[MissoulaGov] MissoulaGov Digest, Vol 39, Issue 5

[Nick Kaufman]

A good exercise is to use Googleearth and browse the image of the aerial
view of downtown.  You may be suprised to see all the surface parking
that exists in the downtown.  All these serface lots are future
opportunities for housing and businesses that create "Life on the
street" and create densities that support efficient transit etc., etc.  
 
Nick Kaufman
Vice President , Principal Planner
WGM Group, Inc.
http://www.wgmgroup.com <http://www.wgmgroup.com/> 

 

________________________________

From: missoulagov-bounces at cmslists.com
[mailto:missoulagov-bounces at cmslists.com] On Behalf Of Brent Campbell
Sent: Monday, May 11, 2009 9:46 AM
To: Ethel MacDonald
Cc: missoulagov at cmslists.com
Subject: Re: [MissoulaGov] MissoulaGov Digest, Vol 39, Issue 5


Structured parking is the natural evolution of our downtown as surface
lots are replaced with buildings and new businesses.  
The parking structures are critical investments the City can make to
incentivize infill and redevelopment in downtown.  The other critical
investment is in streetscaping, outdoor lighting, and improving access
and circulation.  It is critical for everyone to understand this as
fundamental to the redevelopment strategy for downtown.  We have made
little progress in the past 5 years.  We need to restart the engine.
 
Brent Campbell, P.E.
President / CEO
WGM Group, Inc.
http://www.wgmgroup.com <http://www.wgmgroup.com/> 

 

________________________________

From: Ethel MacDonald [mailto:ethelmacd at gmail.com] 
Sent: Monday, May 11, 2009 9:19 AM
To: Brent Campbell
Cc: missoulagov at cmslists.com
Subject: Re: [MissoulaGov] MissoulaGov Digest, Vol 39, Issue 5


While I'm trying to avoid a knee-jerk reaction to the idea of a huge
parking structure, and would like to believe Brent's statement that it
would be a "fantastic enhancement to Caras," and certainly agree with
Goeff's suggestions for modern, more efficient design, I still believe
that more parking space is not the way to improve Missoula's downtown.
Consider this:  on First Friday evenings and Saturday mornings, the
downtown sidewalks are packed with people.  Where do they all park?  On
Saturday mornings they're biking, walking, taking the shuttle, but
still, many of them, including all the market merchants, must drive.
Friday evenings they are not taking the bus, and fewer are biking, so
where are they parking?  I suggest they are parking in those spots that
downtown non-retail (office) workers use 8-5 on weekdays.   I know I'm
over-simplifying, but when downtown office workers start taking the bus,
biking, or walking, more people who'd like to shop downtown will be able
to find a parking spot.  I suspect more retail employers encourage
employees to take the bus to free up parking spaces for customers.
Missoula in Motion offers many incentives employers can take advantage
of.  Why not give it a try?
   And while it might be nice to enlarge the actual park area of Caras
Park, it does seem to me that the present parking spaces there are
needed for the Carousel, Clark fork Market, and special events, and it
would be a mistake to take any away and offering the alternative of a
parking garage that will no doubt be fairly expensive.
    When both parking and gas become limited and expensive enough,
people will find better ways to get around.  So while some downtown
enthusiasts might see the "build it (parking garage) and they will come
(to shop downtown instead of elsewhere)" as good reason to build, some
of us equally interested in a vibrant downtown believe the sad truth of
the statement is that whether it's a 4-lane speedway to get there or a
parking facility, when you make it easier to drive & park, fewer people
will choose more environmentally-friendly modes of travel.  Biking,
walking, taking the bus, even carpooling, promote a healthy, friendly
community.  Individual drivers competing for roadway and parking space
do not promote community -- until they get to their destination, of
course, when they again become our fine community members working in
their many and diverse ways to build a healthy, pleasant city.   Ethel

On Mon, May 11, 2009 at 8:32 AM, Brent Campbell <BCampbell at wgmgroup.com>
wrote:


	The downtown plan includes removing much of the parking along
the river
	near Caras park and relocating it to this structure.  This will
be a
	fantastic enhancement to Caras, which is in need of more space.
	Additional spaces are to support Macy's staying a viable part of
	downtown and strengthening our retail core along Front & Main.
	
	I dont put much stock in the induced demand concept in urban
areas.
	Peak hour spreading and driving parking and traffic into
neighborhoods
	are the results of traffic congestion on our collector and
arterial
	streets.
	
