’f-o'l’r ~-. I'D ' .3 I I g I I I I z ': A REPORT ON OFF-STREET PARKING FACILITIES FOR THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT OF LANSING, MICHIGAN Thesis for the Dogm of B. S. MICHIGAN STATE COLLEGE Milton E. Reader I947 THESIS J? x‘ , . A Report on Off-Street Parking Facilities for The Central Business District of Lansing, Michigan A Thesis Submitted to The Faculty of MICHIGAN STATE COLLEGE of AGRICULTURE AND.APPLIED SCIENCE by Milton E. Reader Candidate for the Degree of Bachelor of Science December 1947 _ “I I‘l ll.‘,fl|.l Lr Lf‘llllll‘lll.’ [ll' ‘1 ‘1 ‘.. . CONTENTS Foreward and Acknowledgements I 1 Definition of The Area Considered in This Report 3 PART I An Analysis of The Need for Additional Parking Facilities Trends in Vehicle Registrations-and Annual Vehicular Mileage 5 Population Trends 8 Utilization of Curb Space 8 The Primary Purpose of Streets 9 Parking Demand Resulting From New Construction 13 PART II An Analysis of Present Parking Facilities and Capacities and of Anticipated Parking Demands Present Parking Facilities 16 Estimated Parking Demand, 1947 18 Estimated Parking Demand, 1957 19 Compilation of Data Sheet 20 PART III Considerations to be Made in Developing The Off-Street Parking Program General 21 Public Ownership 22 Off-Street Parking Facilities Must be "Frozen" 23 Distribution of Off~Street Parking Lots 23 Ground Level vs Multi-Story Parking Facilities 28 Public Enlightenment 29 PART IV Main Conclusions and Recommendations Conclusions 31 Recommendation 33 -General 35 F O R E W A R D The number one headache of almost every automobile driver is parking. With new cars and increasing automo- bile use, the demand for parking space will increase. For many years the average motorist has realized that it is easier to get to his destination zone, traffic bottlenecks and congestion notwithstanding, than to find a place to park his car after he gets there. Particularly is this true if his destination is in the central business district of the average American city. This condition is, of course, the result of many and varied causes. The increase in the number of vehicles, the increase in individual vehicle use, the extensive develop- ment of down town shopping areas, the lack of driver train- ing and education, all have their effect on parking and traf- fic congestion. However, the basic underlying cause stems from the very origins of America's cities. That is, the cities were not planed nor built for the Motor Age! This is in no way the fault of the original city planners but, rather the fault of those who followed and failed to keep pace with progess. So now many cities throughout the country are face to face with the problem of furnishing adequate parking and terminal facilities in areas where curb parking has long been insufficient and where acquisition of property for park- ing lots is difficult and expensive. Readjustments to meet the needs of the automotive era will be costly, but failure (1) to make them will prove even more costly to the communities. It is with this in mind that this report on parking fa- cilities for the central business district of Lansing, Mich- igan is submitted. This paper embraces the subject under four major con- siderations: first, the need for additional parking facil- ities, under which falls the causes and effects of parking difficulties; second, an analysis of present facilities and capacities and of anticipated demands; third, the consider- ations to be made in developing the off-street parking pro- gram; and fourth, the findings and recommendations of the author as developed in this study. This treatise should in no way be construed as a cure all of Lansing's parking problems. It deals with only one specific area and in that district alone can be considered as one solution and not as the only solution. In the preperation of this plan several sources of in- formation have been consulted, combining facts that have been gathered locally with experiences from various parts of the country. These sources include the American Automobile Association's Parking Manual, a report on off-street parking for the city of Miami, Florida, and information as offered by C.W.Wood, city engineer for the city of Lansing, and Ken- neth Plank, city planner for the Michigan State Highway De- partment. (2.) DEFINITION OF THE AREA CONSIDERED IN THIS REPORT This report includes only that portion of the central business district of Lansing as indicated on the map on page 4. This district embraces all of the stores and places of business and recreation to which access by large numbers of people is necessary. The fringe area, the area bordering the central business district, consists of an industrial district, mostly small shops and warehouses, on the East and generally older residential areas on the North, South, and West. Park- ing demands in these areas are not sufficient to warrant their inclusions in this report. (3) GENESSE SHIAWASSEE % Z 4 I; J 8 or .. o o 0 ‘5’ I. I +- Z “1 >_ E IONIA i w < m m Q g > a ‘ OT..TAWA OTTAWA ., ANDERSON _._1, .