City of Annapolis Noah Hillman Downtown Garage Apex Award Winner, Architectural Design
Redefining Urban Space
How The Lancaster Parking Authority Helps Transform a Blighted City Block By Larry J. Cohen, CAPP
Driving Urban Transformation and Mobility
By Andrew Sachs, CAPP
Smoothing the Parking Journey
Planning for a Parking Equipment Overhaul
By Kevin White, AICP, CAPP
Lessons from a Rising Landmark By Kevin Smith, RA
A Review of Harvard Transit’s Electric Bus Roll-Out By John W. Nolan, CAPP
20 projects recognized for creativity and innovation in the 2024 IPMI Awards of Excellence program. By Dorothy J. Verdon, CPSM
THERE IS A LOT OF TALK ABOUT peanut butter and jelly in this issue.
Well, more specifically, Planning, Design, and Construction (PDC) Committee Co-Chair and Board of Directors member Richard Easley, CAPP, talks about the peanut butter, the jelly, and the bread in his Board Perspective column. Then, Jon Forster, CAPP, NCI, talks about peanut butter sandwiches in his column on communication.
Now, don’t get me wrong—I love a good PB&J. But it seems like a lot of discussion about peanut butter for a parking, transportation, and mobility magazine.
But that, my friends, is what I love about this industry and this community. Parking and mobility are real life —real-life challenges and real-life solutions, put into frames of reference that we all can understand. Richard tells us how planning, design, and construction are all important on their own, but when we get them working in sync and serving as symbiotic components of a parking and mobility project, magic happens. It’s like combining the three ingredients in a PB&J. Each is great on its own but more potent when combined.
John talks about how miscommunication robbed him of an outstanding dinner and left him with a disappointing peanut butter sandwich instead. Again: real life. Parking & Mobility magazine provides real applications of knowledge that you can read here and apply immediately to improve your work, organization, and overall quality of life.
That is what you get from our parking and mobility community.
That is what you get from the thought leaders that we bring you every month.
That is the IPMI difference. The IPMI way.
This issue has been curated for you by the IPMI Planning, Design, & Construction Committee members. From an amazing new garage in Lancaster, PA, to the importance of properly planning for your facility’s technology upgrades, we run the gamut of content on planning, design, and construction concerns. Prepare to learn.
We are so grateful to you for being a part of our community, and we look to you all to continue to provide outstanding ideas to inspire your parking and mobility tribe. Perhaps most of all, we are grateful to be able to share your stories, lessons, and lives.
And, for now, I think I am in the mood for a good, old-fashioned PB&J.
PUBLISHER
Shawn Conrad, CAE s.conrad@parking-mobility.org
EDITOR
Melissa Rysak, CPSM rysak@parking-mobility.org
TECHNICAL EDITOR
Rachel Yoka, CAPP, LEED AP BD+C yoka@parking-mobility.org
ADVERTISING SALES AND SUBSCRIPTIONS
Tina Altman taltman@parking-mobility.org
PUBLICATION DESIGN
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Parking Planning, Design, & Construction
Why
They Matter
By Richard Easley, CAPP
WHEN
ASKED TO CO-CHAIR the IPMI Planning, Design, & Construction (PDC) Committee, the first questions that came to mind were, “What does the PDC do? And will people understand why it exists?”
As I always say, you don’t know what you don’t know. It has been quite an education, as participation with every committee should be. I believe we’ve opened a few IPMI members’ eyes to why the PDC is critical to both the parking industry as a whole and to IPMI specifically. To understand the impacts of how the three activities (planning, design, and construction) influence parking, it’s best to discuss each segment individually. I’d like to use the peanut butter and jelly sandwich analogy. Peanut butter is good but a little dry sometimes. Jelly is pure sweetness—maybe a little too sweet to eat as a stand-alone. Bread is a great staple, but there’s truth in the old biblical saying that man cannot live by bread alone.
Now, put all three together, and you will have the formula for school lunch boxes all over the nation.
PB&J is still my go-to meal when the Mrs. is out of town and I’m making myself a lazy meal. Those three items combined are one tough-to-beat trio!! The same goes for planning, design, and construction.
Let’s take a high-level look at the components of the PDC Committee.
Planning
Whether you’re building a new parking structure, performing structure restoration, developing a parking and curbside plan for a region, determining how to fund an EVready facility retrofit, or creating a multi-use garage facility that will accommodate driverless cars—the difference between success and failure is the effort you put into the planning process. That means obtaining expertise from all facets of the effort from electricians, structural engineers, planners, city engineers, utility companies, parking enforcement, stakeholder groups, and more. More effort put into the planning will equate to less time wasted, fewer cost overruns, smoother project completion, and happier customers.
Design
After the planning is completed, a design must be created to meet the planning process’s ideals. At the same time, it must be constructed while containing costs and maintaining safety, equity, and sustainability considerations. In addition, there must be an eye to the future for upgrades and modifications as technologies and building materials evolve over the 50-to-75-year lifespan of the new facility. The
design may have to consider issues like the impacts of the emerging aerial vehicle technology that will take off and land from garage rooftops, and the infrastructure needs of a safe environment that will experience pedestrians and driverless vehicles. Accessibility for those who are sight, hearing, mobility, or otherwise impaired must be incorporated into any good design. New considerations continue to evolve; for example, as an industry, we are learning more broadly about the needs of customers with autism and limited mental capabilities. The designers must take the requirements provided by the planners and incorporate the needs of the many customers that will utilize the parking facilities. Those “customers” also include parking enforcement and street cleaners!
Construction
The construction teams must take the designs based on planner input and convert construction drawings into real, three-dimensional facilities. Construction no longer consists of just placing concrete and steel. Today, construction includes procuring and deploying the latest technologies. That can include lighting, fire suppression, smart elevators, emergency communications, RFID (communications tags) infrastructure, parking access and revenue control systems (PARCS), security systems (strategic surveillance), anti-suicide precautions, durable painting schemes, ventilation systems, minimal maintenance drainage systems, etc. Of course, this also includes ensuring electric vehicle readiness (EV Capable, EV Ready, EV Installed).
Planning, Design & Construction
These three activities are much like that peanut butter and jelly sandwich—not a meal when each component is taken separately. The truth is that a good planning effort isn’t enough if there is no design activity to put those thoughts to paper and visually provide a step-by-step process. And then, even with thorough planning and competent design documents, our project is doomed if we do not have a construction process that can build according to plans and, if possible, provide some value-added service to what has been planned and designed.
The world is filled with stories where the construction crews decided that it would be easier and cheaper to install 2” conduits instead of 4” conduits, not realizing that they were oversized for future use—where 2” would be too small. I have experienced what happens when the planning, design, and construction services are not aligned; on one project, constructors decided that some details were overkill. They received approval from the owner (not the designer) to adjust the design, which would be less expensive. Unfortunately, the in-the-field design changes resulted in time-consuming and very expensive modifications when it was discovered that the initial design allowed for highly innovative and advanced technologies to be deployed in the next construction phase. That setting of the stage for the next phase was value-engineered out without proper consideration of all factors, and the contractor’s decision to make the design ‘better’ actually cost time and money.
The IPMI Planning, Design, & Construction trio is critical to every aspect of a parking facility, whether it is a garage, a surface lot, or on-street services. PDC is not a stand-alone operation or a niche committee.
PDC is critical for technology.
PDC is critical for sustainability.
PDC is critical for mobility.
PDC is critical for maintainability.
PDC is critical for equity and inclusion.
When I was asked to co-chair the IPMI Planning, Design, & Construction committee, I had no idea that I was stepping into the heart of the parking profession. As a former member of the IPMI Mobility Task Force, former chair of the IPMI Technology Committee, former co-chair of the IPMI ITS and Parking Task Force, and former member of the IPMI Electronic Payment Systems Committee—I’d have to say that my time as the cochair of the IPMI Planning, Design, & Construction committee has been the period that has provided me with the most holistic view of our parking industry.
Topics within the PDC’s purview range from concrete admixtures to accessibility parking regulation input, from EV accommodation to flying car garage deck platforms, and a lot in between. Readers of this article would be wise to take notice of the PDC and then figure out how to get involved. This is NOT your grandfather’s committee.
After writing this…I think I’ll go and make myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a tall glass of cold milk! ◆
RICHARD EASLEY, CAPP, is the President of E-Squared Engineering. He is a member of IPMI’s Board of Directors and Co-Chair of the Planning, Design, and Construction Committee. He can be reached at reasley@e-squared.org
Directable Parking Demand ROI Impacts for Developers
By John Quackenbush, PMP
IN THE EVER-CHANGING COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE CLIMATE, one thing remains a priority for all developers: return on investment (ROI). When considering a new build or the repurposing of an existing facility, owners and developers must assess the financial burden of constructing the building and consider the ongoing operational costs. Advances in parking technology, changing consumer behavior, and a pursuit of improved consumer experience have flipped parking from a logistical requirement into a dependable source of revenue.
Commercial assets typically generate revenue from rent charged to tenants with fixed lease agreements. However, parking revenue can fluctuate from week to week. It’s driven by supply, convenience, and accessibility. To really maximize the ROI potential in parking, the spaces need to be turned over frequently and effectively. This allows the property to charge an hourly parking rate at or above a competitive market value. So, how do you get the most parkers into your building? Previously, properties relied on signage, a loyalty program app, or outsourcing to a third-party management company.
This year, a game changer emerged: the full integration of parking within navigation apps like Google Maps, Waze, and Apple Maps. The days of “accidental parking” or driving around looking for parking are coming to an end. Today, drivers program their destination, select from the recommended parking options, book, and navigate directly, entering with digital credentials. With these directable demand
“Waze is expanding its parking features to offer detailed information about parking garages, including cost, coverage, accessibility, valet options, and the availability of EV charging stations… Users will also be able to reserve parking spaces directly through the app.”
—Mashable
technologies, owners and operators can ensure their garages generate the most revenue by enabling parkers to find and utilize their facilities with less friction and difficulty.
In 1990, Mazda was the first automobile manufacturer to integrate a navigation system into its vehicle’s dashboard . As recently as a decade ago, only high-end cars had in-dash navigation units. Today, navigation is a standard vehicle feature, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integrated straight into vehicle dashboards. Beyond the vehicle’s dashboard, smartphones with integrated maps and navigation have firmly established their dominance in the U.S. driving market
The convenience provided by smartphones is undeniable, and when a parker can drive with peace of mind that a parking spot will be available for them on arrival— everyone wins. Therefore, customer experience becomes part of the design so operators and investors can market and leverage it. For the parkers who already know the area, being able to reserve parking from their navigation app impacts their decision. Parker’s previous knowledge of the area is then altered if they know of a new parking location that meets their needs—your garage
“Driver behaviors are shifting, and our efforts in recent years to embed reservable parking and charging experiences with leading apps and platforms anticipated that shift,” said Dan Roarty, Chief Digital Officer at Flash. “Parking asset owners and operators meet drivers in the apps and sites where they plan their travel and usher in the end of circling blocks, wasting time and fuel in the search for parking.”
