Cities throughout the country are increasingly utlizing curb management tools and services to provide efficient parking availability for a variety of services, including freight/commercial loading, food deliveries, parcels, and ride sharing services, to name a few.    

Curbflow, Inc.provides curb management services related to these uses  through a reservation platform to secure brief time slots at designated curbside parking  spaces for third party purveyors/service providers. Curbflow assesses a fee to purveyors for said service which results in no expense to the City.

Curbflow has state-of-the-art technology to monitor and assist the City in managing curbside availability through digitized loading zones, enforcement, and automated analytics.

It is important to note that currently use of curbside parking for the purposes of freight loading zones (FLZ)  requires an annual or semi-annual permit fee of $364 or $182, respectively (infrequent users may pay the hourly metered parking fee). This permit fee is established in the City Code.  

In consultation with the City Attorney's Office, the introduction of a third party curb management/reservation service (and their related fees) would require all purveyors/delivery services to utlize the third party service.  Therefore, an amendment to the City Code is required to establish a provision for curb managment/reservation service and related fees. 

Existing Conditions:

As we know, parking utilization/demand is extremely low due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, parking availability for purveyors and related deliveries is available.  While Curbflow may have been of value in pre-COVID times, placing further expense or process on local businesses at this time is counterproductive to supporting local businesses..

However, once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides and the economy returns to either pre-COVID levels or a level of utlization/demand that may warrant such service, then curb management services such as Curbflow should be explored.

The Administration recommends this item be deferred for 180 days or until such time that business activity warrants such service. In the interim, the Administration may develop an RFP (Request for Proposals) for curb management services in a two-phased approach.  Phase One could be a one-year pilot program to determine the service's viability and effectiveness and Phase Two may be an option, at the sole determination of the City, to extend service beyond the pilot period. 

This approach allows for businesses to return to levels of activity that may warrants such service; allows the City to monitor and conduct further research on curb management services in other cities; and lays the groundwork for a competitive procurement process.