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HomeMy WebLinkAboutUrban Uses 1998 Map 2I aq,lvrvq UL PIONEER PRExx SUNpAY PARKING/More people are scrambling for fewer available spots downtown �.couneusBmoM Jo "The numbers of people downtown will continue to grow, so the problem is going to get worse," said Leatherdale. "A solu- tion needs`to be found sooner or later." A parking deficiency — whether today or In the future — is fueling the parking market, spurcin9 millions of dollars in ,public investment and a bit of private investment, too, which is a change for St. Paul. With the average cost of a parking :space rising and anguished cries of a ,shortage, St. Paul, at last, is plagued by :a disease of affluent cities, and is :Obsessed -with a universal question. "If there's a heaven," New York native :Wendy Allen once Pondered, "where do :you park?' Look around the landscape and you see :that parking is the hottest perk fn town. :It drives deal., Lawson Software stow it -would move downtown if it got parking; .the city will build it a ramp. The World Trade Center said it would :expand its retail complex if it gal Park. ing; the City will build it a ramp addition. Green Tree Financial chewed on a "The numbers of people downtown will continue to grow, so the problem Is going to get worse. A solution needs to be found sooner or later." DOUGLAS LEATHERDALE CEO. THE ST. PAUL COS. move to the suburbs; the city gave it 400 subsidized spaces in the Civic Center ramp. "Parking is extremely important to us," sold Bill Lawson, chief executive of the software firm. "We want a secure pricking ramp, lighted, all that sluff. Far Is, it's a heavy Consideration." Good news: growth Had news: parking woes The sensitivity to parking— mass transit advocates call it an ovemonsuivi_ ty — follows decades of ecghamie decline when businesses moved fl'Om St. Peter Street to the suburbs because free parking was available a few feet from the store. Downtown parking wasn't much of a problem in the wake of that suburban growth, if you didn't mind a - circuitous walk to a dingy ramp. With downtown's new besm zat fervor in recent years, however, employers and employees are getting hot under the ml- lar about traffic jams and higher mail and filled -up spaces. Mayor Norm Coleman says a solution is under way. About 2,000 spots are opening this summer — a net gain of 1,100 because some spaces were last to construction — whole the mayor's people sue spl'aadiog the ward that parking is part of an urban package outweighing suburban conveniences. Coleman's offensive against the park- ing dilemma was announced in the spring, after he faced the frustrations o! the business community. "For the first timein decades, there a a parking III age in toWnmwn St. Paul," his parking blueprint stated, spinning the problem onto the growth of bustnese and cultural ergaomations. This was not the first time the citizens heard the clarion call. In 1991, the busi- ness community and then -Mayor Jim Scheibel called for a program of parking enhancements to attract new companies. A new city ramp at Seventh and Robert Streets was a result of that plan. With projects such as the new Science Museum of Minnesota afoot, and with several aono=cements of new employees heading to the city core, there is a palpa- hie feeling on the streets that much more needs to be done. Parking can make or break a deal The city's recruiters, including clam. leaders from the private sector, feel 111- +1 GAGE • CONONUm MOM in equipped to go head-hunting without parking in their quiver, a worry that status from the theory that jf you don't have control of parking, you have a giant -sized disadvantage vs. the compeb- tion. Talk to downtown leasing agents and they ply you with stories of small busi- nesses that got away because the parking piece was absent. One of those companies is Jumnia Inc., a catalog sales firm poised to move to Wwertown but stymied by an inability to find 12 Parking spots. "We looked at a building, but couldn't go any further with negotiations because even though it's on the edge of down- town, all the lots in the area have wait- ing lists and the costs have gone from $30 to $35 a month to $55 a month," said owner Anne Kelly, whose company makes plus -size aNve-wear. "I employ a lot of part-time people who are not earning a high wage, so I pay their parking. Frankly, I would be happy to purchase monthly box passes, but people seem to have lost a bit of faith in the bus system," she said. While parking problems stand in the way of growth, they also pave the way for it. Henry Zairian, owner of a historically significant warehouse building in Lower, laws, is taking the parking challenge quite seriously, by reason of the revenue he sees In it. On May 1, he gave his ten- ants 60 days notice to move out. He plans to