Properties that are interested in the directable demand ecosystem should also consider the need to control the physical access to parking. Nothing will spoil a driver’s experience more than driving to their destination only to find another parker has taken their space. Reservations are challenging to enforce in ungated facilities because offenders have no immediate consequences. Parking offenders in ungated facilities receive a fee days later in the mail. By that point, the damage had already been done to the person who had reserved the parking spot. Gated facilities offer more control for all parties involved. Guests who reserve a space in advance through directable demand partners can leverage a QR code to gain access to the location.
A positive driving experience will lead to a repeat customer, which will boost the revenues and investments of the asset owners. ◆
JOHN QUACKENBUSH, PMP, is an Implementation Manager for FLASH New Construction and a member of IPMI’s Planning, Design, & Construction Committee. He can be reached at john.quackenbush@flashparking.com
FIGURE 1: Parking bookable in all major U.S. navigation apps in 2024.
FIGURE 2: Smart Phone Navigation Apps with Parking Reservations.
Unleashing the Power of Marketing Gain Enhanced Customer Satisfaction and Financial Success
By Chris Stevens
ARE YOU READY TO HELP ACCELERATE OFF-STREET PARKING? Consumer insights, marketing tactics, and customer satisfaction can be crucial to your parking company’s success. With a well-crafted marketing and service approach, you can boost your customer lifetime value by elevating customer acquisition, service, and retention.
Shopping For Off-street Parking
At its core, off-street parking involves renting short-term real estate to drivers. When shopping for off-street parking, drivers are likely to prioritize two key factors: proximity and price. We’ve compared various search experiences through numerous studies—from focusing solely on distance or price to utilizing a hybrid approach that considers both. We’ve discovered that a thoughtful mix of nearby options ranked by price tends to lead to higher conversion rates. Observing how drivers mentally weigh these factors when making parking reservations is invaluable to the financial success of parking facilities.
After analyzing customer interviews, it becomes apparent that the top benefits drivers seek in their parking experience are convenience and price. Convenience in this context translates to proximity near drivers’ final destinations and plays a critical role in their decision-making process and the price at which they can do so.
In Chart 1, we compared the conversion rates of consumers who experience three different on-site search experiences: (a) a distance-only search from the closest facility to the furthest away, (b) a price-only search experience, and (c) a hybrid search presentation where the price is ranked within certain distances.
In this experiment, the hybrid mix of relevant nearby locations sorted by price was 3.65% more likely to convert than the distance-only search and 4.78% more likely to convert than a price-only sort. These notable and statistically significant differences in consumer behavior reflect an intuitive decisionmaking process involved in off-street parking.
These essential trade-offs are validated further through customer interviews. Customers were asked about the main benefits they receive from their online booking software. Drivers consistently cite “convenience” and “price” as top value propositions, correlating with their online search behavior. Benefits like “transparency of prices” and “ease of use” were cited less often.
Chart 1: Off-street Parkers Weigh Distance vs. Price
CHART 2: Marketing Channel Mix: Addressability vs. Lifetime Value
Nevertheless, it’s important to note that most responses categorizing “convenience” are distilled to a “convenient location.” In other words, “convenience” frequently translates to being near their ultimate destination, as one would anticipate.
Marketing Tactics
Before developing a marketing strategy inclusive of price, distance, and customer lifetime value, it is important to look closer at addressability. For instance, the airport parking segment presents some of the greatest addressability through search engine marketing (SEM) keywords and typically generates a high average order value. However, it exhibits a relatively low repeat rate due to the relatively low frequency of travel purchases for most North American leisure consumers, who typically travel only a few times per year.
Chart 2 illustrates a matrix of lifetime value and addressability. Although the matrix is somewhat simplistic, it highlights the diverse business dynamics observed across various segments, offering insights into the suitability of different marketing channels. Any seasoned marketer would certainly caution against adopting a narrow or isolated growth strategy, emphasizing the importance of a holistic marketing approach.
From Tactics to a Strategy
An example where you can draw on marketing tactics to create a holistic strategy is when the parking industry took a fresh look at growth opportunities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, the demand for parking experienced a notable decline, particularly in the commuter segment, due to widespread remote work practices leading people to forego commuting to offices. However, surprisingly, the event segment showed early signs of promise following the pandemic’s onset.
Taking a multifaceted marketing approach to rebound from the pandemic was essential for beginning to grow event rentals after COVID. Developing a coordinated campaign using several channels, including event partnerships, SEM, search engine optimization (SEO), email, and higher-funnel brand marketing proved an effective multi-channel approach and made a direct financial contribution. However, relying solely on marketing tactics is insufficient for optimizing lifetime value.
Product and Service Quality Matters for Retention
The parking industry has undergone significant changes in the past decade; however, there is still ample room to improve customer experience due to a lack of technical industry standards as well as certain fundamental facility constraints. Many facilities lag behind, failing to adopt digital methods or lacking the resources to upgrade their equipment. Additionally, the industry lacks consistency in operational practices; some
3: Service Cases Per User vs. Price Per Rental/User Index
operators manually manage their lots and handle cash, while others use ticket machines or barcode scanners.
Interestingly, despite parking being a low-consideration purchase, it results in a highly stressful customer experience. Due to the emotionally charged nature of parking, customers tend to remember and value positive parking experiences.
For instance, many customers highly value prompt resolution and exceptional customer service when dealing with a negative parking experience. Surprisingly, customer satisfaction scores for challenging situations, like a parking spot being occupied, often receive a 5-star rating when customer service exceeds expectations. In reality, many customers do not anticipate highquality customer service for their parking experiences.
Plus, these dynamics are quantifiable. The impact on retention due to customer service quality becomes evident by isolating a cohort of commuting customers and observing their behavior over time. For customers acquired in 2022, there is a noticeable relationship between the number of customer service interactions per customer and their value, measured by rental revenue. Chart 3 below illustrates this relationship, suggesting that strong service can significantly influence customer lifetime value over time. Conversely, poor service will adversely affect retention.
Conclusion
While consumers often consider the simple trade-off between distance and price when choosing off-street parking, the reality is that a diverse mix of parking use cases demands a strategic alignment of comprehensive marketing tactics, product enhancements, and customer service to meet broader business objectives. ◆
CHRIS STEVENS is the CMO and Chief Commercial Officer with SpotHero. He can be reached at chris. stevens@spothero.com
Hiding Behind Masculinity A Mask for “Masc”
By Andy Santos
COMING OUT IS A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE for many in the LGBTQ+ community. Navigating this situation can be very stressful, depending on the factors they must deal with, such as culture, family, friends, and work. For me, it’s been a journey that I could best describe as peeling off a mask and putting a part of that mask back to feel a sense of safety and protection.
As a gay man who grew up in a conservative part of the Philippines, masculinity was a mask that I wore to conform. Putting on this mask allowed me to blend in and hide while I figured out who I was. Not to mention, I wanted to be normal, or at least the normal that society, religion, and media led me to believe, where I would marry a woman and have kids. It felt unnatural—being extremely self-aware of how I acted and talked to make sure I showed masculinity—but it got me through life in the Philippines, especially given the stories of queer people being bullied and harmed in my town and school. Even though it was an act that took a lot of effort, I kept the mask on because I already had a few instances when someone would try to “out” me, and I wasn’t going to let that happen as I was not ready for the consequences.
Today, many LGBTQ+ students are still experiencing these challenges. According to the 2021 National School Climate Survey, 81.8% of LGBTQ+ students surveyed in the United States reported feeling unsafe in school because of at least one of their actual or perceived personal characteristics, and 83.1% experienced in-person harassment or assault.
After finishing high school in the Philippines, my journey continued in America after my dad petitioned our whole family to live in Chicago. Moving to a big city was a culture shock for me; it was my first time seeing brick buildings, more paved roads than I’ve ever seen in my life, and a different way of living and communicating.
With all those factors for me to maneuver, this move also served as a catalyst for my self-discovery.
Moving to Chicago and realizing how much more accepting the community was with gay people and gay relationships, I thought it was time that I peel off a part of my mask. However, that was easier said than done. I spent my first few years in the States trying to assimilate, becoming more comfortable with
communicating in English while, at the same time, I was working and going to college to get my degree. During this time, I would hear jokes and discriminatory comments targeted toward queer people at work and in school.
My first few years in Chicago allowed me the opportunity to connect with other queer folks. However, I still had to keep my “mask for masc” on when I was at work to protect myself. Many LGBTQ+ people in the workforce are still facing similar obstacles. Millions of these workers are especially impacted in states without statutory protections against sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination in employment. A 2021 report by the Williams Institute at the University of California found that 46% of LGBTQ+ workers reported unfair treatment at work because of their sexual orientation or gender identity— including being passed over for a job, harassed at work, denied a promotion or raise, excluded from company events, denied additional hours, or fired.
Even with the masking I did at work, I was still grateful because at least there are more opportunities for me to be part of the LGBTQ+ community in a city like Chicago. While my time spent in a more open and inclusive community helped me to grow, it also revealed a truth that I had to find ways to manage; even within the LGBTQ+ community, there was discrimination among members. This part of my experience provides more context behind this column’s title, Mask for Masc, which is a play on words for the term “masc4masc.” This term is used by gay men who consider themselves more masculine—and prefer to be around similar gay men. Some may even look down on other gay men who are less so. As I became more comfortable expressing myself authentically, I learned that even within my community, there were still biases. Masculinity was still the perceived norm for men, even in this alternative and supposedly open and welcoming segment of the community. Once again,
June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month. Pride Month is celebrated annually in June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots, and works to achieve equal justice and equal opportunity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) Americans.
I had to find a way to be comfortable expressing myself authentically as a gay man and not feel the need to constantly “mask” myself under cover of false masculinity.
My ideal world is one where queer people feel comfortable enough to show up authentically and not be judged negatively or excluded for it, especially by those in their own community.
Fast forward to where I am now; showing up authentically at work and in my personal life has become much more important. One of my top priorities in deciding which company to work for has been the freedom from having to put on a “mask for masc.” I highly value the sense of psychological safety I get from not worrying
about being mistreated or discriminated against. I’ve been truly blessed to have a family that loves and supports me for who I am, coworkers and leaders who appreciate my perspective, and a workplace that encourages authenticity. At this point in my life, I can finally say that I’ve been able to take my mask off, and I’m proud of who I’ve become. ◆
ANDY SANTOS is the Director of People and Culture for SpotHero and a member of IPMI’s Allyship & Equity Advisory Group. He can be reached at andy.santos@spothero.com
ENTHUSIAST or enjoy a good, family-friendly movie, Galaxy Quest is worth an hour and a half of your time.
Galaxy Quest is a science fiction comedy from the late 1990s starring Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver. The movie pokes fun at Star Trek and its aging actors. Tim is the stereotypical overconfident captain who focuses most of his energy on…himself. Sigourney Weaver is the ‘lovely’ communications officer. Her role in the movie is quite literally to repeat whatever the ship’s computer says.
