Parking facility plans underway

In a unanimous vote Monday, the Ann Arbor City Council approved the Downtown Development Authority's choice of an architectural firm to handle the design of a new parking structure on Forest Street.

The DDA and the firm are scheduled to hold meetings soon to develop possible designs for the structure.

"We'll have a series of meetings where people can come in and offer ideas," said DDA Executive Director Susan Pollay.

Ideas from local business owners, the University community, customers and car owners on how the new structure should look and operate will be welcomed, Pollay said.

The structure presently has 480 spaces but the number could decrease depending on the new design.

PAUL TALANIAN/Daily Attendant Brian Williams takes money at the Washington Street parking structure yesterday.

"There are some people who don't like parking structures and will try to hide it by putting stores on the ground floor," Pollay said, adding this would reduce the total number of spaces.

Last August, the council passed legislation that called for a complete overhaul of the DDA's seven parking structures.

A major part of the overhaul involves having the Washington Street and the Forest Street structures demolished and rebuilt. These structures have accrued significant water damage during the last 50 years, and the steel bars within the two structures' concrete walls have rusted.

The Washington Street structure has been closed since last fall, and should be destroyed and reconstructed by 1999, Pollay said.

The upper level of the Forest Street structure has been closed since last summer out of fear that the roof will cave in. It is not known when it will be closed completely or how long it will take for the replacement structure to be built.

Some local business proprietors said they are upset that the structure is about to be closed.

"It's going to screw us," said Chuck Nagy, manager of the Footprints shoe store, located across the street from the structure. "Parking is messy down here with the structure. It's going to be worse without."

Nagy said he is afraid that customers with no place to park will choose to shop elsewhere.

"People are going to park on the other side of town," Nagy said. "It will repel a lot of customers."

Pollay said she's well aware that local merchants are upset.

"They're interested in seeing it done as quickly as possible and as painlessly as possible," Pollay said.

Nagy admitted that he has not attended any City Council meetings or contacted anyone on the DDA.

While the structure is under construction, pressure for parking spaces in the area will increase. Those involved have been seeking alternative parking plans.

City officials said they will not be able to ease the shortage.

"As far as the city parking system goes, there's nothing we have left that we could open up," said City of Ann Arbor Parking Manager Mike Scott. "We don't have any plans to address it; we don't have anything left to address it with."

Pollay said that one plan is to negotiate with local churches for the use of their parking lots. Church lots are used primarily during the weekends, and therefore could be used to accommodate shoppers during the week, Pollay said.

Pollay said she contacted church administrators in the area last year and they were open-minded to the plan.

"Those initial conversations (with area churches) proved promising," Pollay said.

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