommendations will include 2-, 5-, and 10-year outlooks, taking into consideration the impacts of cost, capacity, and management. An open house is planned for this spring before the draft plan goes to Windsor's Town Board for final consideration.

We've collected data and come up with some ideas for the future of parking in Downtown Windsor. We're looking for stakeholder and community feedback. Join us at one of our upcoming public input sessions this month. Both sessions will be held at the Art & Heritage Center, 116 5th St.

Downtown Parking Stakeholder Meeting- Tuesday, Oct. 12 from 6-8 p.m.

Residents living in the downtown Windsor area, business owners and anyone with a vested interest are invited to attend. Participants will be able to provide input and feedback on draft recommendations.

Downtown Parking Public Open House- Thursday, Oct. 14 from 6-8 p.m.

Learn more about the Downtown Parking Study and how the Town of Windsor and the Downtown Development Authority are partnering to collect current parking data and plan for future parking needs. All are welcome to attend and provide feedback on boards, graphics and maps that reflect the information the team has collected to date.

If you haven't already, please take our public survey by visiting surveymonkey.com/r/WindsorParking.

Hello Windsor residents! We want to hear from you. We are collecting public input regarding parking in Downtown Windsor.

Are you a local business owner for a downtown business or live downtown? We are looking to build a community stakeholder group to guide the process and create a parking plan that will benefit residents, visitors and businesses. Take our community stakeholder survey to share your insights and let us know that you're interested in getting involved.

If you enjoy all that downtown has to offer but do not have a vested interested, we want to hear from you too! Please take the Downtown Parking Public Survey.

We appreciate your time and your thoughts.

Town of Windsor Planning and the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) are partnering to evaluate parking needs, demands and options for the downtown area, taking into consideration community and business growth. After taking a pause in 2020 to account for COVID-19 complications and a temporary change in downtown business activity, the Downtown Parking Study has resumed data collection, and the project team is looking for stakeholder and community feedback. Stay tuned for upcoming engagement opportunities scheduled for this fall.