Q&A with Carl Luckenbach on opening of new underground parking garage: 'I feel good about it'
Ann Arbor architect Carl Luckenbach basks in daylight inside the new Library Lane underground parking garage. One of his contributions to the project was making sure it was well-lit and feels safe.
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
"I'm putting myself out there right now — Carl Luckenbach should win an award for the design of this structure," Hieftje told a crowd of cheering supporters.
Luckenbach, an Ann Arbor architect whose firm helped design the new underground structure, spoke with AnnArbor.com about the project, which he traced back more than two decades.
Despite being open for a few hours for Thursday's celebration, barricades remain up to stop cars from coming or going from the structure. Officials say some last-minute details are being finished inside and inspections still need to be done before it can officially open.
AnnArbor.com: I know you played a big role in this project coming to fruition. Tell me, what does this day mean to you and what did it take to get here?
Four stories below ground level, daylight splashes onto the pedestrian staircase leading up to Fifth Avenue.
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
AnnArbor.com: Clarify for me your exact role in this project.
Luckenbach: We were consultants to Carl Walker Inc., the parking specialists.
AnnArbor.com: And you helped envision this, correct?
Luckenbach: Yeah, we did. And we helped bring a strong emphasis on people's comfort, not that Carl Walker is oblivious to that — they're certainly not. But I don't think we'd have staircases like this with the daylight coming down.
AnnArbor.com: So that's your touch?
Luckenbach: I think so. I think we had a lot to do with that. And I think what we tried to bring to this was a sense of comfort for people who were using it, and a certain sense of pride that they've got this civic asset here and it's not just some giant basement.
AnnArbor.com: How do you think the project turned out? Is it everything you thought it would be? Does it match your vision?
Luckenbach: Pretty much, yeah. I'm very pleased with the level of light, the ceiling heights, the colorful graphics and identifying symbols and wayfinding. I feel good about it.
AnnArbor.com: What do you think this parking structure is going to mean for Ann Arbor?
Luckenbach: I think it's already meaning good things. I don't think Barracuda Networks would be moving into the downtown area if it wasn't for the additional parking available here. And I think it will be attracting other major companies, probably technology companies, to downtown.
AnnArbor.com: There's been a lot of talk about what goes on top the parking structure now. At one point, you were involved with a team that was talking about a hotel and conference center. Where is that idea at? Is that completely dead now?
Luckenbach: That was totally shot down by the City Council and I don't think anybody's got the stomach to come up with a proposal right now, except the folks who are pushing a park.
AnnArbor.com: What are your thoughts on a park?
Luckenbach: I don't think it's a good idea and I don't think it's a feasible idea. It's hard to grow a whole lot on top of this parking structure. The trees that are up there now are growing out of specially constructed pits. So I don't think we need a park. We've got green space flanking the downtown. West Park. We've got the U of M Diag. I don't think we can afford a park. We can't afford to take care of what we have now.
AnnArbor.com: So what would you like to see on top of this parking structure?
Luckenbach: I'd like to see a development that generates a lot of pedestrian traffic. And I'd like a civic plaza, a gathering place. Not necessarily a park. A place to hang out, to gather, to have civic ceremonies … a downtown focus for public activities.
RELATED STORY: Ann Arbor's newest parking garage gets mostly rave reviews at grand opening
PHOTO GALLERY: Library Lane underground parking garage opens to public in downtown Ann Arbor
Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529. You also can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's email newsletters.
Comments
snapshot
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 1:48 p.m.
As a property owner in Ann Arbor I welcome projects that improve our infrastructure. What I don't welcome is the creative public financing controlled by a entity such as the DDA which is not accountable to the voters, but appointed by the Mayor who also happens to be a DDA member. 1. If this structure is not self supporting, will taxpayers (that would be property owners) be on the preverbial hook as with the failed water treatment plant in Sylvan Township? 2.Are there any interest rate swap terms in the financing that have jeoperdized the financial soventcy of various municipalities across the country? 3.Are all the officials who voted and advocated for this structure in full understanding of the financing terms and have they educated Ann Arbor property owners of the consequences of a bond default? 4. I can't remember if funding this project was put to a citizen vote....there's been so many millages the past few years they all run together. Prior plans for the top of the parking lot involved public financing of a private developer because no developer wanted, or was credit worthy to put their own "skin" into the project. Is this what the highly educated citizens of Ann Arbor and it's leadership consider responsible government? Will citizens get a chance to vote on such financing?
