The District Council put in place a favorable legal framework for the development of the parkDC pilot and other demand-based parking pricing initiatives. In 2008, the Performance Parking Pilot Zone Act was enacted, which allowed the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) to establish demand-based parking pricing zones in the District. The Act was followed by a series of amendments in 2011, 2012, 2015, and 2016. The amendments expanded DDOT’s areas of authority and regulated the responsibilities of the Mayor in relation to demand-based parking pricing initiatives. For example, in 2017, DC adopted the Red Top Meter Program, which installed parking meters with red tops to indicate parking spaces for people with disabilities. Users are required to pay and are allowed to park for 4 hours (compared to the average 2 hours allowed).

DDOT received a grant from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to develop the parkDC Pilot in 2012. Under DDOT’s direction, the parkDC project team developed a number of plans for effective implementation. The Program Management Plan addressed scope, cost, quality, resources, communications, and risk. The Concept of Operations Plans included a high-level document to be presented to all stakeholders, and which describes the implementation of roadway detection, parking detection, and variable pricing systems. The Communication Plan detailed an outreach plan, how to engage with stakeholders, and how to present the pilot’s final results to the public. The Data Collection Plan indicated what data was collected and how it would be used to measure the performance of the pilot. The Parking Pricing Business Rules specified how to adjust rates for different users and parking spaces.

The pilot took place between some of the most popular areas of the District, within the Penn Quarter and Chinatown neighborhoods. The area has a mix of private businesses, office spaces, museums, courthouses, federal office buildings, residential spaces, and tourist destinations. It also serves a number of transportation modes including personal vehicles, commercial vehicles, public transit vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians. The varied land use and diverse modes of transportation make it the ideal location for a parking pilot program.