replace them all with automo- biles. The rity's Heritage Preservation Com- mission has approved Zairian's plans to convert the Wall Street Building, former- ly the Rayette Building at 261 E. Fifth St.,to a ramp holding about 340 can. "We have to aggressively Pursue transit instead of trying to build our way out of the problem. Let's subsidize transit passes for downtown workers. If peo- ple have to drive, let's move the parking out of the core land use the trolleys as shuttles." - SANDYPAPPAS STATE SENATOR Entrance and exit ramps will be append- ed to the building, the glass windows will be replaced by wire grating for vanilla. tion, but the structure will otherwise. remain the some. Zairian, of Montreal, testified before the commission that he has lost $10,000 Per month on the building for 10 years, that the occupancy has been about 20 Percent, and that there was not enough demand for office space in Lowertown because of a shortage of — guess what — parking spaces. HealthPartners hops on shuttle bus Top executives will usually find conve- nient spaces because money is no object, particularly when their CompaWes pay the bill. But the prohlem far employers is the rank and file. "There is a quality of urbanity that some business owners and executives like, but for their employees, goons los downtown can be a fairly substantial s;' said George Rosenbaum, a Chicago marketing researcher. - "The lowest -wage employees are really in many cases unable to come to work in the same world that supervisors, man- agers and executives do, because they cannot afford to pay $220 a month for parking;' he said. In order to keep a happy work force, companies should work with cities to Provide parking Incentives to make the downtown workplace a palatable alterna- ❑ve, he said. Hecithl'armers ran into that problem, and seems to have solved it, at leasr temporarily. The HMO began moving more than 400 workers from its Bloom. ington headquarters to the Fill Trust Center on Iowertown on Friday,one of six turning points of life, iaclud- ing transitions at midlife and before retirement. "Corporations used to give peo- ple s vcmn of r,.. M,"_._ _-__ I JOE ROSSI/ PIONEER PRESS APerking lot In d.Prm.wn SJ. Paul. downtown St. Paul's reccct coups. Because the employees will have to park near the Lafayette Bridge, six blocks away, the company will run a shuttle bus all day to the parking lot, protecting workers from the elements. It sounds like a happy solution, but there are members Of the community for whom shuttle buses aren't nearly enough. "Some people may have 4o walk a little bit, but 1 guarantee there's enough parking stalls in downtown St. Paul. It's more a matter of convenience and price," JOHN MANNILLO DOWNTOWN PROPERTY MANAGER Those Citizens are mass transit advo- cates, and they cringe at the action of downtown parking subsidies. "That's the suburban model;" said John Gilkeson, an environmental policy analyst for the state. "H you have transit, you don't neetl to worry about parking." Knocking down buildings to build park- ing garages — as is the use in some parts of downtown — is like "burning the house to stay warm;' Gilkesan said, repeating a phrase mined by Australian who planner David Engwicht. "There's tons of parking downtown. If the city could market itself as readily accessible by Gansit at a lower cost to employers and employees, that would business attract , too. Instead, lbe private sector is focusing on the parking soluti on, but doesn't want m pay for it itself. I the taxpayers, ere paying for it " Transit advocates like Giikeson are appalled by the low tr mit numbers in downtown St. Paul. Buses and carpools carry just 16 per. Cent of downtown commuters, making the city care one of the most autodepen. dent downtowns in the nation. By com. parison, 50 percent of commuters to downtown Minneapolis arrive by box and carpool. GBkeson's answer Is an appealing rail tr-nsbt Usual, an the vrdai of ohs light rail lines that are winning favor among some politicians and the construction industry. Opponents, however, say a rail system deal not suit the travel patterns in the Twin Cities area, with its endless destinations that resemblea bawl of spaghetti. Spaces available — if you don't mind a walk Advocates for parking say waiting years for a more sophisticated bus or rail transit Is risky business when new business is at stake now. "If if doesn't pan out, all It means is more poor years of business;' said Mike D'Agoslino, head oI the central region of Apma Inc., a Cleveland -based parking management firm that operates public and private parking sites in the Twin Chia,. "The lowest -wage employees are really in many cases unable to come to work in the same world that supervisors, managers and executives do, because they cannot afford to pay $220 a month for parking." GEORGE