February 2020

Parking garage barriers do not prevent the six-story plunge

by Deena S. Hawkins on February 27, 2020

Facility Manager Cost savings / Best practices Quick reads RSS feeds

February 27, 2020 – Contact the FacilitiesNet editorial team »

A man survived by accidentally driving his jeep from the sixth floor of a parking lot in Santa Monica on Sunday, February 23. Two passengers were able to jump out of the car before it plunged from the parking lot, according to the Los Angeles Times. Cars blowing away from parking lots seem like something that only happens in the movies, but it’s actually not as rare as one might hope. And the parking structures themselves may be partly to blame.

In June 2018, a car broke the security cables of another parking lot in Santa Monica. The city is currently in the process of replacing 50-year-old safety rails on several of their parking lots, as they no longer comply with the code, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press. Last year, the Indy Star reported finding at least 46 incidents of cars falling from parking lots over the past two decades, resulting in 22 deaths and nearly 30 injuries. They also report that uniform requirements for parking garage barriers were not put in place until 1990.

Even when garage barriers are installed according to code, they may not be sufficient to prevent a car from passing to the side. According to the 2012 International Building Code, vehicle barriers must withstand a concentrated load of 6,000 pounds, which includes a payload tolerance of an “ordinary impact condition”. Typically, that’s enough to stop a 5,000-pound vehicle traveling at 5 mph, according to Indy Star. However, some full-size SUVs and trucks on the market easily exceed this weight, not to mention the various circumstances that would cause a vehicle to travel faster than 5 mph in a parking structure. Additionally, in a public ICC hearing in February 2008, comments regarding vehicle barriers noted that changes in the height of the bumpers of vehicles, such as SUVs and larger trucks, affect the barrier’s ability to withstand impact from vehicles.

Beyond having to deal with the change in the composition of vehicles, the parking lots themselves face significant wear and tear due to their exposure to the elements. This could lead to a weakening of the barrier systems at the periphery. Some jurisdictions have passed legislation requiring parking structures to be periodically assessed and repaired, according to an article in Building Operating Management. However, in many other jurisdictions these inspections and repairs are left to the discretion of building owners and facility managers.

Naomi Millán is editor-in-chief of Building Operating Management.

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Parking garage

The Catalina parking garage – with 2,005 spaces – is completed

by Deena S. Hawkins on February 8, 2020

It’s not every day that developers hold a parking lot finishing event, but the Catalina Parking Garage isn’t your ordinary structure. Executives from the Plaza Companies, Holualoa Companies, Kitchell, Coreslab Structures, GLHN Architects & Engineers and PK Associates Structural Engineers all gathered in Midtown Phoenix on Thursday to celebrate the placement of the final piece of the pre-engineered structure. It took crews just 75 days to assemble the tallest pre-engineered parking structure in Arizona.

“This is the epitome of excellence in a public/private hospital and healthcare project,” said Sharon Harper, CEO of Plaza Companies, after signing her name on the final coin which was then put on in place. “It’s very complicated, but offers the best of everything for something like this. As I understand it is the highest parking lot, but what it does is it sends a signal for real urban developments. We are now able to develop all types of projects on this campus.

The Catalina Parking Garage at Park Central Mall definitely stands out in a very active development along Central Ave. The 10.5-story, 551,750 square foot project is one of four projects that have already begun or recently announced at the reinvigorated Park Central Mall. . The parking structure is less than 50 meters from Creighton University’s Health Sciences Building, which is months away from completion. Between the Health Sciences Building and the parking lot, Dinerstein Companies are preparing to begin vertical construction of the 278-unit Millennium at Park Central apartment complex.

“We have three or four major subcontractors who work closely together and every week they meet to make sure they communicate, make sure deliveries get to the right place, coordinate the arrival of big trucks” , said Harper. “It’s an example of how to do it right.”

Kitchell is the main contractor for the structure, which was designed by GLHN. Coreslab provides the pre-engineered components, with structural assistance from PK Associates.

