Inside Iowa State: Iowa State University

September 13, 2002

West side ramp in future plans
Parking deck construction start slated for May

by Anne Krapfl
Architects have begun to design a one-level parking deck that will be built over lot 50B in the southeast corner of campus. If the planning and bid-letting stay on schedule, construction would begin the week after spring commencement next May, said Doug Houghton, manager of the parking division in the department of public safety.

Depending on design details, the parking deck will add 185 to 200 stalls to that area of campus. Lot 50B contains 222 stalls currently and is designated for reserve staff parking. Houghton said it's likely the deck will add some combination of reserve staff and pay-by-the-hour visitor parking.

The new deck will cost between $2.5 million and $3 million. The university sold $6 million in revenue bonds last spring, half of which will pay for this project. The other half paid for expanded parking this summer around Jack Trice Stadium.

Some permit fee increases over the next three years, fines and special event parking fees will repay the debt. The athletic department will help pay for the stadium lots. (Students use the stadium lots during the week for long-term parking; athletic patrons use the lots on event days.)

Site selection
Houghton said earlier studies helped determine that Iowa State's main campus area needs a single-level parking deck and a multi-level parking ramp. Where to build and what has been a source of debate. But separate reviews this summer (by the engineering firm of Kirkham Michael, Des Moines, and an ISU team) of the same list of potential sites led to nearly the same recommendation: Put a single-level deck over lot 50B on the east side of campus, leaving the west side open for a parking ramp of 400-500 spaces in a few years.

Houghton noted that when the Gerdin Business Building is completed a year from this fall, the land available for additional buildings on the east side of campus is limited. More importantly, the variables in the parking question for that side of campus will stabilize. The west side of campus still has capacity for building growth, which would impact the demand for parking and site selection for a multi-level ramp, he explained.

Construction on the single-level parking deck over lot 50B would continue through next summer and fall 2003 semester, taking lot 50B out of use next fall. Houghton said his division will develop an alternative parking plan for lot 50B patrons before the work begins.

OPN Architects, Cedar Rapids, is designing the parking deck.