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4.4.3 Implement and continue to mod parking resources and procedures. <br />Mentioned in the physical analysis,the study area boundary contains four city-owned parking <br />lots generally well placed throughout the downtown core.Additionally,on-street parking has, <br />been mostly converted to angle parking with a variety of times to accommodate the variety of <br />uses (loading zones,more lengthy parking options on the outlying areas,etc.) <br />Some best practices on public parking should explored.Ellensburg should conduct a "light" <br />parking study to examine existing public and private inventory as well as on and off street <br />parking.The study should also explore peak times for parking.Typically,the outcome of such a <br />study presents tactics such as better signage,ongoing management of spaces,ensuring that close <br />in spaces come at a time premium,and directing long-term visitors and employees to outlying <br />lots.One option for Ellensburg to consider would be to implement back in angled parking on a <br />block in downtown as a pilot project.This type of parking provides several advantages over <br />traditional parallel or angled parking.First,cars have much more visibility moving out of a <br />space when they have backed in (and the movement into the space is easier than parallel <br />parking),second the doors to the car open to the sidewalk rather than the street making it safer <br />for parents with children,and the rear of the car is to the sidewalk allowing for easier loading for <br />any shopping. <br />Two potential opportunities for expanded parking exist on both the Skate Park lot (should it <br />move)and on the Old Creamery lot as discussed in section 4.4.4 below.Many communities <br />have found than an annual parking summit allows policies to be tweaked and issues resolved as <br />parking is an ever changing dynamic in downtowns. <br />4.4.4 Pursue a downtown boutique hotel with meeting space and parking. <br />As mentioned in the market analysis portion of this study,there is a potential market for a unique <br />hotel product in downtown Ellensburg.After evaluating several properties,the old Ellensburg <br />Hotel in the Shoudy-Cadwell Building at the corner of 3rd Avenue and Main Street appears to be <br />the strongest opportunity for several reasons.First,the location is highly visible which will be <br />important for any downtown hotel.Second,while the hotel will need to be modernized and <br />upgraded significantly,it has traditionally been a hotel.Third,its location provides visitors easy <br />access to all of downtown Ellensburg.Last,the hotel has the potential for adjacent meeting <br />space and parking. <br />Figure 13 illustrates the potential for the project.The hotel could be located in the existing <br />building with ground floor retail remaining in place.A potential joint use elevator tower could <br />be constructed to the rear of the property for ADA compliance. <br />Parking for the hotel should be located on the 'old creamery'site preserving the Art Deco façade <br />of the burned out building.Plan estimates show potential for 70 parking spots on this site which <br />is less than a block from the hotel itself.The City of Ellensburg will need to be the partner to <br />complete this parking resource reserving room for expanded parking through an "over/under" <br />ramp in the future. <br />Rough estimates show that the hotel could probably accommodate 40-50 rooms depending on <br />how it is configured.It is likely that the hotel's operation would be independent of a chain <br />affiliation,though many national chains are exploring specialty branded boutique hotels.Many <br />38