MONROE - The future plans for parking in downtown Monroe is beginning to see some light.
The city's Community Improvement Committee passed a three-step immediate solution for the deteriorating parking ramp and for planning future parking needs in the downtown area at its meeting Monday, July 22.
Step one: Tear down the parking ramp.
Step two: Create a surface parking lot on the same property, and add good lighting and signs directing drivers to the many available parking lots around the downtown area.
Step three: Watch what happens, and watch for new opportunities to create more parking, if needed.
The committee's recommendation goes to the Finance and Taxation Committee in a couple weeks, with a proposed $1 million price tag. Two years ago, the cost estimate for demolition and a surface replacement lot was $600,000. About two-thirds of that cost was for demolition.
Monday's motion, made by Chris Beer and seconded by Tyler Schultz, was not supported by Tom Miller, a member of an ad hoc committee formed earlier this year for the express purpose of determining the future of the parking ramp. That committee had asked for a parking study of the downtown, which the Finance and Taxation Committee rejected July 1. The study could have cost up to $55,000. Miller has maintained the study is needed.
Members of the Community Improvement Committee, which consists of just Beer, Schultz and Miller, discussed with city staff and other alders several ideas about spreading out parking availability to other lots, adding parking levels to other lots and even creating a lot where three businesses now own property.
But in the final analysis, the committee deemed the parking problems downtown a perception problem, because, in fact, many downtown parking spaces, ones not just in the ramp, are unused at any given time a count has been taken.
Schultz nixed the creation of another lot, saying a tax-exempt parking lot where revenue-generating, taxable property now stands would be detrimental to Tax increment District 7, which is sorely underperforming.
Engineering Supervisor Al Gerber said other parking lots were too small to accommodate a ramp to a second level, and that the construction would not be cost efficient for the additional number of parking spaces it would provide.
The committee also saw that undertaking an overall downtown parking upgrade plan to create additional levels to other lots would require too much bonding and create a burden on taxpayers for years to come.
Gerber said the city could include an option in the request for construction proposals for building a concrete surface lot suitable for adding more levels, if the city anticipates a ramp may be wanted later.
He also said the demolition and new surface lot could be finished in time for Cheese Days 2014.
The city's Community Improvement Committee passed a three-step immediate solution for the deteriorating parking ramp and for planning future parking needs in the downtown area at its meeting Monday, July 22.
Step one: Tear down the parking ramp.
Step two: Create a surface parking lot on the same property, and add good lighting and signs directing drivers to the many available parking lots around the downtown area.
Step three: Watch what happens, and watch for new opportunities to create more parking, if needed.
The committee's recommendation goes to the Finance and Taxation Committee in a couple weeks, with a proposed $1 million price tag. Two years ago, the cost estimate for demolition and a surface replacement lot was $600,000. About two-thirds of that cost was for demolition.
Monday's motion, made by Chris Beer and seconded by Tyler Schultz, was not supported by Tom Miller, a member of an ad hoc committee formed earlier this year for the express purpose of determining the future of the parking ramp. That committee had asked for a parking study of the downtown, which the Finance and Taxation Committee rejected July 1. The study could have cost up to $55,000. Miller has maintained the study is needed.
Members of the Community Improvement Committee, which consists of just Beer, Schultz and Miller, discussed with city staff and other alders several ideas about spreading out parking availability to other lots, adding parking levels to other lots and even creating a lot where three businesses now own property.
But in the final analysis, the committee deemed the parking problems downtown a perception problem, because, in fact, many downtown parking spaces, ones not just in the ramp, are unused at any given time a count has been taken.
Schultz nixed the creation of another lot, saying a tax-exempt parking lot where revenue-generating, taxable property now stands would be detrimental to Tax increment District 7, which is sorely underperforming.
Engineering Supervisor Al Gerber said other parking lots were too small to accommodate a ramp to a second level, and that the construction would not be cost efficient for the additional number of parking spaces it would provide.
The committee also saw that undertaking an overall downtown parking upgrade plan to create additional levels to other lots would require too much bonding and create a burden on taxpayers for years to come.
Gerber said the city could include an option in the request for construction proposals for building a concrete surface lot suitable for adding more levels, if the city anticipates a ramp may be wanted later.
He also said the demolition and new surface lot could be finished in time for Cheese Days 2014.