[MissoulaGov] MissoulaGov Digest, Vol 39, Issue 5

[Ethel MacDonald]

Interesting perspectives, Brent & Nick.  If the plan is to replace some of
the surface parking lots with more downtown living and multi-use space which
lessens sprawl, and to build efficient, beautiful (?!) parking structures
(or below-level parking for some of these living and/or office structures?)
I guess I'd have to get on board.  Just be sure to leave me some
ground-level bike parking :-).  And let's be sure we don't encourage sprawl
by building more thoroughfares and parking spaces that make it seem
preferable to too many people to live outside the city limits and drive in
to town to work every day.

On Mon, May 11, 2009 at 10:11 AM, Nick Kaufman <NKaufman at wgmgroup.com>wrote:


>  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

>>

>>

>> -----Original Message-----

>> 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

>>

>>

>>

>> 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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>

>

>

> --

> "We will not raise our children to kill another mother's child."  Code Pink

> celebrates Mother's Day 2009. http://www.womensaynotowar.org/

>




-- 
"We will not raise our children to kill another mother's child."  Code Pink
celebrates Mother's Day 2009. http://www.womensaynotowar.org/
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