The Catalina parking garage will include 2,005 parking spaces. The construction process was inherently complex due to the height of the project and the capacity of the cranes used to assemble the garage bays. The erection company, structural engineers and contractors worked closely on different scenarios to ensure stability and success at every stage of the process.

When completed later this year, the garage will serve the current tenants of Park Central Mall, as well as the future Creighton University complex. Residents of the Millennium at Park Central will also use the structure.

“The Dinerstein project will be a nine-story Type A apartment project and it will actually connect to the east side parking structure,” Harper said. “It’s a thoughtful design of different independent groups working together, because this campus goes far beyond any one individual’s project right now.”

Parking spaces

TMC will lose 97 parking spaces due to expansion and plans to add 130 more

by Deena S. Hawkins on February 7, 2020

Richard A. Todd, Democratic Herald

Texoma Medical Center has announced plans to add 130 new parking spaces in the near future.

The hospital which is on the Denison side of the Sherman/Denison border recently received site plan approval from the Denison Planning and Zoning Commission to expand one of its buildings, which would mean approximately 97 parking spaces should be removed from the current campus. During the meeting, the commissioners raised the issue of parking spaces.

On Friday, TMC media and publicity coordinator Jennifer Reed answered those questions in an email saying the hospital was considering other ways to add parking spaces.

“Texoma Medical Center initially explored the possibility of adding parking,” Reed said in his email. “Since that time, we have acquired new land east of Pool Road for expansion as well as additional parking spaces on our campus. The new Medical Office Building being constructed south of campus will have its own surface parking lot. Additionally, TMC is constructing an additional 130-space surface car park north of the existing MOB.

The site plan for the food expansion was approved by the commission last month. At the time the issue of parking was raised, town planner Bill Medina said the developer had not revealed any plans to address parking issues at the time, and the site plan as presented met the requirements city technology. It was adopted on that basis.

The new addition, a 121,047 square foot extension to the north of the main hospital building, will include a dietary center and energy plant.

The next step before construction begins will involve city staff reviewing the final civil engineering plans.

In June 2018, P&Z approved a site plan that included a 1,400 space parking lot that would have been 4 to 6 stories high. These plans have now been modified and the parking garage is no longer under construction.

Journalist Richard A. Todd can be reached by emailing [email protected] He can also be reached on Facebook and Twitter @RichardAToddHD.

Parking spaces

Vero Beach plans to add beachfront parking to help businesses

by Deena S. Hawkins on February 4, 2020

VERO BEACH — The city wants to add at least 79 parking spaces to the beachfront business district. But there are no plans on how to pay the more than $400,000 it would cost.

It’s time for the city to support its waterfront businesses, Councilman Joe Graves said Tuesday.

Last month, parking consultant David Taxman of Kimley-Horn recommended adding spaces along existing streets in the business district by changing the curb design.

The city engaged Kimley-Horn to study the waterfront parking situation and come up with solutions, ranging from the short-term addition of spaces and approximately 110 spaces at the central medians to the long-term construction of a car park.

Continued:Vero businesses by the sea want parking solutions, advocate for street parking

Continued:Vero Beach City Council ready to start paying for beachfront parking solutions

Beachfront business owners are upset the city has yet to do anything to help with parking, Graves said.

“These people are trying to start a business, and it’s a high-rent neighborhood,” Graves said. “The flow of customers into establishments is very, very important. I think as a council, that’s something we can do that our consultant thinks solves the problem in the short term.”

The board still has to consider the cost of adding the spaces, estimated at $400,000, and where the money will come from. Project design and planning could cost more, City Manager Monte Falls said.

Adding more space might be the best short-term solution, Councilman Robbie Brackett said.

“It’s a problem that’s not going away,” Brackett said. “We will have to work (on) the funding, but it has to be done.”

Seaside businesses complain that hotel and restaurant workers use the spaces in front of their stores, which inconvenience their customers. The city has moved back and forth between the two-hour and three-hour limits, depending on the season.

Continued:Beachside parking is among solutions proposed in consultant’s $70,000 study for Vero Beach

Continued:Vero Beach City Council seeks to solve beachfront parking problem with engineering study

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