If the computer says in its flat monotone synthesized voice, “Ready for warp speed,” Weaver spins around in her chair, whipping her hair in the process. She then faces the captain and enthusiastically smiles, “Captain, we are ready for warp speed!” Conversely, if the computer articulates, “The shields are failing,” Weaver turns and, with dramatically desperate emphasis, states, “Captain, the shields are failing!”
As leaders, we see a similar routine play out at work. A piece of equipment stops working, and the only action taken by staff is to… report that the piece of equipment has stopped working As a manager, I find it frustrating when a front-line employee repeats the obvious. It’s doubly painful when a supervisor has a listless look of inaction in their eyes. Sometimes, you learn an entire team of employees has hit the proverbial pause button, looking for a directive from their captain.
And so, art imitates life…
If we were Tim Allen, we might smile with a hearty, “Ah ha!” As the captain of our team, we would have been waiting for this moment to take control of the situation personally. That’s the movies, but in real life, I’m busy; you are busy. We are usually engaged in a completely different task that has our attention. While problems do and always will arise, empowered staff and delegation of responsibilities are far more effective than waiting on the captain to resolve each issue.
Turn the Ship Around is a subtly excellent leadership book by L. David Marquet . The book details the crew of the submarine USS Santa Fe’s transformation. Unlike Tim Allen in Galaxy Quest, Marquet does not Captain the Santa Fe in a
style that makes himself the centerpiece of every decision. His objective was to create a team of leaders who independently analyze and act on situations.
One of the best takeaways from the book was his Ladder of Leadership. The 7-step scale provides verbal indicators of how staff independently react to situations. At the bottom of the scale, the employee regurgitates the information they know. Weaver would find herself on Rung 2, repeating back the information provided by the computer. Rung 3 and 4 are steps in the right direction: “I think…” then, “I would like to…”.
Marquet identifies Rung 5, “I intend to…” as a tipping point for employees becoming leaders. To intend to act means that the employee has thought through the problem and potential solutions. The ladder also provides a growth plan for employees who are learning an operation. The “I intend to…” statement allows a supervisor to hear and potentially adjust the course of action proposed by the employee.
The highest rungs on the Ladder of Leadership are Rung 6, “I’ve done…” and Rung 7, “I’ve been doing…”. When you hear these statements consistently, and the action taken is appropriate, you are now leading leaders. It sounds like this:
“The equipment stopped working. I’ve called a repairman. My team started the work we had planned for tomorrow—today.” When you start hearing updates like this, you are leading leaders. Implementing this Ladder of Leadership has been quite beneficial for Baylor Parking Services. From a manager’s perspective, the verbal cues are easy to identify. If the employee doesn’t volunteer what they think, what they would like to do, or what they intend to do, then I ask. At first, it seemed like a game. An employee would state a situation. Once finished, I would allow a long pause to hang in the air. Then, I would ask, “What do you think we should do?”
It took a little while, but it is now rare for staff to simply report an issue. We found that the progression of the Ladder is necessary to ensure that everyone is on the same page before they feel empowered to act. In the “I think” stage, you can hear what a staff member believes is a priority. You will quickly notice their role in the organization provides a specific, sometimes narrow, perspective. Understanding their focus and having them take a step back to see a bigger view can be very beneficial for everyone.
In this development, it became necessary to define some parameters. For example, staff might be given the authority to decide on spending up to a certain dollar amount. Good
standard operating procedures and specific actions to avoid provided a foundation for decision-making. Certain complex topics were clearly defined as not their responsibility. These boundaries eliminated confusion and helped define the sandbox they were expected to exercise judgement in.
Tim Allen might have struggled with losing some of the spotlight, and in that way, I might be more like Tim than I want to admit. There were moments when I was quietly disappointed that I wasn’t part of a conversation. There were other times when staff made good decisions and I had to fight off my perfectionism. They needed affirmation that they were allowed and expected to make appropriate decisions for the department, and that is what was provided.
Team empowerment and delegation can be a tricky balancing act. Baylor doesn’t have it all figured out, but I do see evidence that I lead a team of leaders, and there is no place I would rather be. ◆
MATT PENNEY, CAPP , is the Director of Parking & Transportation Services at Baylor University and an IPMI Professional Development trainer. He can be reached at matt_penney@baylor.edu
Welcome to Just Right Parking: Where every space is protected by Park Sentry
Stormwater Control
Where Does All That Water Go?
By Domenic Koyama, Brent Newby, and Michael Bockhold
WHETHER A PARKING STRUCTURE OR PARKING LOT, large areas of concrete and asphalt lay beneath the sky, exposed to elements, including rain. These surfaces are impervious, meaning the water doesn’t soak in but rather runs off into existing storm drain infrastructure. This downstream flow of vehicular runoff water led Congress to enact the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1948 which was later amended as the Clean Water Act of 1972. This Federal law, administered through the Environmental Protection Agency, is interpreted and enforced at the state and local levels, significantly impacting parking design. While stormwater control may not be top-of-mind when first considering parking, it influences both technical and environmental considerations.
So, what factors must be considered to effectively manage large quantities of stormwater?
● Detention: pooling the water, either at grade or below grade in engineered receptacles and then allowing it to drain into local storm drains at a gradual pace.
● Retention: pooling the water and allowing it to remain in place.
● Evaporation: relying upon the local climate to vaporize water.
● Consumption: utilizing flow for plants, animals, and onsite irrigation systems.
● Infiltration: If the local geology has sufficient permeability (ability to soak in), the water drains down and recharges the groundwater table.
After effectively mitigating the stormwater flow, the focus shifts toward improving water quality by reducing pollutants. While this can tke many forms, we typically rely on bio-basins, filters, and dry wells to remove sediments and pollutants.
Bio-basins detain or retain water and use evaporation and consumption to control their volumes. They are landscaped with plants and trees to effectively consume motor oils, brake dust, anti-freeze, and other pollutants.
Parking lots can often drain stormwater into LowImpact Development (LID) landscaped bio-basins. Depending on drainage patterns and topography, these LID areas can be broken into smaller and more numerous basins, or, space permitting, one large basin.
Parking structures, on the other hand, generally have concrete decks elevated above grade, which requires the design to account for the collection and piping of stormwater to the quantity and quality control areas. The footprint of the parking structure
Sharp Memorial Hospital parking garage in San Diego, Calif.
can greatly affect how much space is available for stormwater treatment. Conversely, the space needed for managing onsite stormwater can also significantly impact the size and shape of the parking structure. This interplay impacts the architect’s initial site assessment for the parking structure. As a result, the preliminary functional design can be heavily influenced by the available stormwater control strategies, considering topographical and geological constraints.
Having a design and building partner who understands the importance of a well-planned and executed stormwater control design can reduce and eliminate negative impacts on existing infrastructure and waterways. Their early involvement and expertise can be key to increasing green space, planting, shade, and overall appeal to both humans and wildlife.
While it’s responsible stewardship to ensure our waterways remain as clean as possible, it does require innovative approaches to effectively manage what nature brings to parking sites. Technological advances and evolving thinking have changed the design perspective and have, in turn, significantly improved the water that indeed sustains our lives. ◆
DOMENIC KOYAMA is a Senior Preconstruction Director for McCarthy Building Companies. He can be reached at dkoyama@mccarthy.com
BRENT NEWBY is a Senior Preconstruction Director for McCarthy Building Companies and a Parksmart Advisor. He can be reached at bnewby@mccarthy.com
MICHAEL BOCKHOLD is a Senior Estimator for McCarthy Building Companies and a Parksmart Advisor. He can be reached at mbockhold@ mccarthy.com
Sharp Vista Hill Parking Structure above gradeengineered bio-basin
Sharp Grossmont Hospital Surface Parking Lot with a newly installed bio-basin (between the parking lot and street)
Hinchliffe Stadium Parking Garage
THE HINCHLIFFE STADIUM PARKING FACILITY supports access to the historic Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, NJ. Hinchliffe Stadium boasts a unique and important past, having played a vital role in several monumental eras. Today, it sits near the historic landmark of the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park.
In the 1920s, the 10,000-seat stadium was built as part of a popular stadium movement, with the combined purpose of serving as an athletic facility as well as an investment for the community of Paterson during the Great Depression. It was the home of the New York Black Yankees of the Negro Leagues and is one of only four such stadiums still in existence. Today, the stadium is a multipurpose facility serving two New Jersey high schools, as well as the minor league baseball team, the New Jersey Jackals, and regional soccer events.
The four-story, 315-space parking facility supports the many events at the stadium, as well as a nearby senior living apartment community and two high schools. The goal of this development is to continue honoring the area’s legacy and historical significance while serving as a vibrant and attractive destination for years to come.
FIRM NAME: THA Consulting, Inc.
PROJECT LOCATION: Paterson, NJ
PROJECT OWNER: RPM Development Group
KEY STAFF:
• Jim Zullo, AICP, LEED AP, CAPP
• Jonathan Shisler
• Ryan Klass, EIT
PROJECT TEAM MEMBERS:
• MEP & FP Engineers (AKF Group, LLC.) —Under THA
• Civil Engineer (Shore Point Engineering) —Under RPM
The garage façade was architecturally designed to complement the site context as a backdrop to the historic Hinchliffe Stadium. In addition, the internal garage ramping used the site grading to help minimize excavation and be mindful of the owner’s budget while maximizing parking spaces.
Zullo
Shisler
Klass
The 80,870-square-foot Hinchliffe Stadium garage features several elements specifically designed to enhance the user experience, promote connections between users, and contribute to the community. The garage design complements the beautiful and historic stadium, which is situated among a scenic tree-lined landscape and looks down upon the newly renovated athletic field and track while sitting behind stadium seating.
The precast garage includes attractive architectural elements mirroring the adjacent senior living facility, providing a seamless look and feel. It also incorporates a precast superstructure with architecturally detailed spandrels, wall panels, and exterior shear walls on the façade to pay tribute to Hinchliffe Stadium’s unique details and features.
Given the diverse user mix, the garage includes a convenient pedestrian egress path to facilitate connection to destinations. Several plans are in place to incorporate additional technology elements in the future, including EV charging and an innovative revenue control system to reduce vehicle idling and streamline the entry and exit process.
This mixed-use project, including the stadium, residential development, and parking garage, is a space where history and modern innovation coexist. The parking facility is an essential component of the development, blending the stadium’s historical significance with the modern expectations of today’s visitors. ◆
The Hinchliffe Stadium parking facility has been instrumental in supporting the historic and diverse needs in Paterson, New Jersey. With its rich history dating back to the Great Depression era and its role as a home for the Negro Leagues, Hinchliffe Stadium stands as a vital connection between the past and present. It serves as a central point where people can come together to celebrate the heritage and vibrancy of Hinchliffe Stadium. The 315-space parking facility seamlessly blends the elements
Mastering the Seven C’s of Communication Lessons Learned from a Peanut Butter Sandwich
By Jon Forster, CAPP, NCI
SEEK FIRST TO UNDERSTAND, AND THEN BE UNDERSTOOD— wise words from one of the first professional productivity teachers, Steven R. Covey. Understanding and being understood—effective communication—are the bedrock of our professional and personal relationships. Poor communication can trip up even the simplest tasks.
