close

parking lots

Parking garage

Columbus Council votes in Astor Park parking lot near Crew Stadium

by Deena S. Hawkins on

Columbus City Council is due to vote Monday to pay $ 21.82 million for the construction phase of a new parking lot in the new mixed-use Astor Park development adjacent to Columbus Crew’s new Lower.com field.

The council has already approved at least $ 1.4 million for the design of the city-owned garage by Columbus-based architecture firm Moody Nolan, bringing the total cost to at least $ 23.22 million.

The city had estimated the cost at $ 25 million, but that was based on a garage that could hold up to 750 cars. The final design of the five-story garage provides for 677 spaces to “serve residents, workers and visitors to the Astor Park area,” formerly known as Confluence Village until the team changed the name. in honor of the Astor House Hotel in New York City, where the United States Football Association (now known as the US Soccer Federation) was founded in 1913.

The garage will have a “perforated metal exterior” and vertical glass shaft with two elevators in the southeast corner, according to the ordinance.

The design will include two vehicle entrances with a total of five entry and exit lanes, located at the northeast and southwest corners of the structure, approximately 60 feet from the new stadium in the Arena district. There will be central ramps to access the parking lots, according to the ordinance that will be voted on Monday.

The garage’s utilities will include electric vehicle charging stations, a first-floor “bike center” accessible from an alleyway, and a groundwater reservoir. The garage will also include “openings for direct connection to adjacent residential buildings, built under a separate contract,” the ordinance said.

Why Columbus taxpayers pay for parking

The parking lot was part of what ultimately turned into a dramatic increase in costs to city taxpayers under an agreement between Mayor Andrew J. Ginther of Franklin County, the State and the crew to prevent the Major League Soccer team to leave town for Austin, Texas in late 2018.

While Ginther and other city officials initially said the city’s contribution to the deal was capped at $ 50 million, The Dispatch reported in 2019 that city officials were operating under two sets of books. separate: the public commitment of $ 50 million which included new streets and infrastructure and three cash contributions totaling $ 38 million and another unpublished budget filled with additional projects requested by the team and unforeseen cost overruns.

Following those reports, Ginther announced at a stadium dedication ceremony in 2019 that the city had in fact contributed an additional $ 63.9 million, bringing the total costs to the city’s taxpayers to just a bit. less than $ 114 million. But Ginther said the supplement was for projects not directly related to the stadium, calling it “additional funds for the infrastructure of this incredible new employment center.”

“I didn’t major in math, but the last time I checked, $ 113 million in infrastructure for a new job center leveraging $ 1.04 billion in private investment is a pretty good deal. return for central Ohio taxpayers, ”Ginther said at the event.

However, there were also contractual obligations of the stadium agreement, including the required municipal parking garage.

Meanwhile, the city is still in talks with the state to gain the necessary control of certain Ohio State Fairground parking lots near Historic Crew Stadium for a community sports park that , according to city officials, would be the public interest component of the present, nearly 3-year-old stadium deal.

[email protected]

@ReporterBush

Learn more about Columbus Crew by listening to our podcasts

read more
Parking spaces

Students complain about lack of parking spaces

by Deena S. Hawkins on

At the start of the fall semester, students begin the annual struggle to find parking spaces on campus.

Delaney McKeown, a psychology student at Weatherford, said it took her 10 to 15 minutes to find a parking space and an extra 10 minutes to walk to class because she had to park so far away.

“It’s almost impossible to be on time in class,” McKeown said. “There are not enough parking spaces in enough on-campus destinations where there are classes.”

McKeown isn’t the only one to notice a lack of parking. Many off-campus students complain about how long it takes them to find parking and walk to class.

Although students are noticing the problem now, ACUPD Lt. Randy Motz said students having difficulty finding parking is nothing new, or exclusive to ACU. Motz said all universities struggled to provide enough parking spaces for their students.

“Almost every university in the state of Texas, or the country, will have parking issues,” Motz said. “If they don’t have parking problems, that means the university is failing.”

