[Vision2020] Re: Where's the parking

[Nils Peterson]

BJ,
Thanks for the clarification, I stand corrected. I must have misunderstood
something at the P&Z meeting.


On 6/28/06 6:03 AM, "B. J. Swanson" <bjswan at moscow.com> wrote:

> Nils,
> 
> As a clarification, Gritman Medical Center is not seeking to rezone their
> property south of Jackson Street near the couplet in July.  We do not have a
> specific use for the property, so will not try to change the Industrial
> zoning at this time.
> 
> B. J. Swanson
> 
> ===============
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]
> On Behalf Of Nils Peterson
> Sent: Wednesday, June 28, 2006 12:57 AM
> To: Bruce and Jean Livingston; vision2020 at moscow.com
> Subject: [Vision2020] Where's the parking
> 
> On 6/27/06 11:33 PM, "Bruce and Jean Livingston"
> <jeanlivingston at turbonet.com> wrote:
> 
>> To cross reference this to our earlier discussion, many, probably most,
>> myself included, would support the redevelopment of the grain elevators on
>> the edge of downtown.  Simply asking questions about "where's the parking"
>> is wise planning, rather than blindly re-zoning the property and
> eliminating
>> parking requirements, only to discover parking problems later.  Asking
> these
>> questions need not be divisive, and the questions ought not be thought to
> be
>> out-of-place or irrelevant.  Other experiences have demonstrated that
>> parking is an issue downtown, and it is an issue from there to the
>> University.  Ignoring real parking concerns so that we can be "pro growth
> no
>> matter the costs" by giving the developer everything he or she requests is
>> unwise and foolish.
> 
> 
> Thanks Bruce for this thoughtful reply.
> 
> I agree asking about the parking is wise planning. P&Z was moving to propose
> Beebe develop a 'parking mitigation' plan. That seemed like a plausible path
> to me, a way to raise the question of parking at the rezone stage, but since
> the rezone did not discuss uses, allow the solution to be brought forward at
> the building permit stage. It looked like a way to finesse the separation we
> now enjoy of zoning from other hearings, eg CUP/PUD.
> 
> But without agreement on the nature of the parking problem(s) it may be
> difficult to agree on the nature of an acceptable mitigation, so I was
> attempting to start these threads on parking to get an analysis of what the
> parking problem is, such that its solution could be better designed.
> 
> We got distracted by developer bashing and then bashing one another. Sorry.
> 
> Bill Parks thinks there are 3 parking problems, "impulse" parking (to shop);
> employee parking, and downtown resident parking. If so, three solutions
> might be needed. And they might not involve on-site parking. It may also be
> that downtown parking is used by students unwilling to pay for UI parking --
> I don't know Bill's thought on that -- but that could be a fourth problem.
> 
> Philip Cook added an interesting item to the conversation with his pointer
> to the High Cost of Free Parking (At first I thought this might be a spoof
> on a similarly titled video about an infamous retailer, but its at the
> American Planning Association website and the first chapter is an
> interesting read -- if not the common wisdom.)
> 
> The Idaho Smart Growth scorecard (
> http://www.idahosmartgrowth.org/projects/scorecards/SmartGrowthScorecard-Com
> mercialDevelopment.pdf) provides some help, suggesting on-street parking is
> important, and that off street parking be behind or screened from the
> street. From that one might conclude that employee/resident parking is one
> kind of problem, to be addressed onsite, and visitor/shopper (impulse)
> parking is to be addressed on the street.
> 
> That leads me to the thought that 3-hour parking downtown might be part of
> our problem. Perhaps CBD street parking should be one hour, and some other
> lots handle longer-term parking.
> 
> I understand we'll have a chance to continue this discussion in July when
> Gritman brings forward a rezone for land it owns south of Jackson. I don't
> know what they will seek, General Business or CBD.
> 
> 
> 
> 
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