A few months back, I was heading home from a work trip. It was after five in the afternoon, and my wife asked me to pick up dinner on my way. We do this occasionally, as I drive out of town several times a month. She places the order, and I bring it home for a nice dinner together. We usually communicate this through text messaging, and it works great. Except this time. She placed the order at a local chain restaurant in the city where I was working, and I went to a sister restaurant in a city 60 miles away. The peanut butter sandwich I had for dinner that night taught me a good lesson about communication.
amazing tools enable us to communicate rapidly and in great quantity, even live video from almost anywhere. These are not new technology; the smartphone is over 20 years old. But somehow, we still fail to communicate effectively more often than we should.
The 7 Cs of Communication
The truth is that neither of us were technically at fault. We both missed critical elements in communication. She did not give a complete message, leaving out details like where the order was placed. I was not curious enough, made assumptions, and didn’t bother to confirm the specifics. And that is how you get a peanut butter sandwich for dinner.
I believe communication is the most important factor in building and maintaining successful organizations. It is critical that leadership regularly shares the vision and purpose of the organization with staff, clients, and customers. Operational effectiveness is based on having the right people in the right place at the right time. Training is about understanding expectations and job duties. None of this happens properly without communication. Leaving a customer standing at the counter, not having special event staff in their spot, or giving out the wrong password for the software gives the impression that the members of an organization cannot handle their jobs. It is demoralizing to customers and staff.
Modern phones, devices, apps, and cloud-based software have allowed us to communicate as never before. These
The basics of communication are the same as they were 1,000 years ago when we used handwritten notes and word of mouth to communicate across large areas. The basics need to be applied to modern communication tools. There is no magic formula for good communication; it is just a matter of incorporating good habits into your daily work routine.
Plenty of publications and websites promise to unlock the keys to communication in a few easy steps. As always, the small steps are far easier said than done. However, much of the published material contains the same basic guidance for effective communication.
The training website MindTools put together the Seven C’s of Communication , a great compilation of advice from numerous sources.
✓ Clear.
✓ Concise.
✓ Concrete.
✓ Correct.
✓ Coherent.
✓ Complete.
✓ Courteous.
Each of the Seven C’s needs to be understood and customized to meet your organization’s needs. However, these characteristics of effective communication span across all platforms. From handwritten post-it notes, messaging software,
1. Clear
2. Concise
7. Courteous
4. Correct
5. Coherent
6. Complete
3. Concrete
Don’t miss IPMI’s Frontline Fundamentals session on June 26, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. EST, where Jon will present this important content. Click here to sign up for this session, free for IPMI members!
All 2024 Free Frontline trainings are generously supported by our exclusive sponsor, FAAC Parking Solutions
emails, memos, and reports to speaking with one another, utilizing these criteria can help you effectively communicate with your internal teams and customers. It is easy to see how omitting even one element can impact the message. For example, failing to be courteous can change how the recipient of your message perceives your attitude toward the information and their willingness to follow through.
The Seven C’s help us understand that both the sender and receiver are responsible for communication. Miscommunication is usually a shared event with failure by both parties. Senders must know their audience, be concise and clear, and ensure the communication’s goal is understood. Receivers must pay attention, clarify ambiguity, and work to understand the communication’s intent and specifics.
Hopefully your organization does not have to eat too many peanut butter sandwiches from communication failures. Having a full buffet of effective communication each day would be great, but that doesn’t always happen. Great organizations and employees work to recognize their shortcomings and improve communications continually. Communication skills are never a finished product, and with training, practice, and success, we can build our proficiency and equip our organizations to deliver great products and services. ◆
JON FORSTER, CAPP, NCI , is a Parking and Mobility Planner with Fishbeck. He can be reached at jforster@fishbeck.com.
ASK
EXPERTS ASK THE
What alternatives exist to help owners “future-proof” parking facilities?
While parking will always be needed, as alternative transportation becomes increasingly prevalent, a future with fewer cars seems possible. What alternatives exist to help owners “future-proof” parking facilities with options that can easily transition into other uses if no longer needed?
Larry J. Cohen, CAPP
Executive Director
Lancaster Parking Authority
I believe the demise of the parking garage is overrated unless a community has the infrastructure of a great public transit system and alternative means of commuting that are comparable in ease for the single-occupant driver! Converting parking garages to other means of use (housing, commercial, or retail space) is difficult and costly unless foresight was integrated into the project when designed, and building codes haven’t changed drastically throughout the years.
Alicia L. Paine Founder and CEO
MPT Space Solutions, LLC
Repurposing vacant parking lots and garages for affordable housing and community gardens not only has a positive impact on the current homeless population but also reduces city congestion, stimulates the economy, and generates revenue for asset owners.
Scott Petri
President
Mobility & Parking Advisors LLC
Due to the increasing demand at the curb, the limited supply of off-street parking, and the likely substantial growth of car sharing, I believe that off-street parking will remain a vital asset to store vehicles.
Michael T. App, AIA, LEED AP, Parksmart Advisor
Director of Architecture
THA Consulting
The first step towards creating a parking design that can accommodate the conversion from parking use to another use is to provide proper floor-to-floor heights for an occupied space. Historically, parking design has only considered the clearances required by the code or ADA requirements for parking – but this is too short for an occupied space that needs HVAC and other items above a ceiling. Some municipalities are now beginning to write these higher floor-to-floor requirements and architectural façade requirements into their zoning ordinance requirements for parking development to allow for future conversion of the ground level.
Christopher Jones
Operations Manager, Ground
Transportation & Parking
YYC Calgary International Airport
Airports may have the opportunity to transform the parking facility into an integrated transportation hub. Unused space can be used for car rentals, ride-share and taxi staging or pick-up/drop-off, and connections to regional transit while still maintaining public and employee parking access. This shift could free up land for a higher and better use around the terminal and reduce curbside congestion as transactions move into the structure. Increased foot traffic to the facility may also support increased retail or food options outside of the terminal.
John W. Hammerschlag
President Hammerschlag & Co., Inc.
Future-proofing comes with a high economic cost (analysis suggests up to 40%) as perceived future economic benefits paid for today may not occur for 20 to 40 years, if at all. Today’s future-proofing specifications may also become obsolete or unusable in the future. Undesirable design compromises, such as flat floors throughout the structure instead of sloped floors (think, double helix), increased floor-to-ceiling heights, and steeper slopes to ramp between floors. These compromises can negatively impact the functional aspects of the parking structure today as well as the construction cost.
Tobias Marx
Parking Services Division Manager
City of Bend, OR
Parking facilities should be envisioned as the mobility hubs of the future, preparing for and integrating access to new mobility options beyond EV charging. This includes accommodating micro-mobility, delivery hubs, transit access, and potentially serving as mini satellite locations for municipal services. Designs should prioritize adaptability, allowing for future conversion to non-car uses like affordable housing to meet evolving urban needs efficiently.
Erik Nelson, PCIP Director of Operations & Technology Consulting Walker Consultants
A future-enabled parking structure would need to be designed to handle more load than parking (up to 3x), have appropriate ingress and egress, appropriate ceiling height, and the ability to handle the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing needs of other uses. Additionally, the ramping system may need to be removed or modified to handle alternate uses. It will be more expensive but might be worth it for some owners.
Christopher Perry SVP of National Sales & Operations
Parking Base
Parking is about vehicle storage, and self-driving cars, TNCs, delivery vehicles, etc., must be stored. Parking facilities equipped with a digital platform capable of managing fractional permits and high-volume, low-duration sessions in an API data-sharing environment will be positioned for success.
Andrew Sachs President Gateway Parking Services
Future-proofing is profoundly difficult to justify when constructing a new facility. Garages with angled ramps and low ceilings do not lend themselves to easy conversion. The hype rarely translates to reality once the costs are considered and weighed against the unknown future.
Rob McConnell, PE, SE, LEED
Green Associate VP, Market Leader WGI, Inc.
Parking structures built today will likely still be around 50 years from now. Good planning approaches help owners understand the cost of building for adaptive reuse; parking structures with flatter floors, greater structural capacity, more headroom, removeable ramping, larger electrical and plumbing service, etc., versus traditional parking structures that can be demolished (or dismantled) and replaced with a future building of higher, better use.
Peter Sherwill Vice President, Business Development Reimagined Parking
To help future-proof parking facilities, asset owners can start small by adding features of mobility hubs such as bicycle racks, scooter-sharing stations, Amazon lockers, and electric vehicle chargers. This can be taken further by investing in structural reinforcement and utilities to create alternative uses such as rooftop restaurants, bars, or silent cinemas. These venues create new revenue streams for property owners to counteract reduced parking demand.
Michael T. Klein Founder & CEO Klein & Associates
Well-located parking facilities make great logistical hubs, and there should be reduced costs when retrofitting facilities with amenities such as charging stations and transit point-of-use information by leveraging existing infrastructure and power sources. By aligning and coordinating transit modes at existing parking facilities, including micro-mobility support, we provide people with more flexible access and better support for economic development.
High-Performance Doors
Searching for equipment that will make your garage better?
High-performance doors can help.
Fast opening and closing speeds allow for convenient access while controlling tailgating & unwanted pedestrian access. Modern door technology performs and looks dramatically better than outdated, slow cycling doors.
Redefining URBAN SPACE
How The Lancaster Parking Authority Helps Transform a Blighted City Block
By Larry J. Cohen, CAPP
IN
THE VIBRANT AND HISTORIC CITY OF LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA
, the Christian Street Parking Garage emerges as a beacon of innovative urban redevelopment. Spearheaded and funded by the Lancaster Parking Authority, designed by Walker Consultants, and project managed by Benchmark Construction, this $34 million project skillfully intertwines a multi-level parking structure with vital community spaces and direct bridge access to the adjoining building. It presents a holistic approach to urban renewal that integrates essential infrastructure.
Located on North Queen Street in the heart of downtown Lancaster, the garage was conceived as more than just a parking solution; it was strategically designed to serve as a cornerstone for enhancing community interactions and catalyzing urban revitalization. This extensive project includes a modern public library, a diverse retail outlet, and an inviting event terrace, each aimed at revitalizing an area once blighted by a long-abandoned mall—a victim to the shifting retail landscapes prompted by a new suburban mall over three decades ago.
The facility offers nearly 360 parking spaces across seven levels built between two existing buildings, incorporating LED lighting, license plate recognition (LPR), and QR code parking access and revenue control (PARCS) to enhance user flexibility and efficiency. The transformative inclusion of the public library and retail space at street level morphs the parking garage from a mere stand-alone structure into a vibrant hub of community life. The library and retail space are strategically placed to not only serve residents and visitors but also significantly boost local businesses by increasing foot traffic, thereby weaving the fabric of the community tighter together with every interaction in an easily accessible and inviting space.