Motz said full parking lots are actually a good sign, showing that ACU is a thriving university, equating full parking lots with high enrollment. Although construction around campus is contributing to the lack of parking, Motz said the facility renovations are also a good sign for the university.

“We’ve turned a corner and we’re not Abilene Christian College anymore,” Motz said. “We have become a nationally recognized university. That comes with success, and success often means finding parking spots is difficult.

Motz recommends that students arrive on campus early before their classes start to ensure they find a place to park and allow themselves plenty of time to walk to class in case available spaces are tight. away from their building.

For some students, however, remote parking outweighs the inconvenience and raises safety concerns, as the lack of parking in the Residents’ Hall can mean traveling long distances late at night.

Motz said ACUPD is working with the University Church of Christ to install better lighting in the parking lot for students living at Bullock Hall to make the lot safer. Additionally, if students find themselves in a situation that they feel is unsafe, ACUPD is available to escort students safely to their car or dormitory.

ACUPD can be reached at (325)-674-2911.

read more
Parking garage

Does Klyde Warren Park Really Need Parking?

by Deena S. Hawkins on

Update: While previous reports referred to part of the new structure planned for the Klyde Warren Park expansion as a “parking garage,” a spokesperson for the park said there would be far fewer parking spaces than what is expected. was originally reported. And VisitDallas said this week that it currently has no plans to rent the new building, a change from announcing the extension for the first time. You can read more here.

For the July issue of D Magazine, on newsstands now, I’ve written about the park building boom that downtown Dallas has experienced over the past decade. There is Main Street Garden, Civic Garden (formerly Belo Garden), Pacific Plaza, and West End Square. Carpenter Park and Harwood Park are on their way. There’s of course Klyde Warren Park, the 5.2-acre bridge park built on Woodall Rodgers and opened in 2012.

Generally people love parks and people really love Klyde Warren Park. Kids love fountains and playgrounds, adults love food trucks and public spaces and yoga classes. Pedestrians downtown appreciate the way it connects, over a freeway, the Arts District and Uptown. The city and the developers love the way this increases the value of neighboring properties. Thursday afternoon, I left the office and headed out to the park to sit at a shaded table, eat a cookie, and watch the world go by. It was the best 30 minutes of my week.

So why isn’t everyone liking Klyde Warren’s upcoming 1.7 acre expansion, which again made headlines this week after Dallas City Council approved the finances from him? of the market ? (Much of the money for the $ 100 million expansion comes from TxDOT, private donors, and maybe federal grants.) More park can’t be a bad thing, can it. ?

Note the relative success of each of the newer downtown parks individually, and you’ll find a few nits to choose from. But overall, the construction of parks is a potential boon for the city center because it gives the city center something it badly needs: greenery, pedestrian public spaces and a break from the monotony of the city. car traffic on one-way streets. Many of these parks have literally supplanted parking lots, as clear a symbol as one might ask of Dallas shifting away from the self-centered mindset that has often kept downtown from being what it should be. They are shared and open spaces where everyone is welcome.

Maybe that’s why Klyde Warren Park’s expansion makes it look like Dallas could ruin the good thing we have. Expansion plans highlight a parking lot and a new building that will house, among other things, a center for VisitDallas, the city’s recently besieged visitors’ office. (Update, 1:30 p.m.: While previous reports on this have characterized the structure as a “parking garage,” a spokesperson for Klyde Warren Park said the new extension building will only include about 15 parking spaces exclusively. for people working in the structure. Read more here.)

That’s a lot of enclosed space, although plans call for new green space in the form of Jacobs Lawn. The expansion would expand the children’s park while adding an ice rink that would be used in the winter. Better road links to the Perot Museum are also part of the deal. (All of this would complement the equally controversial “super fountain” that’s in the park’s future.)

Still parking? Visiting Dallas?

“Klyde Warren Park has shown that Dallas residents want more places to meet and an urban core that improves walkability,” the Dallas Morning News’ Mark Lamster wrote in 2018. “But this new expansion offers the opposite: it’s a garage with private event space, and public amenities are an afterthought. Specifically, there is almost no park in this park – the additional space that there would be is cut off from the rest of the park by the new structure.

