10/25/2006

DDA: Downtown parking deck is not an auto graveyard

Only working vehicles may be stored there

BY VANESSA MCCRAY

vmccray@record-eagle.com

TRAVERSE CITY — City parking deck users may continue to store cars at the State Street ramp, so long as the vehicles are operable and licensed.

The Downtown Development Authority board recently approved a revised parking policy that allows "long-term" stays, said Gil Rupp, auto parking administrator.

The storage fee is the same as permit parking: $45 a month; $100 for three months; or $360 for a year.

Rupp said four cars are stored in the deck.

City Commissioner Deni Scrudato suggested the city require parked vehicles to be operable and licensed after she discovered Rupp's car stored in the deck with an outdated license plate and a flat tire.

Scrudato said she made a "formal request" that the policy be examined because it seemed "obvious" to her that cars left there should be drivable.

City officials said long-term parking is a service it can provide, though it could be reduced if deck use grows.

"We always look at the service feature, and it is a revenue," Rupp said.

"We are charging for a period of time. It doesn't really matter if it's 15 minutes or three months," DDA Executive Director Bryan Crough told the DDA board.

The DDA board also lowered the cost to rent a bike locker inside the Larry C. Hardy Parking Deck. Bikers previously could stash their cycles in one of four lockers for three months for $15 plus a $25 refundable security deposit.

But not many cyclists were using the lockers, so the board nixed the rental fee and instituted a $15 refundable deposit only.