Arboriginal
Tue, Jul 17, 2012 : 2:15 a.m.
I hope Mr. Luckenbach designs the new library on top of the parking structure!
Ryan J. Stanton
Mon, Jul 16, 2012 : 4:39 p.m.
Carl Luckenbach's role as an architect was on the front design end. The Christman Co. managed the construction and AnnArbor.com has had several stories where Christman answered our questions about delays with the project.
Dog Guy
Mon, Jul 16, 2012 : 4:38 p.m.
Have birds started nesting in this garage yet? Birds flying inside will be very green (with splashes of white). Buildings are for people, but architecture is for the birds.
EyeHeartA2
Mon, Jul 16, 2012 : 4:27 p.m.
Ryan knows how to throw hard balls: http://www.annarbor.com/news/qa-with-jane-lumm-on-being-back-on-ann-arbor-city-council/ He just chose to toss Nerfs today. No mention of delays? Really?
uptodate
Mon, Jul 16, 2012 : 3:17 p.m.
Just check out the main library in Fort Collins, Colorado - downtown and surrounded by a park.
Steve
Mon, Jul 16, 2012 : 2:11 p.m.
I definitely support building a convention center---as proposed!---upon this reinforced parking structure.. Liberty Plaza is already available for "catching sun", but we sorely need a real convention center if we wish to become a world class small city.
xmo
Mon, Jul 16, 2012 : 1:56 p.m.
Sounds like a great spot for a homeless convention! ": I'd like to see a development that generates a lot of pedestrian traffic. And I'd like a civic plaza, a gathering place. Not necessarily a park. A place to hang out, to gather, to have civic ceremonies … a downtown focus for public activities."
cbs
Mon, Jul 16, 2012 : 5:05 p.m.
Luckenbach may call it a plaza, others call it a park,,,,,,,they both seem to define the same thing, a gathering place, "a downtown focus for public activities." And for goodness sake, STOP talking as though the Diag is a public park for downtown. It's on the UofM CAMPUS, kids, get it?
LA
Mon, Jul 16, 2012 : 1:54 p.m.
sounds like a really wonderful design! i'm looking forward to using it.
brimble
Mon, Jul 16, 2012 : 1:24 p.m.
This story's headline is not only misleading, but disingenuous. Mr. Luckenbach did not say that he felt good about the opening (which has not yet happened). He said that he 'feels good' about elements of the design itself. Mr. Luckenbach's design comments are probably dead-on, though at such point as the garage does open, the proof will be in the usage. But others are correct: Mr. Stanton's failure to follow-up on Mr. Luckenbach's speculation about the nature of the impact of the garage or the possibilities for subsequent development is hard to take.
alan haber
Mon, Jul 16, 2012 : 12:45 p.m.
"I'd like to see a development that generates a lot of pedestrian traffic. And I'd like a civic plaza, a gathering place. Not necessarily a park. A place to hang out, to gather, to have civic ceremonies … a downtown focus for public activities." Between a downtown park and a civic plaza sounds like semantics here, except for green. Green lovers had a beautiful party all day and evening Saturday. The green grass sod we brought was much appreciated by all ages. a2centralpark,org
Odile Haber
Mon, Jul 16, 2012 : 12:45 p.m.
Most people in Ann Arbor when asked want a park. Many would also like a playground next to the library, there is no where in town to take your children. A civic plaza would be good, if it could be enhanced with some pleasant features, like tall grasses, an arch on which plants could grow, some water fountains, benches, many town in America have such pleasant amenities. A place for ethnic festival, creative gathering or a place to rest, play chess, meet with your friends, take your grandchildren to...
SonnyDog09
Mon, Jul 16, 2012 : 3:57 p.m.
If you want grass and plants and the like, don't live downtown! You made a choice to live downtown. Live with the consequences of your decision. I wanna pony, too.
rusty shackelford
Mon, Jul 16, 2012 : 2:54 p.m.