— Q' , 'STATE / "—1 ALLEGAN _ I C1 o D D! WASHTenAw ‘3 3 O E _ L__ 2 KALAHAZOO I __ 3 I ,O )— LEI‘IAWEE > g s LU \D 1 7/ U (3' HILLSDALE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT kAHSING, HICHIG AN AREA CONSIDERED m THIS REPORT SHOWN IH I2 ED (4) PIA R T I AN ANALYSIS OF THE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL PARKING FACI LITIES TRENDS IN VEHICLE REGISTRATIONS AND ANNUAL VEHICULAR MILEAGE The first and most obvious reason why it is difficult to find a parking place in the central business district arises from the tremendous increase in the number of auto- mobiles and their extensive use in the urban area., The annual report of motor vehicle registrations by the Michigan Department of State shows a 359 per cent increase in motor vehicle registrations in the state between the years of 1921 and 1941. The cessation of automobile production in early 1942 brought a marked reduction in registrations dur- ing the war years. However, with the return to production in l9A5 came a rapid recovery in registrations, until by the middle of this year, 1947, the record of 1941 was equaled. During the period from 1921 to 1947 some effort was made to increase the parking facilities in the central busi- ness district. The removal of the street car tracks facil- itated the introduction of angle parking on Michigan Avenue. This gave 76 additional curb parking spaces. By 1946, 930 of the 1898 curb spaces then in use were metered. This was a step forward in the more efficient use of the already a- vailable curb space, however, few if any new spaces were added. The greatest increase in parking space was the re- sult of the growth of the privately owned toll and merchant's (5) parking lots. The majority of all the vacantproperty in the area is now converted to this use and has a total capacity of 2264 cars. Thus, during the last 27 years the total parking facil- ities in the central business district have been increased a total of 104.5 per cent. "But, do not forget that during this same period the parking demand increased 359 per cent. Therefore, it is clear that there is a major deficit in pres- ent parking facilities. Future trends will by no means ease the situation. A study has been made by the Michigan State Highway Department of the future trends in motor vehicle registrations and annu- a1 vehicular mileage. A graphshowing the compilation of the conclusions drawn is presented on page 7. In developing this study the year 1941 was taken as the basic 100 per cent year. This was done so as to eliminate any erroneous trends result- from war time conditions. Example; present registrations are below those indicated, however, the present rate of increase is greater than that shown. It is the opinion of the High- way Department that these conditions will rectify themselves and return to the normal trend within the next two or three years. The most significant curve on page 7 is that of the trends in total vehicle miles. This curve is the combined results of increased registration and increased vehicular usage. From this study it can readily be concluded that by 1957 the parking demand will be 40 per cent greater than at present. (6) (7) POPULATION TRENDS The official city census taken in 1941 set the popula- tion of Lansing proper at 82,296. The Chamber of Commerce estimates the present population, 1947, at 90,000 with an anticipated increase to 100,000 by 1950. This would indi- cate an increase of 21.5 per cent in the nine year period from 1941 to 1950 This percentage is not, however, directly applicable, in that it does not take into consideration the distribu- tion of this new population. A survey made by the Mich- igan State Highway Department shows that while the popu- lation of the city as a whole is increasing the pOpulation of the middle section is in fact decreasing. The most rapid growth is in suburban areas Just within or outside the city limits. And furthermore, it was found that these suburban areas are not generally serviced by bus lines, but rather, individual automobiles were the most common mode of trans- portation. Thus, it can be seen that, while the figure is inde- terminable, the resulting increased congestion in the cen- tral business district due to the increased population is far greater than the indicated 21.5 per cent. UTILIZATION OF CURB SPACE It has long been the belief of the motorist that where there is a street there also is space for parking. Generally in residential areas and decentralized shopping districts this is true, regardless of parking restrictions due to fire hydrants, alleys, driveways, loading zones, etc. However, (8) in highly developed areas such as the central business dis- trict these restrictions usurp great amounts of already precious curb space. The table below shows how the total curb space in the central business district is utilized. 