June 23, 2026 · HVA Livability Committee
Parking Survey Results: Building Neighborhood-Wide Support for Better Management
Our May 2026 resident survey (110 responses) confirms parking is a quality-of-life issue — concentrated in a few hotspots and driven mostly by non-resident daytime users. HVA is now working with neighboring associations and the City to consolidate support for targeted improvements.
Parking is a quality-of-life issue — and the data backs it up.
The Harleston Village Association has completed its May 2026 Neighborhood Parking Survey, a resident-led effort to understand where parking breaks down and what would actually help. 110 residents responded between May 7–26, 2026, identifying their nearest intersection so we could see exactly where the pressure is.
The headline: parking stress is real, it’s concentrated in a handful of blocks, and residents overwhelmingly want better management and enforcement of the parking we already have — not blanket restrictions.
It’s a block-by-block problem
Parking concerns were reported across Harleston Village, but they’re not evenly spread. About 34% of all responses clustered in just five hotspots — which is exactly why a targeted enforcement approach makes more sense than neighborhood-wide restrictions.
| Hotspot | Responses |
|---|---|
| Ashley & Halsey | 9 |
| Montagu & Pitt | 6 |
| Montagu & Smith | 6 |
| Halsey & Gadsden | 6 |
| Queen & Logan | 5 |
The lowest satisfaction scores show up in these same blocks (Montagu & Pitt, Halsey & Gadsden, and Ashley & Halsey all rate below the neighborhood-wide average), and enforcement is seen only thinly and inconsistently across them.
The five survey hotspots, each circled with an approximate one-block (~100 m) radius; the dashed line traces the Harleston Village area. Tap a marker for its response count. (Hold Ctrl or use two fingers to zoom.)
What’s driving the pressure
Residents pointed primarily to non-resident, daytime users — college students, construction activity, and nearby institutions — as the main contributors on their block.
Respondents could select up to two contributors, so percentages total more than 100%.
Working together across the peninsula
Parking pressure doesn’t stop at our borders — neighboring downtown communities feel the same strain from the same daytime sources. So rather than going it alone, HVA is sharing this analysis with other neighborhood associations to consolidate support for a common, data-backed ask to the City.
Together we’re engaging:
- City of Charleston Parking Services (Robert Somerville), Mayor Cogswell, and District 8 Councilmember Mike Seekings;
- MUSC and the College of Charleston on institutional cooperation — the College’s announced campus-housing shortage could add pressure if it isn’t matched by enforcement and updated permit policy.
A unified, peninsula-wide voice carries far more weight than any one neighborhood asking on its own.
The timing is ideal. Mayor Cogswell has said the City plans to overhaul on-street parking this year — phasing out its roughly 1,200 meters in favor of app-based payment, a change the Post and Courier Editorial Board notes could “free up the city’s enforcement staff to concentrate more on residential streets” (“Charleston ripe for a parking reboot,” Jan. 2026). A formal discussion is expected soon at City Council’s Traffic & Transportation Committee — exactly the moment for resident data to help shape the outcome, including easier residential-permit renewals and a fairer way to manage a finite public resource.
“Parking enforcement is revenue-generating — so what holds us back from solving this and improving quality of life in every neighborhood?” — HVA Board member
What we’re asking for: a targeted pilot
The data points to a clear, practical path — measure, pilot, and scale what works:
- Focus enforcement on the five identified hotspots rather than the whole neighborhood.
- Pilot stricter one-hour limits for non-permitted parking in those areas.
- Set pre- and post-measures so we can show what actually improves conditions.
- Revisit permit and fee questions (including construction-project parking requirements) so policy matches real demand.
Timeline: share the analysis and meet with partners through June–July, coordinate with MUSC and the College over August–September, and aim to launch a measured hotspot pilot by October 2026.
Stay involved
This survey worked because residents spoke up — thank you to everyone who responded. We’ll keep the neighborhood posted as conversations with the City and our partner associations progress.
Read the full survey report (June 2026) · Have a parking issue on your block, or want to help? Get in touch.
Source: HVA Livability Committee, May 2026 Neighborhood Parking Survey & Analysis (110 responses, May 7–26, 2026).