[Vision2020] Customers Need Parking
Ron Force
rforce2003 at yahoo.com
Thu Jul 30 20:00:12 PDT 2009
The topic of a parking structure on the UI Campus was brought up often, and shot down each time, the problem being that it was improbable that people would be willing to pay enough for parking to amortize the costs. The cost of constructing a multi-story parking garage runs about $50 per square foot, or $15,000 per space. What would you have to charge to break even, covering the cost of construction?
For short-term parking, the garages at WSU charge $1.90/hr or $15/day. The annual permit for the garages that allow them is $547/yr. River Park Square in Spokane charges $2 per hour (judging from the controversy, that rate is definately non-profit). In contrast, lot parking at UI maxes out at $300 for a gold permit (never sold out), $157 for red, and $61 per year for a blue. What's the probability that the average Muscovite, accustomed to "free" downtown parking would spring for $2/hr to park in a central structure?
If a shortage of downtown parking is really critical, one could always bring back parking meters. The new ones even take credit/debit cards!
Once again, backing away to a safe distance...
Ron Force
Moscow, Idaho USA
________________________________
From: Wayne Price <bear at moscow.com>
To: Bill London <london at moscow.com>
Cc: Moscow Vision 2020 <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 4:08:29 PM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Customers Need Parking
Bill,
Thats probably the biggest flaw in another not-well-thought-out plan
by the Gang of 7.
A parking permit is a parking permit is a parking permit.
You can't discriminate against someone because of where they work, go
to school, live, etc etc.
If somebody wanted to, they could buy them all.
What I'd love to know is where the parking is going to come from for
the folks that will be living in
the new condos at 3rd and Main.
I honestly think it's time for the city to bite the bullet and build a
parking structure down town. Yes, if it is built in the Jackson St lot,
it will screw up parking till it's built, but it solves a long term
problem, that we've had for as long as I've lived here
which is going on 25 years now. But, there are other locations they
could look at, like the lot across Jefferson from City Hall, or for
that matter
the city hall lot.
I spend a lot of time up in the town of Nelson BC, a town about the
size of Moscow, and the city built a multi-
level parking garage that serves the citizens well, for hourly parking
as well as overnight. Covered, out of the weather, central to
downtown and patrolled.
On Jul 30, 2009, at 3:53 PM, Bill London wrote:
> Actually, that is my point.
> What is to stop NSA students from buying those permits?
> BL
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Wayne Price" <bear at moscow.com>
> To: "Bill London" <london at moscow.com>
> Cc: "Dan Carscallen" <areaman at moscow.com>; "'Moscow Vision 2020'" <vision2020 at moscow.com
> >
> Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 3:49 PM
> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Customers Need Parking
>
>
>> Bill,
>>
>> How can the city refuse to sell city parking permits to NSA
>> students or staff?
>> That law suit will cost us a bundle!
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Jul 30, 2009, at 3:42 PM, Bill London wrote:
>>
>>> D-
>>> You implied in your previous V2020 post that Bode's perspective was
>>> incorrect or incomplete.
>>> Please explain where Bode is wrong.
>>> Will the city now be selling permits that allow permitees to fill
>>> spaces in
>>> the Jackson Street lot (spaces that could be filled by customer
>>> cars?)
>>> Will the city restrict the permits to employees of downtown
>>> merchants and
>>> not allow NSA students/staff to buy them?
>>> BL
>>>
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Dan Carscallen" <areaman at moscow.com>
>>> Cc: "'Moscow Vision 2020'" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
>>> Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 7:00 AM
>>> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Customers Need Parking
>>>
>>>
>>>> Courtesy of today's (July 30, 2009) Moscow-Pullman Daily News
>>>>
>>>> City to issue 85 downtown parking permits
>>>>
>>>> The city of Moscow has announced it will limit the number of
>>>> downtown
>>>> parking permits available for purchase to 85.
>>>>
>>>> Permit purchasers will be asked to complete a brief survey to
>>>> provide
>>>> input
>>>> about the primary use of the permit and which lots are expected
>>>> to see the
>>>> most use.
>>>>
>>>> Changes to the downtown parking configuration made July 13 by the
>>>> Moscow
>>>> City Council included the creation of one class of downtown
>>>> parking permit
>>>> to replace the previous green and yellow permits.
>>>>
>>>> The new permits will cost $75 each per year - less than the
>>>> price of the
>>>> previous $375 green and $250 yellow permits.
>>>>
>>>> The city set the 85-permit limit and created the survey in
>>>> response to
>>>> concerns it has received about selling out of permits and possible
>>>> limitations on customer parking for downtown businesses.
>>>>
>>>> For information, call Les MacDonald at (208) 883-7028, or e-mail
>>>> lmacdonald<@ci.moscow.id.us.