57%[ Restricted Parking (15 min - 2 hr) J 17% Corner Clearances 12%| IDriveways & Alleys 15%| “Loading Zones 4% Entrances 2%l:| Fire Hydrants .5761] No Parking at Any Time From this table it can be seen that 43 per cent of the total curb footage in the district is used for purposes other than parking. THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF STREETS The streets and highways of America are dedicated to the purpose of the movement of traffic and commodities. In the past parking on these arteries has been permitted Where it did not interfere with traffic. However, with the steady increase in traffic volume, restrictions in parking have been made to facilitate the flow. In this respect Lansing has been more fortunate than other cities of the same size. The two major North-South and East-West arteries through the central business district, Washington and Michigan Avenues, respectively, are exception- ally wide thoroughfares. (9) STREET SPACE USED FOR.VARIOUS PARKING POSITIONS __ _ _ 1,0: / 19' 17'I 1' ‘é,/ I — I 11 ..__.22 —a+ I‘ i PARALLEL PARKING RIGHT ANGLE PARKING 36' 1" v‘ 18' ‘1 450 ANGLE PARKING 50° ANGLE PARKING Width of Width Refih Length Cars Parked Position S for Park C at Curb treet Used ing Plus of urb per When Parked Maneuvering Per Car* 100 feet Parallel 7 19 20.0 5.0 45 degrees 17 29 11.3 8.8 60 degrees 19 36 9.2 10.8 93 degrees 17 40 8.0 12.5 *Based on angle parking in stalls 8 feet wide including lines, and on 3 feet between cars parked parallel. CourtesyeAAA Parking Manual (10) Present regulations call for 60 degree angle parking on these two streets. This permits two lanes of traffic to flow in either direction. However, observations show that the outer lanes, those directly behind the parked cars, are obstructed continuously by vehicles either backing out of or entering parking spaces. Therefore, neglecting inter- ruptions caused by traffic signals and left turns, only the center lanes in either direction may be considered to have continuous flow. During the peak hours these two streets with their present parking arrangement are considered to be at maxi- mum traffic capacity. Faced with the anticipated 40 per cent traffic increase by 1957, it is imperative that pro- visions be made to increase the capacities of theses streets. The most logical means are to convert to parallel curb park- ing. The chart on page 10 shows that by so doing the total road width required for both parking and maneuvering would be reduced some 17 feet. This would be ample width to in- sure the flow over one half of the street of two lanes of unobstructed traffic with an additional outer lane for en- tering and leaving parking spaces. This would, however, re- duce the parking capacity of these streets some 50 per cent, or 345 spaces. The flow diagram on page 12 shows that because of their traffic densities Capitol and Grand Avenues and Kalamazoo Street must also be considered in this same manner. Capitol Avenue is another exceptionally wide street and already has (11) I". ”VIII" SCALE I2... -2 I“ VEHICLES .1 h 9" "I [.42 I'IHIlI‘I um..- “I, _ h I ’1” Il.‘ ' ""'. 3:25” It, , a .- I; n' I. l “I ‘1 ‘ it.“ ,I . I 3”); , Ur In ' "I . I' I I . ‘ .- I ‘ , I It In! I L— —4 Q! n CHI "1“.“ p——l|' m" 1.1 (12) g J ( ' o I". l' n‘ —j g I)“ I“ M. =“fl! ‘.‘ QANTAS}; 4_ tee-15% ’1':- t " w , .. w“ h u\ -~ Vt. L1 “A O n "‘ "iii—~— CENTRAL Busmsss DISTRICT. OUTLINE!) m RED .fi . - (IAILES I. "I‘mfllTl IIGI'IV (OIIIS'SIOIEI IICII‘AI STAT! IIGII“ DI'AITIEIT parallel parking. And as the traffic density is no greater here than on Michigan or Washington Avenues it is not deemed necessary to alter parking arrangements on this street. It is noted from the flow diagram that Grand Avenue has a high traffic density at the intersection with Michigan Ave- nue and as it progresses North and South from this point the density dwindles to approximately one half upon reaching Shiawassee Street, on the North, and Kalamazoo Street, on the South. This indicates that Grand Avenue is, in the main, an access artery from Michigan Avenue to the secondary East- West streets in that through traffic is only moderate. It is felt therefore, that further restrictions in parking is not warranted on this street. The traffic density on Kalamazoo Street approximates that on Washington Avenue. However, this street is much narrower, and parallel parking is already in effect. Assum- ing this street is also at maximum traffic density during the peak hours, all parking must be eliminated to be in keeping with the anticipated traffic increase. This would remove from service some 74 parking spaces. The grand total of curb parking spaces that should be eliminated by 1957 to facilitate the increased flow of traf- fic is then, 419. THE PARKING DEMAND RESULTING FROM NEW BUILDINGS When vacant property that has been used as a parking lot is converted to a building site a two-fold change occurs (13) in the parking problem. First, one car space of off-street parking is removed from service for every 240 square feet of lot surface. Second, the new building will generate the need for more parking space at the rate of one space for every 450 square feet of floor space, due to the number of persons that will go there for business or employment.