	
	Brent Campbell, P.E.
	President / CEO
	WGM Group, Inc.
	http://www.wgmgroup.com <http://www.wgmgroup.com/> 
	


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	From: missoulagov-bounces at cmslists.com
	
	[mailto:missoulagov-bounces at cmslists.com] On Behalf Of
	missoulagov-request at cmslists.com
	Sent: Thursday, May 07, 2009 12:00 PM
	To: missoulagov at cmslists.com
	
	Subject: MissoulaGov Digest, Vol 39, Issue 5
	
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	Today's Topics:
	
	  1. committee update 5-6-09 (Bob Jaffe)
	
	
	
----------------------------------------------------------------------
	
	Message: 1
	Date: Wed, 6 May 2009 22:27:05 -0600
	From: "Bob Jaffe" <BJaffe at ci.missoula.mt.us>
	Subject: [MissoulaGov] committee update 5-6-09
	To: <missoulagov at cmslists.com>
	Message-ID:
	
	
<689D48B33023A5469751A46A44C5A7A30D425B63 at mailserver.ci.missoula.mt.us>
	
	Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
	
	Greetings,
	
	This morning in Conservation we learned about an agreement the
parks
	department had put together with developer Kevin Mitty regarding
the
	park in the 44 ranch subdivision. Kevin wants to go ahead and
build the
	improvements in the park and get reimbursed later as the city
collects
	impact fees.  The estimated costs for the project are just over
	$1,000,000. In the end the city will only have to pay him back
around
	$410,000.  It's a great deal for the city. I imagine Kevin's
motivation
	is that his development will be more sellable with a finished
park
	instead of a weed field. 44 Ranch is a very vertical project in
that
	Kevin Mitty developed the property, built all the houses, and
now is
	doing the city park improvements. It's kind of like John Didell
at
	Pleasantview except Kevin is working with us for parks instead
of suing
	us to avoid them.
	
	
	
	In PAZ we had the dreaded Chickasaw subdivision return.  This
was the
	painful project out on seventh just past Tower.  We had required
a three
	acre Agriculture set aside and a connecting road which required
the
	whole thing to get redesigned. We approved it conditional on
staff and
	the developer bringing something back to us that met all the
various
	conditions we were after. They did this today and it was pretty
straight
	forward. There were still a few concerns including traffic
calming for
	the someday connection to the north and how storm water was
being
	handled with the shallow aquifer. The Community Food and
Agriculture
	Coalition didn't like the shape of the resulting agriculture
parcel so
	they requested we deny the project. I get this image of the
terraced
	farms cut into steep hillsides when they say killing the project
is
	better than farmland that isn't a perfect rectangle. We will
finish this
	one up next week.
	
	
	
	In A&F we discussed the parking garage planned for Front and
Pattee.
	There are still a lot of unknowns. It will be at least 300
spaces and
	some retail along front street. If there is enough money it will
be 600
	spaces. The downtown plan calls for 600 spaces so there is some
concern
	of what the implications are to the rest of the analysis in the
plan if
	we only build it to half size.  On the other hand I have some
concerns
	over the idea of induced demand. We know that if we build a road
bigger
	more people will drive on it. I imagine if we make parking
easier
	downtown more people will choose to drive there. That's fine if
you are
	talking about customers but not so good if you are talking about
	employees. I guess I would like to see us build the bigger
structure and
	then allocate as much as can be used for short term parking and
charge a
	lot for the leased spaces to encourage commuters to develop
other
	habits.
	
	
	
	In public works we had some disagreement over approving the
Mayor's
	choice to replace Tom Wilkins with Ginny Iverson on the parking
	commission board.  The motion stalled on a tie and will be
forwarded to
	the floor with no recommendation.
	
	We also agreed to accept a bunch of stimulus money for the north
Higgins
	street project, a project to build a whole bunch of handicap
sidewalk
	ramps around town, and the sidewalk project connecting Spruce to
	Greenough. Some of us were expecting a fight from the more
republican
	sorts over the evils of stimulus money but no one had any
complaints
	today.
	
	
	
	In COW we heard a report from the lobbyist we hired to work the
session
	for us in Helena. If you would like to see the written report it
can be
	found here:
	
	
ftp://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/Packets/Council/2009/2009-05-04/Referrals/Le
	gRptCOWRef.pdf
<ftp://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/Packets/Council/2009/2009-05-04/Referrals/L
egRptCOWRef.pdf> 
	
	
	
	Thanks for your interest,
	
	
	
	Bob Jaffe
	
	Missoula City Council, Ward 3
	
	bjaffe at ci.missoula.mt.us <mailto:bjaffe at ci.missoula.mt.us>
	
	406-728-1052
	
	
	
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