Downtown Parking Study Proposed

A proposed study may finally help settle long-standing questions about where to put a parking facility and how to fund it.

The City Council agreed Monday to vote on Feb. 8 on a contract to hire Walker Parking Consultants of New York to conduct a parking structure feasibility study for the city's downtown. The cost of the study is not to exceed $60,750. The company won out over a lower bidder because, Planning Director Bill Nierstedt explained, they had "a much better handle" on financial aspects.

Among issues to be worked out are whether an authority might be needed for financing and which of two locations would be better. As development downtown increases, developers may be asked to pay toward the cost of a parking facility.

Plaintalker advocated for more analysis of downtown parking in 2013, and previously looked at every city  parking lot in 2009. The core of the downtown business district is on East Front Street between Park and Watchung avenues, and Municipal Lot 6 south of the district has been discussed as a likely site for a multi-story parking deck. Older residents may recall when Lot 6 had a booth with an attendant to receive parking fees. When it was reconstructed, the booth was eliminated in favor of parking meters and permits.But ground parking can only go so far with the number of apartments being built downtown, such as the 20-unit Art Lofts I and 12 apartments in the former Mirons warehouse across East Second Street from Lot 6, neither with any parking provided.

The city was supposed to have partial access to the Park-Madison .parking deck in 2013, but the only thing that has happened so far was a phone message during the blizzard emergency that cars could be parked there overnight, but had to be out by 6 a.m.

The regular council meeting will be 8 p.m. on Feb. 8 in Municipal Court, 325 Watchung Ave.

--Bernice