* Definite information as to the anticipated construction in the central business district is impossible to obtain due to the necessity for secrecy in dealings involving the pur- chase of business pr0perty. However, of three realators well informed in business real estate, all agree that the assumption of five three story buildings (covering individu- al lot areas of 20,000 square feet and to be built within the next ten years) would in no way be in excess of indicated trends. Then using this as a basis it is possible to compute the estimated number of parking spaces generated by this new construction. 20,000 sq rt,x 5 buildings.X 3 stories = 300,000 sq ft of floor space 1380;200tfigfiifiz- : 670 additional spaces generated This total is not inclusive of the parking spaces re- moved from service, if the building site is a former park- ing lot. Observation shows that all of the vacant prOperty, in the most desirable section of the district for new con- *Courtesy-American Automobile Association (14) struction, is occupied by parking lots. It can not be con- cluded that all new construction will be on this property, as some razing of old structures must be expected. However, razing is a more expensive means of obtaining building sites, and so it may be assumed that only one of the five lots will be obtained by this method. Thus, the estimated number of parking spaces which must be relocated may be computed. 20,000 sq ft'x 4 lots = 80,000 sq ft of lot area 801000 sq ft 240 sq ft per space 3'335 relocated spaces The sum of the number of relocated spaces and the num- ber of spaces generated gives a grand total of 1005 new spaces required, due to new construction, within the next 10 years. (15) P A R T II AN ANALYSIS 0F PRESENT PARKING FACILITIES AND CAPACITIES AND OF ANTICIPATED PARKING DEL-ANDS PRESENT PARKING FACILITIES The present street parking consists of 1,898 curb spaces of which 930 are metered one hour parking, and the remaining 968 are time limited from 15 minutes to two hours. The map on page 17 shows the distribution of the curb spaces through- out the district. I may be noted that all street parking, other than on Michigan and Washington Avenues, is parallel to the curb, and on these two streets it is 60 degree angle parking. The total capacity of the off-street parking lots is 2,264 cars. A breakdown of this figure, by individual lots, is presented on page 18. The lots marked with an asterick (*) are merchants' or company lots which afford free park- ing to customers and employees. All other lots are private- ly owned toll lots which charge various fees for parking, depending upon the length of time parked and upon the ac- cessibility of the lot to the center of the district. The location number refers to the map on page 17 which shows the relative locations of the lots. Lots marked thus (#) are parking garages of semi-permanent structures. The sum of the curb spaces and the off-street parking facilities gives a grand total of 4082 parking spaces to date. (16) L I3 I3 _ I I3 I3 ®, , ’ I I6 I1 ad Is 25’ A , I3 I4 ’ I ' Is ® I4 , e ’ , I? I6 (5 I6 37’ z 9 I3 I @ Io I4 , ,' Is I2; I®5 I5 3v 3 I2. I: ’ ‘A 8 I6 I. N II I0 I I? H 4. I I3 “I I4 m ©u , f II Isd I3 v ,‘ ‘4 I2. III I3 32, 1 II ® 9 u ’ A I I4 \\\\ '_I§'_I II :j 1 l3 IZ© ' I I II NI I I I II I PARKING FACILITIES CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT cuss Mme- IN snow MING- LOTS IN GREEN ANGLE MRKING- SHOWN BY DIAG-ONAL LINES (17) Location Operator Capacity 1 *Auto-Owners Insurance Co. 30 cars 2 B.T.Fuller 4O 3 Capitol Shell Service 80 4 Texico Service Station 150 5 Gladmer Parking Lot 150 6 #Olds Inside Parking 65 7 #Auto-Park Garage 175 8 Crown Service No. 2 100 9 Crown Service No. 1 9O 10 #Porter Garage 175 ll *Kroger Parking Lot 45 12 *Market Basket Lot 20 13 Shields Auto-Park 55 14 *Kroger Parking Lot 75 15 Dick Sheets 75 16 Old City Market Lot 85 17 Lansing Tire Co. 110 18 Butler Service Lot 20 19 Thoman Parking Lot 38 20 Monroe Service Station 120 21 *Capitol City Fish Co. Lot 35 22 Michigan Parking Lot No. l 65 23 Michigan Parking Lot No. 2 18 24 Bowlin Parking Lot 70 25 Fay Dunham 75 26 *Arbaughs Parking Lot 113 27 '*Municipal Parking Lot 40 28 *Sears Roebuck Co. Lot 150 Total 2,265 ESTIMATED PARKING DEMAND, 1947 The table at the top of the compilation of data sheet, page 20, is the result of a study made by C.W.Wood, city engineer for the city of Lansing. It gives a breakdown of the estimated number of persons entering the central busi- ness district during a normal day. A peak day is assumed to be 15 per cent in excess of a normal day, which when applied to the normal day demand, gives a peak day demand of 6,096 spaces. If the total capacity of all parking facilities is (18) subtracted from this, the remainder will be the 1947 defi- cit of parking spaces in the central business