ROSENBAUM MARKETING RESEARCHER Contrary to the Coleman adminhtra- lion, D'Agastino believes there is no parking shortage. "Some people may have to walk a little bit, but I guarantee there's enough parking stalls in down- town St Paul. It's more a matter of con- venienm and price. -- He makes a' point. You may not see "tons" of parking on a cruise around downtown, but there is parking avail- able. The 425-space convention center ramp opened last week on Kellogg Boulevard, its erector -set appearance owing to the continuing construction surrounding it. But the ramp was less than half occu. pied. Three blocks away, the neon sign at he a full-time Mom and be suc- realistic choices, to realize they 0e` fug , can't do everything at once. She laughs at the memory of "There are times when I would er outhful audacity. "When Ska I the Viet Ramp on Wabasha Sires blinked, "Sorry, ramp full." That's bad parking management, sal John Mannillo, a downtown propert manager and former mayoral opponen of Coleman. A claiming Critic of in mayor, Mannillo said Coleman has don a poor job of anticipating downlow Parking problems and Coordinating sole lions. "It doesn't take a rocket scientist t understand that the solution to our prot lam partially lies in the management a Parking," said Maonblio. "We have t manage it better than we do." Meantllo seem" Coleman of sidin With big business, of serving the parkin desires of the World Trade Center, law son Software and Green Tree Financh while ignoring the needs of small but nem. "You've got to do it in a fair way, he said. "It's public money and it's got t help everybody. That's not what's gain on." Another critic, state Sen. Sandra Pap pas, Coleman's DFL opponent in, th mayor's race this fall, says more emphs sis needs to be placed an mass trmu for daily workers, whole reserving class in spaces for shoppers. "Iva have to aggressively pursue tray Sit instead of trying to build our way au of the problem," Pappas said. "Let's suto sidin se transit pass for downtown work ers. If people have to drive, let's mov the parking out of the Care and use th trolleys as ,battles." Look across the river So who's done a better job of parkin management than St, Paul? The cit across the river, D'Agosthat said. Min nonplus has had a parking plan sine 1959, while St. Paul Is still developin, one, he said. "Minneapolis was in the right plac at the right time. The federal govern ment funded a majority of those park ing ramps, an there was no debt. Min "cap tOf's can now neat bond, In a mat ter of minutes for more parkin, because those (current) garages cash Bow so well. In SL Paul, it's "Oh m god, how are we going to solve thi Problem", he said. Greg Finstad, Minneapolis' parkins engineer, said that if Minneapolis did I better job, St. Paul shouldn't feel to, bad. "We're fairly unique. We probabl; have one of the largest municipal park Ins systems in the Country," he said. The Minneapolis parking plan lea to the construction of three large, well -light lid garages on the fringes of downtown within striking distance of employmen 'centers. A total of 6,000 spaces were built with 90 percent federal money, g Percent state money and 5 percent cit: money. Those sources no longer are available to cities, but Coleman said St. Paul be, I strategy for parking and transit that wit suit everyone downtown. The city ha: established a group to look at transi Improvements while planning auothe. 2,000 Parking sprees by the year 2000,: h, said. Bond sales for World Trade Cents and Laws= Software ramps will ensun parking there for the public. "Downtown almost died when Wcs Publishing left," Coleman said, referrjry to the Company's 1992 exodus In Eegm with 2,100 employees. "We've reverses that trend. The fact is that parking.is I problem of opportuuity. We have expert Priced unprecedented growth downtpwl over the last few years and we have ere aced a parking problem. "We need less whining and more work ing together in the city and well be bet ter served," the candidate for re-eleclim said, referring to Mannillo. Though Coleman's new program wil add to the existing slack, no one f. promising employees that the new space will be next door to their jobs. Finding a nearby spot In downtown St Paul is like getting admitted to an exciu sire club. Luck, timing and knowing someone seem to be critical. Take an office mate of attorney Kuep per,. This lawyer was so angry about fit 31 Percent increase at the ramp that xle ferreted out a. Considerably cheaper sppa In another ramp just a black away. Bu the lawyer had pull. She had gone:b high school with the owner, and pleads, like hell with him to get fn - that combined science and the Learning last fall and is doinga' Iibaral arts, she earned a Go. lot of public speaking. ter's in Psychology and reared th. ae.. ...... .. ... . -...