Boosters said the parking garage is needed and the rental of the enclosed lodge included in the new construction will help fund park operations. The park is owned by the city, but is managed by a private foundation which pays for its maintenance. Renderings make expansion a great place for your company’s next corporate retreat. But does Dallas need its parks?

read more
Parking spaces

Gold Line park-n-riders get 145 parking spots in downtown Azusa garage – San Gabriel Valley Tribune

by Deena S. Hawkins on

AZUSA >> Gold Line users frustrated by a severe lack of parking at the downtown tram station now have access to 145 additional spaces, the result of a one-year municipal agreement in effect on July 1.

The city temporarily ceded 145 spaces in a multi-story parking lot east of Azusa Avenue and north of the station to train passengers in exchange for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) paying $ 31,000 to the city for operation and maintenance.

“We heard from the public and we did something to help improve conditions there,” said Dave Sotero, a spokesperson for Metro.

However, additional places are not free. Newly acquired spots from Metro cost $ 39 per month. Parking permits are available online at metro.thepermitstore.com and go fast, said Frank Ching, director of parking management at Metro.

Metro had sold 73 permits as of Tuesday, Ching said. Metro can sell approximately 100 additional parking permits for the multi-storey garage, known as the Azusa Intermodal Transit Center.

In the 545-space parking structure completed in February, Metro and Foothill Transit each received 200 spaces, while the City of Azusa received 145. The garage was built by the City, Metro and Foothill Transit, the bus agency. City spaces have 3 hour time limits; Foothill Transit spots require permits but no charge. Metro spaces on the fifth and sixth floors are split between permit only and unrestricted.

Metro Gold Line parking lots fill the allotted spaces every weekday between 6 and 7 a.m., while many are forced to find parking elsewhere. The problem began shortly after the opening on March 5 of the 11.5-mile Foothill Gold Line extension between eastern Pasadena and Azusa Pacific University / Citrus College. To stem an overflow on local streets, the city has enacted parking limits near the downtown train station. Now commuters park further away in unrestricted areas and walk several blocks to and from the station, said Troy Butzlaff, Azusa city manager.

The extra spaces are a temporary fix, said Butzlaff, who helped negotiate the deal with Metro. It was unanimously approved by Azusa City Council on June 27.

The city will want to reclaim these spaces when a new mixed-use development adjacent to the station is completed in around 18 to 24 months, he said.

“This will help reduce some of the problem until a more permanent solution is determined,” Butzlaff said. “It won’t eliminate him. There will still be other people who want to use the Gold Line and cannot find parking. “

Metro and Azusa are also looking for offsite parking to resolve the issue. Butzlaff said the city has land that can accommodate around 70 cars. The owner of the Citrus Crossing Mall on North Citrus and East Aosta Avenues may also be interested in leasing 100 parking spaces at Metro, Butzlaff said.

“These solutions will be seriously considered,” he said, but the city and private landowners are unwilling to pay the cost of a shuttle service.

A Glendora Town Shuttle operates to APU / Citrus and Downtown Azusa stations. The shuttle runs every 30 minutes during the morning and evening rush hours for $ 1 per round trip. Residents of Azusa have the first shot at metro parking permits. They can also book a ride to and from the station using the call service, but they must call ahead.

The city and Metro said the parking problems were the result of unforeseen demand.

The Gold Line Foothill Extension is more popular than imagined. In June, the average weekday ridership across the entire gold line from East Los Angeles to Azusa / Glendora reached 50,722, up from 43,000 a year ago, Metro reported. Saturday docks soared to nearly 39,000 from 29,000 a year ago, while Sunday and holiday docks were well above June 2015 levels. The Foothill extension may be responsible for ‘much of the line increases; the extension carried 5,000 passengers on weekdays in April, just one month after opening.

Rush hour ridership on the Foothill Extension is roughly equal to ridership on the Union Station segment in East LA that opened in 2009, according to the Metro The Source blog. The traffic was so heavy, Metro increased the number of trains three weeks ago.

“We weren’t expecting this attendance,” Butzlaff said. “Now that we have seen the traffic, we are making adjustments to adapt it. “

read more