district. This is 1,934 spaces. ESTIMATED PARKING DEMAND, 1957 The table at the bottom of the compilation of data sheet shows the estimated increased parking demand by 1957. This increased demand is the result of three things: curb space removed from service to facilitate the flow of traffic; off-street parking space eliminated as a result of new con- struction; and the anticipated 40 per cent increase in traffic volume. This sum is 3,854 spaces. This applied to the 1947 deficit gives a 1957 deficit of 5,788 parking spaces. (19) COMPILATION OF DATA SHEET The estimated number of people* entering the central busi- ness district and parking space required. By Persons No of Parking Parking Total Auto Per car Cars Turn- Req'd over Labor Force 10,000 6,000 1.4 4,200 1.1 5,890 Shopping Force 15,000 9,000 1.7 5,290 5.0 1,058 Business 1,500 900 1.7 529 2.0 265 Recreation 500 300 1.7 176 2.0 88 Total Normal Day 27,000 16,200 1.6 10,185 2.5 5,301 Peak day in excess of Normal day (15 per cent) 795 Total Peak Day 6,095 Present Parking Facilities: Curb Spaces Time Limited 968 Metered 229 1,898 1,898 Off-street Spaces Toll Lots (20) 1,755 Merchants' Lots (8) ‘_ 508 2:2 2 264 T°tal 3:535 4,082 1947 DEFICIT SPACES 1,934 Estimated Increased Demand by 1957 Curb Space Lost 419 Off-Street Spaces Lost 1,005 40 Per Cent Increase (.40 x 6 096) 2 4 ’ Total 3.85% 8 4 1957 DEFICIT SPACES 5.78 *Courtesy - C.W.Wood, City Engineer, Lansing, Michigan (20) P A R T III CONSIDERATIONS TO BE EADE IN DEVELOPING THE OFF-STREET PARKING PROGRAM GENERAL A rather impressive array of facts and figures have been presented in Part II to substantiate the need for and the extent of additional off-street parking facilities for the central business district. But, these data in them- selves are by no means a solution to the parking problem. They are, however, a firm basis on which to deve10pe a pro- gram that should go far in easing the parking congestion. All the parking facilities in the district, public and private as well, must be integrated into such a program if the net result is to be workable at all. In so doing many controversial subjects are bound to arise. However, these subjects must be faced squarely and unbiasedly. It cannot be emphasized too strongly that the success of the entire program rests entirely in the intelligent develop- ment of the program. In this light, presented here are some of the major considerations to be made in the deve10pment of the pro- gram. These include puplic ownership, freezing lots to the explicit purpose for parking, distribution of facili- ties, financing, multi-story parking structures, and pub- lic enlightenment of the needs and aims of the program. (21) PUBLIC OWNERSHIP There is no generally accepted policy as to how far a city should go in providing or subsidizing off-street park- ing facilities. However, if the policies of other cities are any criterion, direct public ownership and Operation of parking lots are widely accepted. The city of Battle Creek has just recently placed in operation two large parking lots in their main business district. These lots are city owned and Operated. Grand Rapids has recently passed an ordinance empowering the city to condemn certain prOperties and con- vert them into publicly owned and Operated parking lots. The city of Muskegon also has a similar plan under consider- ation. Some of the greatest Opponents of such a parking pro- gram are, of course, the private toll lot operators and other private citizens who feel that the city should not enter in direct competition with private enterprize. This is a well founded argument, but it is not wholly applicable in this situation. A study of the compilation of data sheet shows that the parking demand is and will progessive- 1y be far in excess of the present curb and private lot cap- acities. And therefore, any prOposed publicly owned lots would, in effect, serve only the portion of the demand that does not,and will not, have a place to park. This program should not, and would not force any private operator out of business. (22) The data presented shows conclusively that there is a great demand.for additional parking space and that this de- mand must be satisfied. No program can force into business any private lot operator who is not already operating. Therefore, if new parking facilties are not forthcoming from private business, the only logical solution is for the city to acquire the necessary lots and place them in operation. OFF-STREET PARKING FACILITIES MUST BE "FROZEN" Public ownership would also ease another situation that is becoming increasingly acute, which is the sale of private parking lots for building sites. As was pointed out in Part I of this report, for each parking space of a lot converted into a building site an additional need for one parking space for every two floors of the building is generated. Little can be done to stop the sale of privately owned parking lots for such use and a continuous drain of pri- vately owned space