Loudoun Station represents a unique challenge, as it contains multiple ungated surface lots which service retail, transient, and residential parkers, a metro garage which serves parkers on the last stop of the Silver Line Metro, and a mixed-use multi-level garage which is used to park residential, retail employees, and transient parkers.
To meet the operational needs to the site, ParkX utilized a variety of parking equipment solutions, while using their cross trained security officers to provide enforcement and equipment support.
The Metro parking garage is equipped with an array of smart parking solutions, including license plate recognition technology that allows for seamless entry and exit without the need for a physical ticket for payment. This allows metro parkers and monthly parkers to enter and exit the garage with no delays at gates during rush hours, and removes the complication of keeping track of a parking ticket while commuting to and from their destination.
On the surface lots at Loudoun Station, ParkX encountered the challenge implementing a parking system with little to no budget for infrastructure costs. ParkX’s solution was to implement an advanced pay-by-cell parking system that allows drivers to pay for parking using their smartphones, without the need for physical payment at a parking meter or kiosk. The pay-by-cell system is quick and easy to use, with drivers entering their license plate number and selecting the duration of their parking session. ParkX made it a point to utilize a system which does not require parkers to download or register through a mobile app to pay. What’s also unique about the system is that it allows ParkX to track and support monthly parkers in the ungated lots. Using their cross trained security officers, ParkX was able to effectively maintain sections of the ungated surface lot for retail parkers, residential parkers, and commercial tenants. The project has been a resounding success, with the pay-by-cell system recouping startup costs in the first month, while serving as stop gap until the surface lots are fully developed. The success of the project has led to its replication at other sites that ParkX manages.