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com
>>>> ]
>>>> On Behalf Of Dan Carscallen
>>>> Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 6:54 AM
>>>> Cc: 'Moscow Vision 2020'
>>>> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Customers Need Parking
>>>>
>>>> Mr. Bode's letter was evidently written a little early.
>>>>
>>>> Stay tuned.
>>>>
>>>> DC
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com
>>>> ]
>>>> On Behalf Of Joe Campbell
>>>> Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 6:47 AM
>>>> To: Tom Hansen
>>>> Cc: Moscow Vision 2020
>>>> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Customers Need Parking
>>>>
>>>> Maybe there would be parking downtown if they didn't allow
>>>> schools in
>>>> the business district. Oh, that's right. They don't!
>>>>
>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>>
>>>> On Jul 30, 2009, at 9:28 AM, "Tom Hansen" <thansen at moscow.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Courtesy of today's (July 30, 2009) Moscow-Pullman Daily News with
>>>>> special
>>>>> thanks to Tom Bode.
>>>>>
>>>>> ---------------------------------------------------
>>>>>
>>>>> Customers need parking
>>>>>
>>>>> On July 6, the Moscow City Council passed a motion to reduce the
>>>>> price of
>>>>> parking permits in the Jackson Street parking lots to $75 per year
>>>>> ($6.25/month or 21 cents/day).
>>>>>
>>>>> The chief reason given for inexpensive permits is to get
>>>>> employees and
>>>>> owners off of Main Street and into the Jackson Street lots. I
>>>>> believe the
>>>>> effect of selling cheap permits will put many cars in these lots
>>>>> that will
>>>>> sit there all day. In fact, this is what your City Council
>>>>> desires.
>>>>> Either
>>>>> the council didn't think through, or just doesn't care, that the
>>>>> effect of
>>>>> this reduces the customer's opportunity to find a parking space.
>>>>> If
>>>>> spaces
>>>>> aren't turning over through the day, how will customers of the
>>>>> downtown
>>>>> find parking?
>>>>>
>>>>> I was told this idea of cheap parking permits came from Moscow
>>>>> Chamber of
>>>>> Commerce director Steven Hacker. I am shocked that the chamber
>>>>> would
>>>>> push
>>>>> an idea that limits the downtown customers' opportunity to find
>>>>> parking,
>>>>> so that the employees and owners can park in prime parking
>>>>> spaces. I
>>>>> was
>>>>> taught in every aspect of my business education to put the
>>>>> customers
>>>>> first.
>>>>>
>>>>> In January 1978, Mayor Mann accepted a check from downtown
>>>>> businesses to
>>>>> pay off the balance of the debt on the Jackson Street lots. The
>>>>> City
>>>>> Council passed a resolution in which they agreed to keep the
>>>>> Jackson
>>>>> Street lots for downtown customers.
>>>>>
>>>>> The current council, many of who claim to be pro-business, has now
>>>>> deviated 180 degrees from that agreement, by encouraging employees
>>>>> to park
>>>>> in those lots.
>>>>>
>>>>> If you find over the next year you are having trouble finding a
>>>>> space to
>>>>> park in the Jackson Street lots, make sure you let the mayor, her
>>>>> staff,
>>>>> the council and the chamber know how you feel about it.
>>>>>
>>>>> Thomas Bode, Moscow
>>>>>
>>>>> ---------------------------------------------------
>>>>>
>>>>> Concerning the Jackson Street "Park it and Forget it" parking
>>>>> lot . . .
>>>>>
>>>>> The fall semester for UI students, as well as NSA students, should
>>>>> prove
>>>>> very interesting and, more importanly, convenient.
>>>>>
>>>>> A parking space may cost a student only 21 cents per day. How much
>>>>> is the
>>>>> loss of that same parking space costing Main Street proprietors?
>>>>>
>>>>> Just another example of Moscow's pro-business city council.
>>>>>
>>>>> I guess we can always reopen Moscow's old livery stable at First
>>>>> and
>>>>> Main.
>>>>>
>>>>> http://www.tomandrodna.com/Photos/1800s_FirstMain_Stable.jpg
>>>>>
>>>>> Seeya round town, Moscow
>>>>>
>>>>> Tom Hansen
>>>>> Moscow, Idaho
>>>>>
>>>>> "The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it
>>>>> to
>>>>> change
>>>>> and the Realist adjusts his sails."
>>>>>
>>>>> - Unknown
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> =======================================================
>>>>> List services made available by First Step Internet,
>>>>> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>>>>> http://www.fsr.net
>>>>> mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
>>>>> =======================================================
>>>>
>>>> =======================================================
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>>>> mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
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>>>> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
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>>>> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
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>>>> mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
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>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> =======================================================
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>>> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
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>>> mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
>>> =======================================================
>>
>
>
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