must be expected in the near future. However, puplicly owned lots may, upon acquisition, be fro- sen to the explicit use of parking facilities. Such a poli- cy, by necessity, must be an intergral part of this program. Otherwise, the program would disintigrate to meerly a stop- gap measure. DISTRIBUTION OF OFF-STREET PARKING LOTS The American Automobile Association's Parking Manual points out that the distance a person will walk from his parked car to his destination varies directly with the (23) length of time he expects to spend there. Thus, it is obvi- ous that the all-day worker is willing to walk farther than the short time shopper. From general observation of park- ing habits in the central business district and from infor- mation from other cities, it may be concluded that the short time parker is willing to walk from 2 to 3 blocks while the long time parker will walk up to five blocks. The compilation of data sheet on page 20 shows that of the total estimated 10,185 cars entering the district dur- ing a day's time some 4,200, or 40 per cent, are long time parkers while 5,995, or 60 per cent, are short time parkers. From the above data it can be seen that the new parking lots should be so located that short time lots, or 60 per cent of the total, should be within 3 blocks of the center of the district. Furthermore, the long time lots, or 40 per cent of the total, should be within 5 blocks of the center. This would be ideal if the center of the district was a defi- nite point. However, the general mass center of the business and shopping establishments is along the 5 blocks on Washing- ton Avenue between Ionia and Kalamazoo Streets. Therefore, to permit easy access to the majority of establishments in the district short time lots should be located within 2 blocks and long time lots within 3 blocks of this assumed mass center. A diagram showing the maximum limits of the two types of parking lots designated is presented on page 25. Designation alone, however, will not assure the use of (24) \T\ W \ I\ _II 47/ I! I l MAXIMUM LIMITS OF PARKING LOTS SHORT I’IHE LOT LIMITS IN GREEN LONG TII‘IE LOT LIMITS IN BROWN (25) these lots by the prOper parkers. Further inducement must be forthcoming. This may be accomplished by establishing price scales so as to benefit the long time parker in the outlying lots. Example: 10 cents per hour for a maximum of four hours in the short time lots. 10 centsfor three hours and 25 cents for eight hours in the long time lots. FINANCING THE OFF-STREET PARKING PROGRAM The most obvious means of financing the costs of property, construction, and operation involved in this pro- gram are general taxation and direct assessment against the benefited merchants and businessmen. Though both of these methods are widely used in financing public projects, they are not always the fairest ways of apportioning the costs. This program is dedicated to the service of the general public as a whole, and as such should not be an undue finan- cial burden on any one group of persons. Therefore, it is not felt that the rendering of a special service to any one area within the city should be financed by general taxation. Nor is it considered practical to assess the costs against the benefited property owners, because the determination of the benefits derived would be extremely complex and contro- versial. A more equitable plan for financing this project is the issuance of low interest, long term bonds. These bonds would be self-liquidating from funds collected in the form of parking fees. It is felt that because of the special (26) benefits derived from this program, the business people of the central business district would be willing to purchase these bonds for a longer term and at lower interest rates than would be salable in the open market. In so doing they would be shouldering their share of the costs without any direct investment loss to themselves. Also, that portion of the general public using the facilities would be carry- ing their apportioned load in the form of the fees paid for parking space, but would in return receive easily accessible parking facilities. A similar plan is now under consideration by the city of Miami, Florida. In a study made by the Department of Traffic and Transportation of that city it was found that short time parking lots, in the center of the business dis- trict , would permit initial purchase cost of the property of $15.20 per square foot, and would be self-liquidating in 30 years at 2% per cent interest. This was based on an es- timated revenue of 70 cents per day per space for 300 days per year. The calculations include costs of surfacing, park- ing meters, supervision, and depreciation. This study also showed that outlying, long time lots would permit an initial purchase cost of property of $3.40 per square foot and still be self-liquidating under the same conditions. This, how- ever, was based on an estimated revenue of 25 cents per day per space. Property values are considerably less in