City transportation staff told the Old Town Local Advisory Committee on Tuesday that a pavement‑sensor pilot in Old Town Front Street has produced continuous usage data and recommended expanding the system to the downtown core.

Eric Jones, who presented the update, described the pilot as 88 on‑street spaces instrumented since February. Jones said the system tracked roughly 90,000 parking sessions between March and September and that the majority of sessions lasted one hour or less. He noted an 85% occupancy threshold used in parking planning: for March the sensors recorded occupancy at or above 85% on 21 of 31 days; other months showed variable patterns and a holiday weekend (Labor Day) did not show full‑capacity use.

Jones said the project team and a city subcommittee support a phase‑2 expansion to cover the Old Town downtown core so policymakers can measure demand across a larger area before making policy changes. He listed possible future policy uses for the data, including residential parking permits, loading/delivery zones, short‑term “grab‑and‑go” spaces, event management, employee permits, and whether to use paid or metered parking.

Staff described sensor types proposed for an expanded system — small pavement sensors for on‑street parking, solar‑powered sensors for sun‑exposed areas and in‑garage visual indicators — and said add‑on features such as a mobile app, enforcement software and parking validation are available at extra cost. Jones said the vendor provided a revised project cost that includes an enhancement staff recommends; staff stated the revised total is within the contingency council previously set.

The committee took a voice vote to recommend that the city council approve phase 2 and expansion of the program. Multiple committee members voiced support during the meeting; no opposition was recorded in the advisory committee discussion. Staff said the matter is scheduled for city council consideration next week.

Property owner and Old Town stakeholder Neil Cleveland, who said he sold a parking lot to the city under a 1999 agreement and remains the managing owner of the Stampede Building, urged staff and council to consider overnight residential parking impacts. Cleveland said residential use has reduced availability in municipal lots intended for commercial and visitor parking and called for protections for existing parking agreements.

Jones said the expanded sensor data would help answer many of the questions raised and allow the city to make data‑driven choices about permit areas, enforcement, and potential paid parking.

— Ending: The advisory committee’s recommendation now goes to the City Council; staff said final scope, pricing options and optional system features will be before council for approval.