A park on that location may or may not be a good idea, but "no place to take your children" is patently false. I live 20 minutes on foot from that site, and I have to walk past 2 playgrounds to get there. Per the city, we have 157 parks in town. http://www.a2gov.org/government/communityservices/ParksandRecreation/parks/Pages/parks.aspx
frozenhotchocolate
Mon, Jul 16, 2012 : 12:38 p.m.
I really don't understand why people make such a big deal about how much it cost. Yes it was expensive, was it not supposed to be? It seems most the people deriding the project are the people unlikely to go downtown anyways because of the cost of parking and the lesser (homeless) people that populate downtown. Wanna know how I know Ann Arbor is a small conservative Midwest town? Because its residents are afraid of a well lit four story underground parking lot in the heart of a downtown with practically no actual crime to speak of. It does however make for good entertainment reading these comments. Change bad, 1950s good, got it.
Brad
Mon, Jul 16, 2012 : 2:01 p.m.
1950s? How about July of last year, less than a year ago? "Woman reports rape in downtown Ann Arbor parking structure elevator" http://www.annarbor.com/news/crime/ann-arbor-police-investigating-five-recent-attacks-on-women/
LA
Mon, Jul 16, 2012 : 1:52 p.m.
good comment!
packman
Mon, Jul 16, 2012 : 12:37 p.m.
@carl - Feeling good is a lot different than being good...some people never learn the difference. Time will tell if this project is really a "good" that will serve the public and not cost a ton of public money to support. @ryan - When will you start asking hard questions? Your softball questions and your agenda allow people to look way too good. Start digging...pretend you are paying for the project...please.
applehazar
Mon, Jul 16, 2012 : 12:30 p.m.
I wonder if Mr Luckenbach is also proud of the fact - the garage is STILL NO OPEN!
J R
Mon, Jul 16, 2012 : 10:49 a.m.
Ok........The question everyone has been waiting for. What took longer to build? The Detroit-Windsor Tunnel or the "hole in the ground parking garage"? Answer: Construction of the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel took 26 months and cost $23,000,000. (Ok to be fair that $23 Million was back in 1930) The tunnel moves 2,000 vehicles per hour. With today's modern construction techniques, advanced engineering, and enhanced tools, how could a hole in the ground parking garage take longer to build than a tunnel that runs under the river and is 75 feet deep? Someone got rich off the Ann Arbor Taxpayer.
RUKiddingMe
Mon, Jul 16, 2012 : 10:45 a.m.
It might be worth the general public's while to just take a mental note of the free space counts on the structures that have them as you drive/walk/bike by; it would be nice to know if it becomes the case that this was needed (although knowing it BEFORE the build would have been better).
RUKiddingMe
Mon, Jul 16, 2012 : 10:43 a.m.
1) I wonder how much these consultants got paid, and why he's not sure whether or not any aspects of the design were the result of that consulting. 2) A2.com, I think it was disingenuous to not make any mention of the fact that structure could still not be used in the article titled "Library Lane Underground Parking Garage Opens To Public In Downtown Ann Arbor" : http://www.annarbor.com/news/library-lane-underground-parking-garage-opens-to-public-in-downtown-ann-arbor/. If you were unaware of that fact at the time of publishing, then it was much worse than disingenous of the people in charge to purposefully, willfully give the wrong impression. 3) It's a bit of a stretch, and also smacks of reciting fed lines, to say that a parking structure is going to bring businesses downtown, and that those businesses will probably be technology-based. 4) Ryan, I'm very, VERY surprised that you saw no reason to get some feedback on what he thought of the delays, the incessant notices, then retractions, of completion, etc. Somehow that's less important to this story than what this guy would like to see on the top of this thing?
Brad
Mon, Jul 16, 2012 : 11:08 a.m.
Right on, @RU. #2 sure does seem like a case of "what did AA.com know, and when did they know it?". #3 is right from the "Barracuda's six-block move will save the planet!" script. A favorite of the mayor and select other groups, and dutifully picked up and played ad nauseum by aa.com. #4 - that would be great, but "VERY surprised"? I'm not. I'd really like to see those questions asked of the mayor and council since they aren't talking.
motorcycleminer
Mon, Jul 16, 2012 : 10:24 a.m.
In time ( short ) I fear a $ 50.000.000 case of buyers remorse...no golden parachute on this one ,those are just for the Harold Hill's ( if you don't know who he was ,look him up ) that sold us this white elephant ....