The project made significant architectural adaptations during construction, including splitting the block in half to allow pedestrian access through the site, thereby enhancing the flow and accessibility of the entire area. This thoughtful planning was crucial in maintaining the vitality of the surrounding area during the redevelopment phase. The pedestrian “tunnel” has plans for future community-based interactive art, another concept of innovative art incorporated into the project.
The new two-level, 40,000-square-foot public library is a central feature of Ewell Plaza, an area named after a famed local Olympian and public servant, offers vast resources for education and learning, and serves as a hub for community engagement. Including a child play center in parking authority retail space and city public bathrooms enhance the functionality and appeal of the space, ensuring it caters to families and individuals alike who may want to spend extended time in the space.
A vital element of the redevelopment is the coined “New Lancaster Rainbow” façade, designed by R&R Studios of Miami, Florida, known in part for their designs at the Coachella Arts and Music Festival. This public art installation consists of over 450 colorful up, light aluminum tubes, fabricated and then powder coated at two specialized firms in the Lancaster area, creating a dynamic visual interplay that animates the Ewell Plaza. Even in its infancy, it has even become a social media photo-op location!
The project champions sustainable urban development, supported by Pennsylvania’s City Revitalization and Improvement Zone (CRIZ) and its local authority, which is managed by the city economic development organization (Lancaster City Alliance).
Particularly noteworthy is the green roof atop the new event space, which is now structurally connected to a redeveloped former abandoned hotel that is now a Holiday Inn. This green roof enhances the building’s
energy efficiency and contributes to the urban landscape’s aesthetic and environmental quality.
The plaza, designed by the city and its consultants with significant community input, is marked by new hardscaping, seating, and swings. It has been reimagined as a vibrant public space designed for
With HD 24/7 streaming video, an Automated Parking Guidance System provides visibility in & between spaces plus:
View complete garage data analytics
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events and relaxation. Beneath the hardscaped plaza is over a quarter mile of tubing for a water filtration system, keeping water runoff out of the water system as federally mandated and noted by winding yellow tubes that looked like a scene from a large water park, and now underneath the plaza.
Positioned beneath the colorful canopy, the Lancaster Public Library benefits immensely from the artistic façade, which announces its presence and warmly invites the community to engage with its vast resources. This union between art and utility underscores the library’s crucial role in fostering a welleducated and actively engaged community. Echoing global trends in library architecture, and designed by a local firm, Hammel Architects, Lancaster’s approach to the library’s design demonstrates that public buildings can embody both functionality and iconic design.
The Christian Street Parking Garage and Ewell Plaza are exemplary models for cities worldwide, artfully blending utility with spectacular public art to create engaging and functional spaces. It exemplifies how thoughtful urban planning and robust community involvement transform basic infrastructure into essential community assets. The project addresses
the practical need for parking, enriches the community, promotes economic vitality, and enhances the urban landscape, offering a vibrant testament to Lancaster’s innovative approach to community-focused urban development.
For more details on the impact and design of this transformative project, residents and visitors are encouraged to visit the city of Lancaster’s website. Here, ongoing discussions and updates celebrate this landmark project’s role in shaping a vibrant and sustainable urban future, continuing to inspire and serve as a global blueprint for urban renewal projects. This ongoing commitment to integrating art, sustainability, and community service in urban design enhances the aesthetic and functional appeal of city spaces. It fosters a more profound connection among residents and a stronger sense of community pride and belonging—and it all started with parking! ◆
LARRY J. COHEN, CAPP , is the Executive Director of the Lancaster Parking Authority. He can be reached at lcohen@ lancasterparkingauthority.com
Parking Reimagined
Parking Reimagined
Driving Urban Transformation and Mobility
By Andrew Sachs, CAPP
Introduction
The future of parking in dense urban cores is undergoing a transformative shift, moving away from traditional models to more innovative strategies. Technology, while important, is not the primary driver. Instead, the true revolution is happening in how we think about parking and how we focus on connecting parking to larger community goals.
Parking is no longer a siloed industry, with the construction of single-use garages or open lots not anchored and integrated into the larger community. It’s also not a basement afterthought, with designs driven by minimum space requirements demanded by outmoded bureaucratic regulations.
Thankfully, parking minimums are starting to go away, giving way to parking maximums in some instances. At the same time, developers and architects are slowly realizing that the success of their projects begins with a firm understanding of how the public will access their buildings. It is not just that parking is the first and last impression most users will have of a real estate project, but that the architecture must first acknowledge the functionality of the parking before moving on to more creative aspects of the project.
Emphasis is now on comprehensive master planning, integrating parking solutions seamlessly into the broader urban landscape. This holistic approach prioritizes sustainability, efficiency, and adaptability, ensuring that urban parking is carefully interlaced with other forms of transportation to meet the evolving needs of modern cities.
Integrating Innovative Parking Solutions into Master Planning
A Master Plan is a dynamic long-term planning document that provides a comprehensive framework for a community’s future growth and development. It encompasses land use planning, infrastructure planning, design guidelines, environmental sustainability, community amenities, and economic growth strategies. The plan serves
as a roadmap for policy decisions, development approvals, and investment priorities over a specified period, typically spanning several years or even decades.
Crafting a master plan for a new community or rejuvenating an existing one is an intricate, multidimensional process requiring a team of varied professionals to collaborate toward a shared vision. The parking professional is a critical member in this process, which involves the active participation of urban planners, architects, designers, engineers, environmental and social advocates, elected officials, business owners, developers, transportation professionals, regulatory agencies, and community members, each contributing their unique expertise and insights to shape the future of the community.
Incorporating a “park-once” strategy reduces the total need for parking and fosters a community that is more conducive to walking and connectivity. Additionally, by integrating a multimodal approach, it’s possible to substantially lower the demand for parking while encouraging environmentally friendly transportation options. Placing parking at the entry points to a neighborhood and encouraging people to get out of their cars to move about via walking, scooting, biking, bus, tunnel, pedestrian bridge, or tram can change the streetscape in substantial and dramatic ways.
Embracing Sustainable Design and Technology
The contemporary approach to designing parking structures extends beyond basic functionality, aiming to integrate them into the community and environment.
Driving Urban Transformation and Mobility
By Andrew Sachs, CAPP
Newer structures are multipurpose spaces, often housing retail stores, cafes, green spaces, or art installations, becoming vibrant community centers. Aesthetic appeal is a necessary priority, with innovative architectural designs and attractive materials improving the area’s visual allure. Incorporating eco-friendly features like solar panels, green roofs, and electric vehicle charging stations supports wider sustainability efforts, further benefiting the community. Their design harmonizes with the urban landscape and nearby public areas, creating a seamless blend with the community.
Newer structures are multipurpose spaces, often housing retail stores, cafes, green spaces, or art installations, becoming vibrant community centers.
Modern parking buildings can also serve as venues for community events, markets, or cultural activities, especially when features like rooftop gardens or openair theaters are included. This contemporary approach transforms parking buildings into active, appealing, and essential components of the urban setting, significantly contributing to the community’s quality of life and environmental goals.
Promoting Inclusive Urban Mobility
The focus of modern parking facilities has shifted from just parking to forming an integrated ecosystem that supports various modes of transportation, including walking, cycling, autonomous taxis, delivery truck zones, and even activities like skating or pickleball. This blended approach within parking designs encourages sustainable mobility and helps to decrease traffic congestion and air pollution. Providing amenities like bicycle parking, electric vehicle charging stations, and carpool spaces encourages the use of alternative transport methods, reducing the need for traditional parking spaces, making better use of space, and supporting environmental sustainability and community well-being. Utilizing real-time data analytics can improve traffic flow, lessen congestion, and improve commuter experiences. Additionally, incorporating digital technology, renewable energy, and innovative transportation solutions can bolster the parking industry’s role as a valued and appreciated service.
Mobility & Multimodal Design
The concept of multimodal design has empowered the creation of accessible cities that address the needs of diverse user groups. By integrating various transportation modes and promoting pedestrianfriendly environments, parking facilities contribute to the development of inclusive urban spaces that cater to the needs of all community members, regardless of age, ability, or physical limitations.
The multimodal approach also includes designing products that seamlessly integrate the different modes of transportation and, in some cases, fill gaps between major transportation services. This approach involves designing systems that go well beyond linking disparate PARCS systems by focusing on integrating different modes of transportation, such as cars, buses, trains, scooters, bicycles, car-share, bike-share, and even boat
The focus of modern parking facilities has shifted from just parking to forming an integrated ecosystem that supports various modes of transportation, including walking, cycling, autonomous taxis, delivery truck zones, and even activities like skating or pickleball.
services, into a holistic transportation system easily accessible by web and mobile apps. Our challenge as parking professionals is to design products and systems that accommodate different modes of transportation into a cohesive whole.
Illustration
To illustrate the innovative approach to parking and urban planning, consider the transformation of Israels Plads in Copenhagen. This project, executed by the Scandinavian design firm Cobe, turned a once lifeless parking lot into a dynamic, 12,500 m2 public space, with parking for 1,100 cars now available underground. This area, once merely for parking, now thrives with varied activities like a schoolyard, basketball court, and dining area, all while handling stormwater management. This example underscores the potential of integrated, multifunctional urban spaces that prioritize community engagement and sustainability, aligning perfectly with the principles discussed in your article. More on this can be explored at the Cobe’s project page.
Conclusion
As we move into the future, a multifaceted approach to parking and mobility optimization will help enhance the overall urban experience and contribute to the long-term sustainability and resilience of urban ecosystems. Integrating digital technology, renewable energy sources, and innovative transport solutions is revolutionizing the parking industry, optimizing space
utilization, promoting sustainability, and enhancing the commuter experience. The change is happening subtly and quickly, making it hard to fully comprehend the opportunity to help transform our communities for the better. But, if we take a step back to reevaluate and prioritize integrating diverse transportation options and promote inclusive urban mobility thinking, parking facilities can play a pivotal role in creating vibrant, accessible, and environmentally conscious cities.
ANDREW SACHS, CAPP , is the President of Gateway Parking Services and a member of IPMI’s Technology Committee. He can be reached at andrew@gpsparking.com
MEMBER TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE
the
Parking Journey Smoothing Smoothing
Planning for a Parking Equipment Overhaul
By Kevin White, CAPP, AICP
Setting the Stage
Parking equipment is the interface connecting the owner/operator with the customer. A customer’s experience with technology can make or break their experience. Physical and digital solutions continue to evolve to enhance efficiency, customer options, satisfaction, and the precision with which systems can be operated and managed. New equipment options on the market allow for diversified and increased revenue streams (think event and pre-paid parking reservations) and a greater ability to fine-tune parking options and offerings.
What are the considerations related to overhauling on-street and off-street parking systems? The term “parking equipment” covers many potential products and services. For this article, we refer to physical and digital equipment and technology to handle payment collection, credentialing/permitting, enforcement, and reporting in the on-street and off-street parking environments. While we focus on the municipal parking environment, the same concepts and principles can be applied in the university, airport, or commercial parking environment.
