Sites would supply 344 to 840 spaces, cost $18,000 to $43,000 per space to build
Facing construction projects that are expected to cut into the number of Brown’s parking spaces and stiff competition for current parking spots, the University has identified several potential sites for construction of a single new parking structure.
Three options have been evaluated for cost and capacity as part of a recent campus parking review: the lot in front of the Olney Margolies Athletic Center on Hope Street; the Pembroke Field, bounded by Hope, Cushing, Meeting and Brook streets; and the Marvel Gym site on Elmgrove Avenue.
Total project costs for those options range from $10.2 million to $19.9 million. There are two or three construction proposals for each location, depending on the number and configuration of levels.
Two other sites — land on Tockwotten Street and the Power Street parking garage — also are part of the discussion although they haven’t been subject to the same review yet.
"We have a wide range of mixes" under consideration, said Michael McCormick, director of planning for the University. Cost, the number of spaces and location all must be weighed. "What is so difficult about this project is that the priorities are different for everybody."
If the priority is the number of spaces, the figure varies widely. The alternative with the fewest offers 344 new parking spaces; the highest, 840 — and both have been proposed for Pembroke Field. The cost of each new space also varies, from a low of $18,000 at the Marvel Gym site to a high of $43,000 at Pembroke Field. (See list of comparisons, below.)
The impact each proposal has on its surroundings also must be factored into the equation, McCormick said. Traffic studies and architectural impact studies will be done for each site, he added.
Neighbors’ feedback about each plan was solicited at a meeting June 12 and will be considered in the decision, said Marisa Quinn, director of community and government relations.
Yet it remains to be seen whether faculty, staff and students will use a new structure. Surveys of the proposed user group — whether staff or students — also vary depending on the garage location and are planned as part of the process, said McCormick. "The last thing we want to do is build a parking garage no one is going to use," he said.
The parking review, which was completed in April, was performed by the University in conjunction with consultants, including the Maguire Group, a Foxboro-based architectural, engineering and planning firm with expertise in parking facilities.
Brown currently has 2,065 parking spaces — 75 more spaces than required by city zoning regulations — scattered throughout the University's 73 surface lots and in the two-level parking structure on Power Street, a total that complies with the city’s zoning regulations. But those surplus spaces will dwindle as lots are selected for use as building sites, according to the parking review.
Within the next decade, expansions of the library and athletic facilities, and construction of a campus center and museum are being contemplated. Such projects could reduce campus parking by as many as 300 spaces. A new parking structure will ensure the University's continued compliance with zoning regulations with respect to parking.
A new garage may also resolve some of the parking difficulties experienced by employees who compete daily for on-street parking. Those spaces have experienced vigorous enforcement of time limits, which have shrunk over the years, according to the report.
Construction of any parking structure is likely to be years in the future. However, "when we get a new garage depends on the solution" chosen, said McCormick.
Based on the parking review, four sites were eliminated from consideration for a garage because their size would not reap any significant gain in spaces. Those included lots behind Rockefeller Library, adjacent to Horace Mann House, at the corner of Brown and Olive streets and beneath the new Life Sciences Building.
The parking review recommends that Brown add a plan for a major parking structure to its master plan for the City of Providence, which reviews the University’s development plans every five years.
The three sites included in the parking review offer the following:
• There are three options for the Athletic Center, currently a 260-space lot. Those include a three-level configuration providing 488 spaces; a three-level configuration providing 707 spaces; and a five-level structure providing 798 spaces.
• Pembroke Field, currently used by Brown and Wheeler School students for intramural sports and events, is the proposed site of an underground garage topped with a turf playing field. The options for that site are all three-level configurations, providing 344, 648 or 840 spaces.
• Land currently occupied by the Marvel Gym, which is slated for demolition, could be used for a parking area with a turf playing field above it. Two options for the site include a one-level structure providing 382 spaces and a two-level configuration providing 764 spaces. That lot is proposed for overnight student parking — freeing spaces on campus for staff. Under such a plan, a scheduled shuttle service would carry students to and from campus.
The two additional sites that may be evaluated are:
• Land on Tockwotten Street, which is occupied by a Brown warehouse and Stores Operation and is adjacent to the Radisson Hotel. This location was added after the parking review was completed.
• The Power Street parking garage. This location has a deed restricting vertical expansion, but would be revisited if city officials agreed, University officials said.