Want to reserve a downtown parking spot for Art Fair? Ann Arbor company now offers that option

Company cofounder Taylor Bond said he's happy to be partnering with Republic Parking and the Downtown Development Authority to roll out the prepaid option.

"It makes it easier to come downtown," he said. "What people want more than anything else is not to have to worry about parking. And if you can go online, make your reservation, and roll up at any time of day and not have to worry about it, that's a relief for you."

Visitors who opt to make a reservation will pay the usual fee of $12 a day for Art Fair parking, plus a $5.60 convenience charge that goes to Park n Party.

The annual Art Fair, which draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to downtown Ann Arbor over the course of four days, runs July 18-21 this year.

DDA officials are hoping that the ability to reserve parking spots in advance, as well as the July 12 opening of a new 711-space underground parking garage on Fifth Avenue, will help ease the usual Art Fair parking concerns.

The new garage — which can be entered off either northbound Division Street or southbound Fifth Avenue — is one of seven parking structures in which Park n Party will offer fairgoers a chance to reserve a spot.

The other structures are at Fourth and Washington, Ann and Ashley, Liberty Square, Fourth and William, Forest Avenue, and Maynard Street.

"Certainly we hope the Park n Party option gives folks peace of mind to at least know where they're going, and no matter how busy it gets, they're guaranteed a spot," said Republic Parking manager Art Low. "If we fill up, you've still got a guaranteed spot."

Park n Party's Art Fair partnership with the DDA and Republic Parking comes on the heels of an inaugural year in which the company gave University of Michigan football fans the opportunity to reserve parking spaces and tailgate spots in locations throughout town.

Following their success in Ann Arbor, Park n Party's founders say expansion plans are in the works for Detroit, East Lansing, Columbus, Ohio, and Madison, Wis.

The DDA is in charge of the city's public parking system and contracts with Republic Parking, a private company, for day-to-day management.

Low said he hopes the Art Fair partnership is the start of what will become a continued relationship with Park n Party to allow parking reservations for other major events.

"What I want to do is see us start initially with Internet-based reservations for large events downtown," Low said. "Park n Party will be the provider as it relates to Art Fair, large events and football games, and things of that nature."

Eventually, Low said, reservations could be offered as a premium service to anyone who is coming to downtown Ann Arbor and doesn't want to worry about parking.

"It's the first time we're rolling it out," he said of the Art Fair test run, adding that he'll be happy if a couple hundred people use the parking reservation service during the four-day event.

For more information, visit www.parknparty.com.