Upgrading your on-street or off-street parking equipment represents one of the most significant investments your parking operation will make. It can significantly enhance the customer experience, improve system use efficiency, and streamline operations if done well. These can all lead to increased customer satisfaction, enhanced system profitability on a perspace basis, and an improved operational experience with staff being able to focus on system improvement and enhancement opportunities rather than “putting out fires” and dealing with pressing daily issues brought on by customer complaints or equipment concerns.
Why Upgrade?
Functioning equipment is central to a positive customer experience and efficient, fine-tuned operations and management. Customer frustrations often stem from difficulties (sometimes user-inflicted) using physical payment systems. Parking owners and operators need reliable equipment that behaves consistently and accurately and provides rich data analytics for performance management and reporting.
Reasons for overhauling parking equipment vary; a primary reason is equipment age. Much of the on-street and off-street parking equipment deployed these days are still legacy systems - functionally obsolete, limited in capabilities for customers and the owner regarding payment methods and reporting, often past warranty
and unsupported by vendors, and past system useful life. Perhaps problems with validations have been a common complaint in your operation; maybe the backend management access for your operation is clunky, and you are not getting the reporting you need for system management and administration.
Maybe the motivation for upgrading your equipment centers around a desire to change how the system operates to achieve broader system objectives: a move from a gated to a gateless garage to enhance throughput, reduce congestion, and promote a “frictionless” customer experience. In the on-street parking environment, perhaps you are moving toward a more “asset light” metered parking system that emphasizes mobile payment and multi-space meters over an old single-space meter system.
The first step in your parking equipment upgrade journey is to evaluate your current operation.
● How do users interact with the system?
● What is working, and where are the pain points?
● Are there specific use cases or situations that seem to keep cropping up as issues?
● Is staff time and energy well-appropriated to system management and maintenance, or are staff having to spend an inordinate proportion of their time on certain operations tasks?
● Is the system efficient and profitable on a perspace basis?
These questions help unearth areas of focus. Direct engagement with system customers, businesses, and operations staff is critical. If one is employed, involve your parking operator. Evaluation helps you identify needs, issues, and opportunities, determine what you are solving for, and set you up for successful procurement of upgraded equipment.
After you conduct a system evaluation, key factors begin to emerge. Whatever the reason for the upgrade, careful planning and execution are warranted.
An important consideration when developing specifications and a Request for Proposals is who will operate the upgraded technology and how it will be operated.
Planning and Execution
It’s time to develop a plan for the equipment upgrade. This does not need to be too complicated, elaborate, or specific. The basic concept is to document what you want and how it should function to address the needs, issues, and opportunities uncovered in the system and operations evaluation phase described above. The best way to do this is to develop a “theory of operation” that outlines parking system users, their specific needs and use cases, and how they will be accommodated - gated/ungated, pre-paid, event parking, permit parkers, validations, hotel parkers, contract parkers, hourly parkers, etc.
Furthermore, the theory of operation outlines specific desired functionality (mobile-friendly, streamlined enforcement, prox/access card integration with the hotel or other build systems, customized reporting, etc.). This document begins to help you develop your “needs” and “wants” list and is the launching point for developing detailed specifications and, if necessary, a Request for Proposals for procurement.
An important consideration when developing specifications and a Request for Proposals is who will operate the upgraded technology and how it will be operated. Some owners wish to maintain operational control through a traditional third-party parking operator. Others may want to procure a technology vendor that can also provide operations functions. This must be resolved in the planning period before finalizing the specifications and Requests for Proposals.
Other important considerations, particularly for public entities, include ensuring appropriate funding for procurement, gaining internal political and staff
support, and aligning procurement schedules with operational needs and funding cycles. These items may require public entities to re-engage critical stakeholders from your evaluation phase and update your Council, Board, or Commission on identified issues and planned changes. This is particularly important if you contemplate modifying your overall approach to parking operations with items such as the introduction of mobile pay-only or virtual permitting, transitioning from payby-space to pay-by-plate on-street parking, or moving from gated to gateless off-street parking.
Once the theory of operation has been clearly defined, the schedule is aligned, and all necessary financial, staff, and other resources are secure, it’s time to begin developing equipment specifications and a Request for Proposals (if required). Care should be taken to create equipment specifications according to your stated theory of operation, operational needs, and constraints to ensure the desired functionality, data security, and system integrity. Equipment procurement processes are multifaceted, and your agency’s procurement requirements will dictate different elements of the procurement process, including evaluation criteria, vendor requirements, and the front-end forms included in the proposal request.
Typical public procurement processes may include a pre-bid meeting, written question-and-answer period, shortlisting of vendors, interviews, and selection and contract negotiation with the preferred vendor(s).
Owners should ensure they have clearly defined, justifiable, and transparent evaluation criteria and that an evaluation committee is on point to help with specification development and vendor selection. This
includes parking, facilities, information technology, and other staff to coordinate operations-related issues, data and power resources, and operational questions.
Important considerations for vendor selection include system functionality, ongoing maintenance, warranty, support, upfront capital, and ongoing costs such as software integrations and ongoing support. Owners should pay close attention to how a system looks, feels, and functions for customers, how well it accommodates different users and use cases being contemplated, and how well the system tracks and communicates data and key performance indicators to the parking owner/operator for ongoing system performance management.
The owner may wish to conduct vendor interviews to vet candidates. Vendor references from similar cities and operations should be requested and followed up with to learn how deployments have gone in other communities. Talk to and question parking operators using the equipment you are considering. Visit sites where equipment has been deployed, and ask operators honest questions about how things have gone, how the system functions for customer needs, how vendors have dealt with maintenance and support, and how vendors have accommodated requests that have come up.
Once the contract is executed with the selected vendor(s), the process moves into the preparation, staging, construction, and, eventually, system acceptance phases. Owners should be well-represented throughout these phases to ensure that the system is designed and installed to specification and passes the
system acceptance testing protocol. Acceptance testing ensures the system can correctly handle all myriad use cases before going live to the public.
A critical process that needs to be conducted in parallel to equipment procurement is a process of stakeholder and communications. Stakeholders and the public should be informed of the scope and schedule of all parking equipment changes well before any golive date. This is especially true of existing permit or contract parkers, who likely will need to be migrated to a new credentialing system before the new system goes live. System communications should explain the upgrade’s what, when, where, and why, including the benefits, and provide customers with information about how the system will work. Communications should include on-site signage and wayfinding upgrades. Operations staff should be informed of the plan on how to deploy new technology, deal with immediate issues, and engage with customers.
Ongoing Performance Management and Adjustments
Once the equipment is upgraded and goes live, you may wish to implement an enforcement grace period while customers learn new technology. Staff should be made available to help customers through this first phase. One of the most powerful functions of upgraded parking equipment is the rich data it can afford to help conduct data-driven parking management. Over time, you will begin to recognize and understand trends, allowing your operation to adjust rates, calibrate oversell, or perhaps modify your enforcement or operations approach in some way. Whatever happens, don’t be afraid to change course if necessary, and leverage ample communications early and often.
KEVIN WHITE, CAPP, AICP , is a Parking and Mobility Consultant with Walker Consultants and co-chair of the IPMI Planning, Design, and Construction Committee. He can be reached at kwhite@walkerconsultants.com
One of the most powerful functions of upgraded parking equipment is the rich data it can afford to help conduct data-driven parking management.
Lessons from a Rising Landmark
By Kevin Smith, RA
LOCATED ON THE CORNER CROSSROADS OF THE Fairfax County, VA Government Center, Fairfax County Public Safety Building, and the Fairfax Corner mixed-use development, a new structure, Fairfax County’s recently completed Monument Drive Commuter Parking Garage and Transit Center, has become a new landmark rising along the I-66 beltway.
This project is a testament to the collaborative efforts of design and construction professionals in creating innovative parking solutions that seamlessly blend functionality with aesthetics. Parking structures are more than utilitarian facilities—they can be architectural icons that shape urban landscapes and serve as vital transportation infrastructure components. In this article, we explore key considerations for the planning, design, and construction of parking structure façades that elevate the evolving needs of modern communities, using insights gleaned from this stunning community project.
About the Project
Designed by HGA Architects and constructed by Howard Shockey & Sons, Inc., the parking structure features a custom cladding exterior façade engineered and fabricated by EXTECH/Exterior Technologies, Inc. The $43 million, 262,000-square-foot commuter center features an eight-level parking structure, indoor/ outdoor bicycle storage, ride-sharing pick-up and dropoff zones, and a bus transit facility. The facility has solar panels on the roof and three building canopies, which include a 10,000+ square foot aluminum framing and glass canopy for the bus facility. The façade was installed by Modern Door & Equipment Sales, Inc., to successfully achieve the design vision for the project, which began in October 2020 and was completed in January 2024.
Key considerations and lessons from the project include value engineering and materials selection, addressing ventilation requirements, incorporating artistic components, and more. Successful parking structure projects require a holistic approach that embraces the expertise of architects, engineers, fabricators, contractors, and other key players.
Value Engineering and Materials Selection
Value engineering is vital to successful parking structure projects, optimizing cost, performance, and
aesthetics. Collaborative efforts among architects, engineers, fabricators, and contractors enable the identification of cost-effective solutions without compromising quality. Strategic materials selection is crucial, considering factors such as structural integrity, sustainability, and aesthetics. From precast concrete to steel and advanced composites, each material offers unique benefits that must be carefully evaluated in the context of project requirements and budget constraints.
The Monument Drive project exemplifies this approach by incorporating a custom cladding exterior façade. Through collaborative efforts, an aluminum system with textured terracotta fluoropolymer finish coatings to emulate clay terracotta was introduced as a value-engineered option, reducing costs and installation time while maintaining architectural integrity. With the façade attached at each floor level and the need to allow for differential deflections, design and constructability concerns arose with the rigid nature of true terracotta.
Aluminum offered several benefits, including the ability to preassemble the panels, providing greater quality control, and greatly reducing the material and installation labor costs. Another benefit of aluminum versus a clay façade was that it is a much lighter material-reducing structural loads on the building. In addition, although terracotta has appeal as a “green” material, aluminum offers the advantage of being post recyclable.
“Using the custom, terracotta-coated aluminum for the façade provided several benefits,” said Michael Schwartz, Project Designer at HGA. “We could achieve the design vision for the project with a much lighter, scalable, modular design. The cost savings alone for this solution was $2 million,” he said.
Planning for Ease of Maintenance
Proactively considering maintenance issues during the design phase enables the implementation of strategies to prolong the lifespan of parking structures and minimize long-term costs and annual maintenance.
The key to addressing efficient long-term maintenance for the Monument Drive Commuter Parking and Transit Center was using durable exterior coatings. The aluminum coatings for the project were provided by Linetec and used PPG Duranar® 70% PVDF resin-based coating system with a texture additive.
