A2 lots ease game day parking strain

Six Saturdays each fall, thousands of cars, buses, and vans pile into the Ann Arbor Pioneer High School Parking Lot.

As the lot fills to capacity, drivers are directed to the adjoining lawns and Ann Arbor Police Department officers keep an eye on tailgating activities.

On Football Saturdays, the University campus is awash in automobiles as University alums, fans and opponents from across the country travel to Ann Arbor to watch the Wolverines battle it out on the gridiron.

While the main thought on most fans' minds is the game, officials representing the University, city and surrounding agencies need to be prepared for the large influx of automobiles into a city already strained for parking.

University Facilities and Game Operations Manager Robert Chaddock said there are nearly 16,000 parking spots in "close proximity" to Michigan Stadium, including University parking services, Athletic Department parking and non-University affiliates l

ALLISON CANTOR/Daily Ann Arbor Pioneer High School's parking lot, located across the street from Michigan Stadium, is one of the main lots used by football fans during home games in the fall for both parking and tailgating.

ike Ann Arbor Golf and Outing located on East Stadium Boulevard.

Ann Arbor Assistant Parking Manager Jim Stein said there is generally not an increase in parking citations on Football Saturdays except for "prohibited" tickets - such as parking in a tow away zone or on sidewalks. Stein said the most common complaints are from city residents who complain about blocked property.

"It's not a majority of people. Some people just don't care," Stein said, referring to ticket recipients.

While crowded streets and crawling traffic may upset some drivers, a long standing city ordinance does provide some relief.

The ordinance gives owners of private property the right to allow vehicles to park on their front lawns during home football games.

In the 27 years he has been working for the city, Stein said the ordinance has always been active.

The dire need for parking on Football Saturdays isn't a new issue. A set of agreements orchestrated between the Ann Arbor Public Schools and the University Regents during the 1950s included parking stipulations.

According to the minutes of an October 1950 University Board of Regents, Ann Arbor Public Schools sold the University a parcel of land called Wines Field - now Elbel Field - for $115,000. In return the University sold roughly 210 acres of land to the school district for $250,000. This property became the future site of Ann Arbor Pioneer High School.

One stipulation of the 1950 agreement said when the Ann Arbor High School vacated its site, "bound by State, Huron, Thayer, and Washington streets," the University had the option of purchasing the building.

In 1956, Pioneer was completed and the University bought the previous high school for $1.4 million. The renovated structure became Frieze Building.

While the University was willing to part with its land, it was not ready to lose the needed parking spaces the land possessed.

Another stipulation placed in the agreement the public schools were required to "build and maintain" a parking lot of at least 20 acres with the capacity for at least 5,000 cars. The agreement required the lot to be open to the public, "at a reasonable charge", whenever the Michigan Stadium was in use.

The parking lot policy is still in effect today.

Calvin Dobbins, Ann Arbor supervisor of transportation and director of parking operations said parking spaces are "utilized on every piece of the property", including all grassy areas in front and behind of the school.

Dobbins said an agreement with the Athletic Department allows season ticket holders to buy a season parking pass.

Dobbins estimates 200 to 300 of the 5,000 spaces are reserved for those with season parking passes, while the rest of the land is offered on game day.

10-15-99