Parking Management Plans
The Downtown Ardmore District (formerly Ardmore Initiative) Parking study is public. In September 2025, the Ardmore Initiative commissioned Econsult Solutions, Inc. to conduct a parking study of its downtown commercial district to assess utilization of its primary network of public parking spaces.
Study Design
The team surveyed 7 parking areas (421 metered public spaces total) at 11am, 2pm, and 4pm on select Fridays and Saturdays from October through December 2025. They tested scenarios where 15, 30, or 35 spaces were temporarily removed from Schauffele Plaza to simulate the proposed development.
Key Findings
The benchmark for a healthy parking network is 85% occupancy (358 of 421 spaces). The study found that even under the most restrictive test scenarios, total occupancy never reached that threshold — meaning the network has enough buffer to absorb the loss of spaces at Schauffele Plaza. Specifically, the network could lose up to 64 spaces and still operate at or below the equilibrium point.
Bottom Line
The data supports moving forward with converting Schauffele Plaza into a pedestrian/event space, as the surrounding parking network has sufficient capacity to absorb the reduction without creating a parking shortage.
The Lower Merion Township completed a “Downtown Ardmore Parking Management Plan” in May of 2025 which is a comprehensive study that demonstrates Ardmore has ample parking supply. There are also some basic issues that need to be fixed. The following recommendations were made:
Improve wayfinding
Remove parking meters and switch to Park Mobile for parking payment in the District
Adjust times and rates within zones to free up short-term parking spaces in front of businesses and to provide long-term parking for employees. (Done)
Improve communication between the Township, business community and customers regarding parking availability, policies, and projects.