Architectural coatings with 70% PVDF resin that meet AAMA 2605 specifications exhibit outstanding resistance to color fade and change, chalking, gloss loss, humidity, salt spray, and chemicals, ensuring a longlasting, durable finish. These performance attributes are key to high-traffic transit facilities seeking to maintain their desired appearance and a long lifecycle.
Dynamic Differential Deflection
Dynamic differential deflection, the movement of parking structures under load, poses challenges that demand collaborative solutions. Architect-fabricator collaboration and early design involvement are essential to ensuring the structural integrity and longevity of the façade. Architects can optimize structural performance while achieving their architectural vision by integrating the expertise of fabricators into the design process from the outset, such as on the Monument Drive project. To accommodate differential deflection between the parking structure floors, a custom sliding clip was designed to connect the façade while allowing these fluctuations. If a façade is rigid, over time, the façade will be pulled and displaced, causing maintenance, repair, and aesthetic issues.
Ventilation Requirements
Effective ventilation is critical to ensuring air quality and safety within parking structures. Collaborative efforts between mechanical engineers, architects, and facility managers are essential to designing ventilation systems that meet codes and regulatory requirements while optimizing energy efficiency. Open-air façade designs, like the Monument Drive project, can facilitate air quality and a degree of natural ventilation.
Artistic Opportunities
Parking structures offer unique opportunities for artistic expression, transforming utilitarian facilities into architectural landmarks. The Monument Drive project showcases the aesthetic potential of customfabricated building faades and canopies, elevating the transit center’s visual appeal while complementing the surrounding environment. HGA’s lighting designer selected lights to highlight the exterior aluminum tube cladding and cornice. By embracing innovative façade materials and various design elements, architects and fabricators can enhance the urban fabric with parking structures that create memorable user experiences.
Creative lighting highlights architectural elements of the parking structure and canopy. Photo: Kate Wichlinski
Lighting Design and Sustainability
Lighting is an important design component; not only for aesthetics, but to control and manage vehicular headlight and other light emissions from the building to neighboring areas. Coordination of lighting design for safety is another critical aspect, requiring collaboration among lighting designers, architects, and electrical engineers to ensure adequate illumination for security and wayfinding while minimizing light pollution. John Kemper, Sr. Associate for HGA, points to the unique design of the lit single-run stair tower and exterior lighting on the Monument Drive project. “The glazing and lighting of the façade celebrates the structural quality and is a statement advocating Fairfax County’s commitment to community and sustainability,” commented Kemper.
Energy efficiency and sustainability are also important considerations. For Monument Drive, integrating solar panels on the roof and building canopies reduces energy consumption and environmental impact while enhancing the facility’s
functionality. For example, the roof level has PV panels that cover approximately 21,650 square feet and a green roof that covers approximately 6,600 square feet. The project was designed to receive Parksmart certification (LEED equivalent for parking structures) using local/ regional materials and labor to help achieve this goal.
Safety Considerations
Safety and suicide prevention is an increasingly important consideration in parking structure design, necessitating collaboration between architects and safety experts. A recent IPMI survey found 51% of all parking structures have experienced a suicide attempt. Thoughtful design features like barriers and surveillance systems can enhance safety without compromising aesthetics. The Monument Drive project façade incorporates innovative solutions to enhance safety, such as carefully planned spacing and layout.
Speed and Efficiency of Façade Construction
The speed and efficiency of façade construction are crucial to project timelines and budgets, underscoring the importance of collaboration between architects, contractors, fabricators, and façade specialists. Modular façade systems and prefabricated components offer opportunities for streamlined installation and reduced construction time. Seamless coordination between design and fabrication teams is essential to minimize delays and maximize project timelines. Jerry Duggan, Operation Manager at Modern Door, spoke about the ease and labor-efficient installation of prefabricated façade panels. “The most satisfying aspect of the Monument Drive project was seeing it come together as drawn--that’s not always the case,” said Duggan.
Not for the Birds and the Bees
Another consideration in façade design for open-air parking structures is discouraging insect and bird
The Monument Drive project showcases the aesthetic potential of custom-fabricated building faades and canopies, elevating the transit center’s visual appeal while complementing the surrounding environment.
nesting. Effective solutions include façades with no open-ended tubes and creating designs restricting the location and material sizes that birds prefer. During the design phase, local aviary resources can be contacted to understand the local species of birds and determine the height and width of nesting appeal for local species and design to prevent bird and insect infestation.
Collaboration Early-On
Effective collaboration between architects, fabricators, and contractors is essential for realizing the design vision of parking structures. The Monument Drive project underscores the importance of early design involvement and close collaboration throughout the construction process. By integrating fabricators into the design process from inception, architects can leverage their expertise to optimize structural performance, streamline installation, and enhance overall project efficiency.
Conclusion
The Monument Drive Commuter Parking Garage and Transit Center is a compelling case study in collaborative design and construction practices for parking structures. By embracing value engineering, materials selection, early design involvement, and innovative façade solutions, architects and fabricators can create parking facilities that meet functional requirements, enrich the urban landscape, and enhance the quality of life for communities. As we look to the future of parking structure design, collaboration will remain central to achieving sustainable, resilient, and aesthetically pleasing solutions that stand the test of time. ◆
KEVIN SMITH, RA, is the President of EXTECH/Exterior Technologies. He can be reached at ksmith@extechinc.com.
One
A Review of Harvard Transit’s Electric Bus
Roll-Out
By John W. Nolan, CAPP
Overview
Over the last two years, I have written about Harvard University transforming its vehicle fleet, starting with four EV (electric vehicle) buses, and launching a “living lab” to study their effectiveness. We are sharing the results comparing our initial proforma between internal combustion engines (ICE) and our EVs.
Before we committed to a complete overhaul of all 15 buses, we wanted to understand better overall costs with a performance comparison in MPGe, energy consumed, maintenance performed, and emissions avoided within our four-season environment. In addition, we wanted to compare the charging efficiency, and emissions output of the EV buses compared to the advertised expectations from the manufacturer. Director of Transit and Fleet Management David Harris, Transportation IT Project Manager John Pelletier, and I are now sharing results and learning experiences during the first year of operation.
Our shuttle bus fleet transports approximately 600,000 students across Harvard’s campuses each year. “Transitioning buses to electric power showed a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 220,462 pounds (or 40 MTCDE) annually. Two key air pollutants, which are very harmful to human health, were also reduced; particulate matter (PM2.5) by 0.013 metric tons and nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 0.752 metric tons annually. These reductions are the equivalent of removing 12 gasoline-powered cars from the road for one year.”1
This project was made possible through a generous grant from the State of Massachusetts which has funded around 100 projects across the Commonwealth to help electrify the transportation sector, a zerointerest loan from the Harvard Green Revolving Fund which funded the level 3 charging system, as well as an internal 3% capital loan from the Office of Treasury Management for the financing of the EV buses. These
lower cost funding streams enabled the bus acquisition, and charging system infrastructure which is necessary to support the new vehicles, to be totally funded through our operating budget.
Summary Usage Data
As part of this program, Harvard Transit and Fleet studied performance metrics, MPGe, and miles driven in our (4) Proterra 35’ Catalyst E2 440 kWh buses for the one-year period of February 3rd, 2022, through February 2nd, 2023.
After comparing this data to the kWh billed by our energy provider Eversource, we could see the overall inefficiencies of the charging system from “pole to port.”
As demonstrated in the table below, the energy delivery system from the pole through the transformer, switchgear, copper raceway, bus chargers, bus dispensers, and then into the bus via the CCS port accounted for 26% of the energy consumed during this study period.
kWh billed by Eversource 149,064 kWh consumed by Harvard charging infrastructure 38,896 kWh consumed as a percentage 26%
Our study also revealed the necessity of preconditioning during colder winter months, which was previously unknown by us. This process draws additional energy to engage the bus systems, chargers, and batteries and keeps the system operating at optimum temperatures. Approximately 7% of our kWh went into pre-conditioning. Eversource charges more for daytime peak hour charging, which negatively impacts our overall costs. Furthermore, the average kWh/mile in December-April increased by 50%, limiting our ability to drive the needed routes or total mileage with one charge.
February 3rd, 2022, through February 2nd, 20232
This is reflected in our proforma with estimated miles driven of 25K versus the 14k actual miles driven. In other words, our ICE buses needed to fill in on planned EV bus routes due to battery insufficiency during cold weather days.
B20 Diesel Cost Compared to Electricity Cost
A critical component of the fleet electrification process is understanding the source and costs related to electricity. At Harvard, we have Eversource providing distribution coupled with Harvard Dedicated Energy Limited (HDEL) for energy supply. Harvard University formed HDEL to serve the electric needs of Harvard’s schools and departments. HDEL provides access to the wholesale electric market and greater flexibility to meet supply needs. HDEL’s goal is to purchase energy in an economically efficient manner while appropriately managing risk and price volatility.
When the actual cost of diesel during this study period is compared to the actual cost of electricity, electricity was 52% more expensive than diesel. A good part of this expense was attributed to the timing of when the buses were charged. There is a remarkable cost difference to charging during daytime hours vs. nighttime hours, which is a significant contributor to the costs shown in the following table.
Midway through this study period, in the fall of 2022, we learned that additional electric costs could be avoided by restructuring the timing of our charging process as well as reconfiguring our dispensers to limit peak demand during the day.
We projected at that time this charging realignment process would result in an annual savings of $6,779 or 13% based on existing electricity rates. This difference would be based on the demand for services and the overall daily usage of our EV buses.
Adjusted cost of electricity projected ($.30/kWh) $45,019
Difference of electricity vs. diesel ($6,779)
*After the study period ended on July 1, 2023, Eversource restructured its rates, significantly reducing its peak demand charges. If this change had previously been implemented, energy costs would have been 52% more expensive to 45% less expensive. This action was taken to incentivize electric vehicle purchases. Based on costs as of April 2024, the table below shows what our savings would have been during the study period.
“Motor vehicles are a large source of NOx emissions, which lead to fine particulate matter (PM) pollution in the atmosphere, these emissions are especially a problem in dense urban areas with lots of traffic. Exposure to fine PM has been directly associated with premature mortality and a suite of other adverse health effects.”
—Elsie Sunderland, Gordon McKay Professor of Environmental Chemistry at Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
*Adjusted cost of electricity ($.19/kWh)
$28,322
Difference of electricity vs. diesel ($23,476)
As seen in the above tables, the cost of electricity is influenced by how one operates the total system and the incentives provided by the local utility. While the overall cost of acquisition and operation may exceed that of ICE buses, the health benefits, noise remediation benefits, and community goodwill could be much more valuable to an operating agency.
The Road Ahead: Completing the Transition of Harvard’s Bio-Diesel Shuttle Fleet to Electric by 2035
Harvard University is preparing to add two more EV buses to its existing bus fleet. We will also double our charging capacity to enable this and future expansion. We learned a lot of lessons in the first year of our operation that can now be applied to us and others interested in following this path forward. We continue to follow our goals as stated below:
Harvard’s Ongoing Sustainability Goals
● Complete the transition of Harvard’s shuttle-bus fleet to all-electric by 2035.
