Insufficient Off-Street Parking

CD-2

Observation

The Third Street shopping district is currently lacking sufficient off-street parking for its size.

Discussion

It is served by five surface parking lots. These parking lots are privately owned and operated, with spaces being rented on hourly, daily and monthly bases. A majority of the surface parking lots are the result of buildings that were razed to provide parking for the office high-rises constructed in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Numerous buildings along Third Street, such as the Paramount and Hart Theaters, were destroyed and turned into surface lots simply because their properties generated more revenue as parking than with buildings on them. Despite the amount of parking in these lots, a lack of parking spaces remains a common complaint of shoppers, storeowners and office work-ers. A majority of the spaces are taken by office workers who arrive in the CBD early in the morning and depart immediately after work, leaving limited parking for daytime shoppers.

Recommendation

• Short-term on-street metered parallel parking should be returned to Third Street and adjacent streets to add store-front parking and vitality to the shopping district.

• The proposed parking deck at Main and Third Street [La-Salle Parking Garage] should be designed to energize the Third Street shopping district. Liner buildings should be located on the first floor to accommodate either additional shops or an anchor. The stair and elevator tower should be attractively designed and located at the corner of Main and Third Streets, directing patrons into the shopping dis-trict. In addition, the first two levels of parking should be signed and regulated to ensure that the parking is reserved for shoppers rather than office workers. [Design revisions contributed to the attrac-tiveness of the LaSalle Garage. A 10,000 square foot YMCA is located on Third Street, and 2 retail pods will soon be occupied.]

• Existing surface lots should be converted to higher and better uses in accordance with the master plan, adding liner buildings and new stores, and major anchors where indicated. Parking spaces lost in this conversion should be supplied in the new parking deck. [The lot at Third and Convention has been pur-chased by the State of LA and will be used for a parking deck to serve Third Street and the Arts Block. Rich and Associates is preparing a fin-ished model for the deck.]

• Two sites should be reserved and purchased for additional parking decks when the need arises. (See Introductory Notes Exhibit C)

Responsibility

Downtown Development District

Project Status

Plan Baton Rouge hired a parking garage consultant, Mark Bunnell, in November 2000 to determine feasibility of constructing parking garages downtown, to recommend financing options, development tools and partners, and to assess the political realities of the issue. His report, Parking Initiatives for Downtown Baton Rouge, was completed in January 2001 and presented to the Mayor and the Transportation Committee for review.

The Baton Rouge Downtown Transportation Plan identified parking constraints and solutions. The Transportation Plan confirmed the need for additional parking structures as well as the need for a jitney loop, rail connections, and streetscape enhancements.

In 2000, Mayor-President Bobby Simpson formed a Parking Garage Team chaired by Cordell Haymon to coordinate parking initiatives in the downtown area. The team will determine the next steps in planning for parking garages which are the key intervention needed to unleash private investment in the next phase of revitalization of downtown. Plan Baton Rouge was able to secure $172,000 for the planning of downtown garages from Congressman Richard Baker in a VA/HUD appropriation line-item in 2002. A portion of these funds was used to plan the first parking garage on the corner lot at Convention and Third Streets which will serve the parking needs of the state, the Shaw Center and other adjacent retail destinations. Rich and Associates Inc., from Southfield, Michigan, were hired to complete a feasibility study for the parking garage. Their study also recommends the formation of a Parking Authority to proactively assess the needs for parking downtown. The state and city have formed a cooperative agreement to build the Shaw Center Parking Garage with 468-spaces scheduled to be completed by April 2005.

Implementation

Explanation of Terms

Product

A Comprehensive Adjustment

Responsibility

DDD

Implementing Agent

DPW

Feasibility Analysis

DPW

Initial Financing

DPW

Project Financing

CPF & SCB

Timing