the central business district of Lansing than in the same area of Miami. (27) Therefore, if initial land values are less and all other costs are assumed equal, it can be seen that the period of financing can be reduced or the interest rate can be increased so as to make the purchase of the bonds a more attractive in- vestment. GROUND LEVEL vs MULTI-STORX PARKING FACILITIES In deciding the relative merits of ground level lots vs multi-story structures for off-street parking, several factors must be taken into consideration. A multi-story structure will provide parking space for several times as many vehicles, on a given land area, as will a ground level lot. From this standpoint the use of multi-story structures will greatly reduce the amount of land area which will be necessary to accomodate the cars re- quiring parking space. The greatest draw back to multi-story structures is the cost of construction. However, this may be offset by their greater capacities, provided land values are high. As example, when the parking demand is in excess of the capacity, the construction of a second deck above a cer- tain lot may be cheaper than purchasing another lot in the vicinity,of the same capacity. This is, however, problem- atical and will depend, to a large extent, on the avail- ability and price of land. It is generally conceded that because of the high costs of construction it is not advise- ble to enter into parking structure construction without an extensive survey to see if the additional expense is warranted. (28) PUBLIC ENLIGHTENMENT One of the most unpredictable factors involved in this program is public understanding and OOOperation. The im- portance of this should not be underestimated. As was pointed out, this program is conceived as a service to all, but without the wholehearted backing of and the intelligent use by the public as a whole, these facilities will be of little use to anyone. Therefore, it is essential that the requirements and aims of the program be presented for the edification of all concerned. Many means are available to reach the public with this information. The local neWpaper and radio stations are al- ways cOOperative in giving publicity to matters of public interest. Organization interested in public improvement, such as the Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club, can be de- pended upon for support. Additional civic interest can be aroused through public forums and discussion groups. If these means are properly organized there is no limit to the benefits which may be derived. In many cities, because of the great public interest, campaigns to beautify the shopping district have been the outgrowth of the parking programs. Citizens committees have demanded and obtained ordinances requiring the clean- ing up of the existing parking lots and standard arrange- ments for new ones. Large areas of unproductive, unsightly structures have been condemned and converted to large, eye appealing parking lots. The net results of these programs (29) have been the solution of the parking problem and at the same time the beautification of the district as a whole. There is no reason to believe that Lansinins not civic minded enough to achieve these ends, and more, provided suf- ficient interest is stimulated. Thus, it can be seen that public enlightenment is essential to this program. (30) P.A R T IV MAIN CONCLUSIONS AND RECORMENDATIONS CONCLUSIONS 1. As the result of the tremendous increase in vehicle registrations and usage, the rapid growth of the city, and the general expansion of business, the central business district is faced with an immediate, major deficit in park- ing space. 2. Trends indicate that due to continued increased vehicular usage and the loss of some parking facilities be- cause of construction and increased traffic flow, the 1957 deficit in parking space will be triple that of present. 3. The present curb and privately owned lot facilities are unable to meet the requirements of the present parking kemand, and as the demand increases these facilities will dwindle. Curb facilities must give way to the demands of increased traffic flow for more road width. None of the private lot facilities are assured against sale as new build- ing site. 4. When a new building is erected on a lot that was formerly used for off-street parking it not only forces the cars that were parked there to seek other space, but it also generates new demands for 1% times as many spaces to acc- ommodate the cars of the persons who go there for business or employment. (31) 5. New off-street parking facilities must be frozen to the explicit use of parking to avoid displacement by new construction. 6. Long and short time parking presents two distinct problems and must be treated seperately. Lots catering to the short time parker must be close to the center of the dis- trict, whereas the long time lots may be more outlying, pro- vided fee rates favor the long period parker in these lots. Differences in revenue returns will affect the financing of the lots, and differences in lot locations will affect the initial property costs. 