Parking Officials Prepare for Growth
A new parking garage, Meadow Street Garage, has opened recently for visitors just behind the HPER on the UA campus Monday, Oct. 29. (Photo by Rebekah Harvey)
University officials are making plans to establish more parking areas dedicated to university students and faculty, officials said.
University officials plan to demolish the townhomes located on both Brenda Drive and Court Street and establish more university parking, said John Diamond, associate chancellor for university relations.
“We want to begin the demolition process within the next three to six months,” he said.
University officials will make plans to “re-purpose” the property before they begin the demolition process, Diamond said. The land will initially be used as a temporary parking lot until a more permanent structure is established.
University officials have been planning on demolishing the homes on Brenda Drive and Court Street since they purchased the property in April 2011, Diamond said.
“Those homes are older and of poor quality. They are not at the standard the university feels worth investing more money as housing. It’s better use to the university for other purposes,” he said.
Despite a growing student population, officials with UAPD have not had an increase in the number of parking violations around campus.
“We have not seen a significant increase in parking violations among students this semester,” said Lt. Gary Crain, UAPD spokesman.
Some students have trouble finding parking spots with the growing university enrollment rate.
“I gave up trying to park on campus a couple years ago. It’s too expensive, and I can never predict how crowded the lots are. It’s easier for me to just park at a friend’s house and just walk from there. Hopefully the new parking garages will ease the congestion,” said Ethan Moll, senior guitar performance major.
This September, the university finished construction on the Meadow Street Parking Garage; this project was necessary to keep up with the school’s growing enrollment rate, said Mike Johnson, associate vice chancellor for facilities management.
The parking garage located on Meadow Street can hold up to 216 vehicles, Johnson said. The project was completed in September and cost the university a total of $3,800,000 to complete.
“We fully expect the parking garage to eventually turn a profit, or at least pay for itself eventually,” Johnson said. “We would not have made this investment if we thought otherwise.”
