Washtenaw Community College parking garage moves closer to approvals
If all goes well, Washtenaw Community College students could be parking in a new garage on campus by the end of December 2011, college officials told the Board of Trustees Tuesday afternoon.
But the project must clear a number of hurdles before students can start counting on the new garage to ease the existing parking crunch on campus
The college plans to submit the final site plans to Ann Arbor Township this week, in time for the proposal to make the Township Planning Commission meeting agenda for November.
Cars occupy every available spot in a parking lot on the Washtenaw Community College Campus.
AnnArbor.com file photo
The 535-space garage will be situated behind the Morris Lawrence and Occupational Education buildings, near a retention pond on WCC's campus.
Parking has been tight on the campus, with the college renting a parking lot from Eastern Michigan University and running a shuttle back to WCC.
Lots are generally full during peak hours, said student Marissa Rounds on Tuesday afternoon as she walked to her car.
“It can take a long time some days to find a spot to park,” she said. “I think building a garage is a good thing. It will definitely make it easier to park.”
David Jesse covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at davidjesse@annarbor.com or at 734-623-2534.
Comments
Cash
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 12:39 p.m.
Allison, According to TopWorkPlaces, WCC employees 3,000 workers, 560 of them locals. That's a lot of parking places.
Allison
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 11:44 a.m.
It's not all that bad people, the students need spots to park, even if all the staff parked some where else that would only leave open 100 spaces at most that's just a drop in the bucket. The Health Spa is also, basketball courts and soccer fields and tennis courts that anyone can use. They built the spa so they wouldn't have to jack up prices on different things it's there to pay for the new parking garage and anything else they want to do. I bet they have spent years thinking this thru and they know what they are doing.
Chip Reed
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 8:58 a.m.
average taxpayer got it right! What is the real story behind the spa? Why is WCC spending money to take out teaching and office space in MLB so that they can have more conferences there. WCC = Washtenaw Conference Center.
salemresident
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 6:58 a.m.
Have they done any research on the ongoing maintenance costs for parking garages? U of M charges dearly for parking passes, to be able to do the upkeep. Only urban environments that can charge fees can afford the constant expenditures these structures require. I don't want my taxes being used this way.
Cash
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 6:14 a.m.
Just initiate and enforce a rule that all employees, including administrators and faculty, park at Rynearson and take the shuttle. Let the folks who pay a part of your salary have the first crack at the campus parking lots. The students will have all of the parking that they need. Or contract out your faculty, as you are proposing, and with an inferior staff enrollment will drop. Either way, problem solved.
michiganpoorboy
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 3:56 a.m.
This will be a great place for muggers to hide and take down there pray. How about limiting passes and forcing ride share programs????? Just wait a copula years and when no one has money this problem will take care of itself.
AlphaAlpha
Tue, Oct 12, 2010 : 11:06 p.m.
Just $22,400 per parking space? What a deal!
trace_effect
Tue, Oct 12, 2010 : 9:08 p.m.
How about funding more student jobs and making people park at rynearson and expanding the rynearson lot hours. Stupid spending.
averagetaxpayer
Tue, Oct 12, 2010 : 8:39 p.m.
What a waste. WCC had plenty of land across Huron River Dr that could have been used for parking. Instead they built a multi-million dollar health spa that has absolutely nothing to do with the community college mission. Write your state or fed rep and object should WCC attempt to get gov't funds for this project.
Alan Benard
Tue, Oct 12, 2010 : 7:26 p.m.
WCC complains that several hundred thousand dollars is too much to pay to AATA for reduced-cost parking passes, and whines as it penny-pinches every trip taken by student on lines that don't go the college. But it has $12 million to spend -- thousands of dollars per parking spot -- on a high-maintenance multi-story eyesore that encourages unsustainable short-distance commuting?