7. The most equitable means of financing this program is the issuance of long period, low interest, self-liquid- ating bonds. These bonds would be payable entirely from parking revenues. 8. A multi-story structure increases the capacity of a parking lot many fold, but the construction costs of this type of structure are high. Careful investigation is nec- essary to see if availability and land values of surround- ing property warrants the construction of a parking struc- ture. 9. Public enlightenment as to the requirements and aims is essential to this project. (32) RECOMMENDATIONS 1. It is recommended that a parking authority be cre- ated within the city government in the form of a commission made up of representatives of the City Engineer, The Traffic Engineer, and the Police and Finance Departments. It would be the duty of this commission to coordinate all the activi- ties involved in the administration of the parking facili- ties in the central business district. The committee would not assume any of the functions of the offices represented thereon. Procurement of property and overall financing would rest with the Finance Department. The detailed design, construction, and maintenance of all lots and structures would pertain to the Office of the City Engineer. Enforce- ment of regulations would be a Police Department duty. And the surveillance of parking demand as effecting expansion of the program and distribution of facilities would be a func- tion of the office of the Traffic Engineer. 2. A survey should be made of all property, both va- cant and occupied with amortized structures, that would be available for use in this program. Land values should be determined and estimates made of the number of cars each would facilitate. From these should be selected sites of sufficient capacity to meet immediate demands. These loca- tions should be in the ration of 5 short time lots to 2 long time lots. 3. A financing plan should be worked out in accord with that proposed in Part III of this report. In so far (33) as possible it is desirable to have the bonds retired en- tirely from revenues of the parking facilities without ob- ligating any other city revenues for this purpose. 4. Lots should be surfaced with black-top and curbs should be installed to protect the parking meters. Entrance and exit ways should be arranged, wherever possible, so as to open onto secondary streets. This will minimize conges- tion due to inflow and exit of parking traffic on the major arteries. 5. Equitable rates should be established so as not to conflict with those of private operators, but must still be of sufficient amount so as to make the program self-liquid- ating. These rates should be set up on a schedule so as to benefit the long time parker in the outlying lots. 6. Wherever practicable, parking should be by the in- dividual parker rather than by attendants, and fees should be collected by meter. In this way the convenience to the parker found in curb parking will be approximated in lot parking. 7. Constant surveillance of the parking demand is essential and as the demand necessitates, additional fac- ilities should be made available. These facilities should be integrated into the program so as not to upset the bal- ance of long and short time lots, nor throw any undue fi- nancial burden on the program as a whole. 8. None of the initial lots should be of the multi- story type. However, as the need for new facilities arise <34) the cost of additional property should be carefully weighed against the cost of this type of structure. It is antici- pated that by 1957 several of the lots will have required "decking over". I 9. All property acquired under this program should be frozen to the use as parking lots for the period of bond retirement. 10. Public interest in this program should be stimu- lated through the newspaper, radio stations, public improve- ment organizations, and public forums. As new facilities are made available the public should be informed of their proper use and locations. GENERAL The author is fully aware of the limitations of this study. Because of the varying nature of the subject matter, very few of the factors involved can reduced to absolute fact. However, while the individual data may not be wholly accurate, it has been weighted so as to minimize the effect on the con- clusions drawn. Furthermore, the proposed program is suf- ficiently flexible so that it may be altered to meet any war- ranted contingencies, that may arise, without the breakdown of the program as a whole. It is the firm belief of the author that this analysis is representative of demands and that the proposed program is a workable solution of the parking problem of the central business district. (35) I4b .r 0.”... L... ‘ ‘ . I C. .N {‘4 ‘ublrln .. I 7.4,... .,..' )I-"w IIVII”'1-II".IF_,‘H h" II I C \ II E'UNIVERSII Y IIIIII 0317 IE‘F’AF— F; I I II 3602