A doubling of downtown residents in recent years, plus robust office and hotel growth, has created a need for additional downtown long-term parking.
On top of that, if you’re downtown on a First Friday, on a night when there are also performances at the Tennessee Theatre and the Bijou Theatre, or a special event is happening, then you know the downtown parking garages can fill up.
Last Tuesday night, Oct. 10, Mayor Madeline Rogero and City Council took a major step to increase convenient parking close to Gay Street and Market Square.
Next spring, construction will begin on expanding the State Street Garage by about 550 parking spaces. Mayor Rogero proposed in her 2017-18 budget to build 2½ more decks on the top of the garage, which Council approved. On Tuesday, Council unanimously authorized her to execute a contract with the Public Building Authority to oversee the construction.
The $9 million garage expansion will add full fifth and sixth floors and a partial seventh floor. The two new full decks will each accommodate 240 to 250 parking spaces, and the new partial deck will have about 60 spaces. The added half deck will be designed for a possible future build-out and sale of air rights; it will be compatible for either additional parking spaces or private-sector construction of up to four floors of office/condominium space.
Rick Emmett, the City’s Downtown Coordinator, will be the City’s point man in coordinating traffic plans with PBA around the garage as construction moves forward.
The new 2½ parking decks are expected to be in place and open to the public by the end of 2019.
The project marks the second time Mayor Rogero and Council have expanded the State Street Garage. In 2013, the current top fourth floor was built, increasing the garage’s capacity to park about 1,070 vehicles. When the 2018-19 expansion is complete, the garage will park more than 1,600 vehicles.
“There’s a lot of parking infrastructure downtown – more than 5,000 spaces right now in City-owned parking garages alone,” Emmett said. “However, downtown is robust and growing. We’re pretty good at hosting multiple big events happening downtown on the same evening. That said, we’ve all been a little frustrated from time to time when we’re trying to get to a Christmas parade or a concert, and parking is hard to find immediately.
“Adding 540 to 560 new parking spaces, strategically located a block off Gay Street, will be enthusiastically welcomed. This will support downtown's residential, office and hotel growth. As always, parking is free on evenings and weekends at all City garages.”
This blog, managed by the City’s Communications Department, will provide updates on the design and construction of the new garage levels, as well as provide information about any traffic flow or garage parking changes associated with the construction. It picks up where Emmett’s blog on the 2013 expansion project ended. Those original 2013 blog entries are archived and can be accessed at http://statestreetgarage.blogspot.com/.