City of Westfield Builds First Touchless Garage With ECO Parking Guidance System

The City of Westfield, Indiana, is quickly becoming a national model for smart urban infrastructure — and the new Union Garage is the latest proof. Designed as a mixed-use, digital-first parking facility, the Union Garage combines advanced License Plate Recognition (LPR), real-time space guidance, and seamless digital payments into a unified ecosystem that redefines what municipal parking can be.

This is the first of it's kind Touchless Parking Control System which combines enterprise features with unmatched flexibility, capability, and design that can be scaled to any number of properties. The entire integration of this technology, coordinated by LVR International was implemented in less than 90 days for this client.

At the heart of the system is the ECO Parking Technologies Parking Guidance System, which provides space-by-space LPR detection at every stall, alongside entry and exit LPR cameras. This enables total visibility, accurate enforcement, and a frictionless driver experience. Together with an alliance of technology leaders — SpotGenius, HONK, Flowbird, and Evens Time — Westfield has built one of the Midwest’s first fully touchless parking control systems.

A Collaboration Between Best-in-Class Partners

The Union Garage project was a collaboration of industry leaders, each bringing unique expertise to create a seamless smart parking ecosystem.

• ECO Parking Technologies — Delivered the space-by-space Parking Guidance System integrating LPR at both entry/exit and in every stall. ECO’s wireless camera sensors provide real-time occupancy and transmit license plate data via the ECO Connect API, allowing cross-vendor interoperability and end-to-end analytics.
• LVR International — LVR International helped to create a significant breakthrough in both collaboration and integration of multiple smart technology providers to provide an end-to-end solution for smart cities and campuses, combining and improving upon existing vendor systems. This implementation and partnership is the first-of-its kind and sets the standard for innovation in the future of parking. LVR integrated five main essential systems: ECO, SPOTGENIUS, HONK, FLOWBIRD, and an enforcement provider of choice.
• SpotGenius — Supplied the computer vision and AI engine for enforcement and analytics. Their “eyes in the parking lot” platform offers spot-level data, real-time event triggers, and predictive insights for city operators. They are the backend integrator between ECO Parking's Intelligence Data and Honks Permit Database.
• HONK — Provided the digital payment infrastructure, enabling drivers to reserve and pay via mobile app, QR code, or web — no hardware required. HONK’s software-first approach simplifies the operator workflow and enhances customer convenience.
• Flowbird — Integrated with Evens Time, a leading Midwest technology integrator, to provide kiosks that accept both cash and card payments, handle license plate registration, and push parking notifications directly to users’ phones.
• Evens Time — Served as the primary systems integrator, connecting each component into a unified, citywide parking solution that balances modern technology with reliability and local support.

Together, these vendors created a gateless, touchless, and fully digital parking environment that’s setting a new precedent for municipal and mixed-use developments nationwide.

The City of Westfield describes the garage project here.

Designed for Mixed-Use Mobility

The Union Garage isn’t just a place to park — it’s an essential part of Westfield’s downtown redevelopment vision. The facility supports a vibrant mix of urban uses:

• 180 residential apartments
• 30,000 square feet of office space
• 30,000 square feet of retail space
• 300 structured parking stalls
• 16 EV chargers

In cities like Westfield, mixed-use projects demand dynamic parking solutions — balancing residential needs, retail access, commuter turnover, and sustainability goals. The ECO Parking Technologies system meets those challenges with real-time wayfinding and data-driven management. Drivers can locate open spaces instantly, reducing circulation and emissions, while operators get a centralized dashboard to manage occupancy, payments, and enforcement.

Smart, Touchless, and Data-Driven

What makes the Union Garage special isn’t just the hardware — it’s the ecosystem.

ECO’s open architecture allows every subsystem to talk to one another via two-way APIs, creating a single source of truth for city operations. Entry and exit cameras capture LPR data; in-space sensors confirm occupancy; HONK’s app processes payments; and Flowbird kiosks provide redundancy for walk-up users. The entire system syncs through an enterprise-grade CRM, offering dashboards and analytics that track usage patterns, revenue, and compliance.

This level of integration transforms what was once a static city asset into a smart infrastructure node — capable of evolving with future needs like EV charging demand, permit management, and dynamic pricing.

It’s a glimpse into the future of smart cities: infrastructure that’s connected, intuitive, and responsive to both people and policy.

Municipal Innovation and the Future of Wayfinding

For the City of Westfield, the Union Garage is more than a parking structure — it’s a blueprint for municipal innovation. With real-time wayfinding, residents and visitors can find open spaces faster, eliminating frustration and congestion around downtown’s growing retail and dining scene.

For operators, automated enforcement through SpotGenius’s AI and ECO’s LPR ensures that policies are followed without aggressive ticketing. The three-hour free-parking rule can be monitored automatically through the integrated permitting database and trigger engine, ensuring fairness and efficiency.

By connecting physical infrastructure with digital systems, Westfield has created an adaptable model that other cities and municipalities can follow — from mixed-use developments to campus environments.

Open Ecosystem, Infinite Possibilities

One of the biggest takeaways from the Union Garage project is how open-architecture collaboration can accelerate innovation. Each partner brought its own best-in-class system — but it’s their interoperability that made the project groundbreaking.

The ECO Connect API acts as the connective tissue, allowing other vendors like HONK and Flowbird to consume and enrich data in real time. The result: a frictionless user journey and simplified operations for city staff.

This kind of modular design philosophy ensures that as parking evolves — with autonomous vehicles, EV integration, or dynamic curb management — Westfield’s system is already equipped to grow with it.

Data Insights and Sustainability

Beyond convenience, this system is a step forward in urban sustainability. Real-time guidance reduces the time drivers spend circling for parking — a significant source of urban emissions. Analytics from SpotGenius and ECO provide insights into utilization, helping planners right-size future developments and reduce unnecessary construction.

The integration of EV chargers aligns perfectly with Indiana’s broader push toward sustainable transportation, making the Union Garage a critical part of Westfield’s green mobility strategy.

Setting the Standard for Smart City Parking

In partnership with LVR International, which led the project’s design and coordination, the City of Westfield has delivered a model for cities everywhere. By embracing collaboration, open APIs, and advanced parking guidance systems, Westfield has created something more than a garage — it’s a smart mobility hub for the modern era.

This project proves that the future of parking isn’t just about spaces — it’s about data, design, and digital experience. And it all starts with leaders like ECO Parking Technologies, SpotGenius, HONK, Flowbird, and Evens Time, redefining what’s possible when cities, integrators, and innovators work together.