● Set new target dates for the remaining fleet vehicle types by the end of 2026 as part of the University’s commitment to be fossil fuel-free by 2050.
● Create a roadmap that includes an outline for installing more charging infrastructure for university vehicles and equipment.
● Install adaptable load management (ADM) systems that enhance existing electrical infrastructure to deliver efficient charging to more vehicles.
To summarize our lessons learned:
● Understanding the operational learning curve is necessary for your EV operation. Implementation costs for training and transitioning from ICE to EV for your drivers and fleet staff should be budgeted as part of your project soft costs.
● Remediation of soil conditions can add significant expense to your project.
● Plan for less MPGe than the manufacturer estimates. Our mile per gallon equivalent of 15.1 was lower than the projected 17 MPGe, but it was much better than the 4.3 MPG for ICE buses.
● Managing the timely delivery of electricity can save substantial costs.
● Investing in software for energy distribution, preconditioning, and charge management as part of this electrical system will reduce the cost of employee participation for redeployment to other, more relative work.
● Annual electric bus operating costs are slightly less expensive than diesel.
● Our payback period is about 10.5 years based on current purchase prices but will become more favorable if prices come down in the future.
It is important to state that no two operations are alike. Your operation is unique, and transit operations have different fleet sizes, dimensions, ages, and types. However, you can review our data and methodology to get an indication of potential outcomes to expect and pitfalls to avoid.
We hope this information and study are helpful to you moving forward. If you have any questions about this information, do not hesitate to reach out. ◆
JOHN W. NOLAN, CAPP , is the Managing Director of Transportation Services and The Campus Service Center for Harvard University and a member of the IPMI Planning, Design, & Construction Committee. He can be reached at john_nolan@harvard.edu
REFERENCES
1. Harvard Office for Sustainability
2. Data provided by Proterra Project Engineer, May 1st, 2023.
3. Harvard Engineering and Utilities, 28 Travis St Bus Charging Station— Monthly Billing Details
● Constructing a Level 3 charging project can take up to 18 months from planning and coordinating through field design, engineering design, permitting the project, and coordinating with external contractors and your local utility.
4. Actual usage and cost from Harvard Vendor invoices
2024 AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE
20 projects recognized for creativity and innovation in the 2024 IPMI Awards of Excellence program.
By Dorothy J. Verdon, CPSM
Metrolinx Bramalea GO Station Parking Building Apex Award Winner, Architectural Design
ONE OF THE MOST THRILLING
ASPECTS of the IPMI Awards of Excellence program is that the 49 submissions we received all share a key attribute: each is a testament to the passion, integrity, and imagination of those whose professions intersect in a meaningful way with the parking and mobility community. The high quality of the entries presented a daunting challenge to the 17 volunteer judges from member organizations who were tasked with identifying the best of the best. Nearly as difficult was deciding which of the most outstanding submissions would earn the top-tier Apex Award or receive an Honorable Mention.
The Apex Award recognizes projects or programs with significant industry impact, and which set an exemplary standard for their creativity, effectiveness, and achievements. Ten submissions emerged to win this top honor in eight different categories, each demonstrating unique approaches to design, operational, environmental, economic, or societal factors. In some cases, it was all of the above.
Notably, ten projects were also recognized with an Honorable Mention, a testament to their significant impact on local and regional levels. These initiatives, spread across five categories, have all shared a common goal: to enhance the parking and mobility experience for the public. Whether at an airport, a cruise ship terminal, or in a city’s downtown core, these projects have made a difference in their respective communities.
At IPMI, we are deeply grateful for the opportunity to learn about these inspirational projects and programs. We are honored to showcase their impact on the lives of travelers, drivers, pedestrians, institutions, and businesses across the country. To all those who continue to push the boundaries of parking and mobility solutions, we extend our heartfelt thanks.
Architectural Design
Noah Hillman Downtown Garage
AWARDED TO: Walker Consultants
OWNER: City of Annapolis
PRIME CONSULTANTS
● Garage Design/Consulting: Walker Consultants
● Developers: Hunt Companies, Inc., and Amber Infrastructure Group
● Design-Builder: Whiting-Turner
● Master Planner: BCT Design Group
● Program Management: Sewall
● Lead Design/Engineer: WSP
● Landscape Architect: Mahan Rykiel
● Garage Operator: Premium Parking
● Mobility Provider: Via Mobility
TOTAL COST: $28 million
JUDGE’S COMMENTS:
“I loved the inclusion of pickleball courts, a farmer’s market space, and the beer garden lights, among the other awesome features. This goes to show that parking garages can be fun!”
“There are so many great community-building features! The “Beer Garden” lights are a unique way to reduce light trespass.”
“Great parking space layout plan incorporating both 90-degree and 70-degree spaces, and using one-way and two-way traffic, maximizing square footage for parking. Love seeing sustainability features built into the garage with PV and EV.”
City Dock in Annapolis is a popular tourist destination located at the edge of scenic Chesapeake Bay and in the historic and economic heart of Maryland’s capital. In recent years, rising sea levels have caused flooding in the area, driving the need for a strategy to achieve Annapolis’s long-term resiliency in the face of climate change.
In 2019, the city and non-profit preservation organization Historic Annapolis created the 92-member City Dock Action Committee (CDAC) to develop an action plan to address the area’s future while tackling immediate threats from flooding. The CDAC partnered with the U.S. Naval Academy, the National Park Service, Anne Arundel County, and the Urban Land Institute, engaging 100 community stakeholders in the process. Parking was a key component of the plan because engineers had determined that the 45-year-old Noah Hillman Garage was at the end of its useful life and recommended its replacement. Action plan priorities were to replace the blacktop and parking at City Dock with a world-class park, build a new parking facility, and devise a funding strategy.
A consortium of design, construction, and mobility companies submitted a proposal for the project in early 2020. The successful team, known as the Annapolis Resiliency and
APEX AWARD
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
Mobility Partnership (AMRP), rebuilt and will operate the garage for a term of 30 years. In exchange, AMRP paid the city a concession of $24.5 million to fund the resiliency work at City Dock. To help finance the new Noah Hillman Garage, prime designer and structural engineer of record Walker Consultants produced an investmentgrade revenue study as part of a comprehensive financial analysis. The city ultimately redeveloped the facility through a public-private partnership, using a design-build-finance-operatemaintain approach.
The design team created a cost-effective structure that meets historic district height restrictions and guidelines while blending seamlessly with the city’s distinctive architectural style and meeting building code requirements for ventilation and fire protection. A brick portal system subtly reduces the scale of the three-bay, five-level post-tensioned cast-in-place concrete
structure, and both brick color and masonry details complement the neighborhood’s historic context. A vertical slat system over the spaces between the portals promotes a sense of openness while camouflaging the structure and blocking headlight glare.
Featuring a gateless entry system, Noah Hillman Garage provides 590 8’-6” parking stalls—165 more than its predecessor. Even while occupying the same footprint, it contains more space for public use. Circulation is via one- and two-way traffic flow patterns utilizing 90-degree and 70-degree angles. Along with striped public pickleball courts and beer garden lights, the roof holds a canopy upon which 594 voltaic panels are mounted, with shaded parking underneath. The panels generate 281 kWh, enough to handle the garage’s total electrical load.
Other features include a ground-floor farmers market space, payment options through the ParkMobile app, text-to-pay, or at kiosks, two elevators, two restrooms, stormwater management controls, nine EV charging stations, bike storage, increased lighting for public safety, and entry and exit lanes on both the ground and second levels, allowing access from busy Duke of Gloucester and Gorman Streets.
After less than 14 months of construction, the new Noah Hillman Garage opened to much fanfare on June 14, 2023.
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
Architectural Design
Bramalea GO Station Parking Building
AWARDED TO: Arcadis
OWNER: Metrolinx
PRIME CONSULTANTS:
● Architect: Arcadis
● Structural: RJC Engineers
● Mechanical, Electrical, and Intelligent Integrated Systems: Smith + Andersen
● Contractor: Kenaidan Contracting Ltd.
TOTAL COST: $137.3 million
JUDGE’S COMMENTS:
“Wonderful integration of multimodal elements!”
“The project team did a great job of considering the end user and incorporating this into their vision for the garage design.”
“This project kept safety and aesthetics in mind. The structure looks more like a functional building than a parking garage. I’d feel safe and welcomed parking here.”
Metrolinx—
a Crown agency of the government of Ontario—has a division called GO Transit, which is the regional public transit service for the greater Toronto and Hamilton area. It carries over 70 million passengers to and from downtown Toronto and nearby urban enclaves a year. Metrolinx’s GO Expansion program is a $16.8 billion transportation infrastructure initiative expanding the GO rail network to meet the needs of a rapidly growing region. The multi-year program has already implemented sweeping improvements within seven rail corridors. One of them is the Kitchener line, where the busy Bramalea GO Station in Brampton connects commuters to Toronto’s downtown core in 30 minutes.
“With an estimated 12,200 daily riders using Bramalea GO by 2041, this station is a key transit hub for families, commuters, and businesses in Brampton and across the Greater Golden Horseshoe,” said Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation, in a May 11, 2023, government news release.
Completed in August 2022, improvements totaling $137.3 million at Bramalea GO Station delivered a new accessible station building, a six-story parking structure with 2,059 spaces, and a new bus loop that will provide better access to regional GO and local Brampton Transit bus services. The scope of work for which the design team was responsible at the 17.5-acre site encompassed a covered 14-bay
bus platform with integrated heated shelters; two rail platforms; reconfigured surface parking including a south parking lot with direct platform access; new signalized intersections; passenger pick-up and drop-off zones; entrance stairs and elevators; and bike storage. The platform modifications include a new west tunnel with a stair and elevator access structure and an extension of the existing east tunnel with access into the new station building. Both platforms feature a snow-melt system, integrated canopies, elevators, and heated shelters.
The parking structure design incorporates 1,531 precast concrete elements—columns, beams, and shear walls—bearing on reinforced concrete foundations. The shear walls are clad with a gray and blue perforated pre-finished metal panel system for aesthetic and light filtering purposes.
The open-air structure features a car counting system with stall sensors that identify vacant spots and two accessible elevators, open glazed stairwells for passive security, strategic signage, and unique colors on each level to assist with wayfinding. Vehicular access to the building is through independent inbound and outbound circulation routes with two-way traffic on the center module ramp.
Metrolinx’s commitment to the environment and sustainable design inspired the design team to create a multimodal, integrated facility that incorporates environmentally responsible building design and construction practices to mitigate impacts on the surrounding ecosystem. To monitor energy use across building systems, energy and water submeters were installed to measure consumption down to the subsystem level. A 250-kWh photovoltaic generation system that offsets much of the station’s electrical load is mounted on the parking structure roof.
U.S. Green Building Council certification under LEED BD+C: New Construction, v4, is underway. The thoughtful design allowed the station to achieve all three points in the Renewable Energy Production credit and 18 out of 18 points under the Optimize Energy Performance credit. Due to the site’s energy—and waterefficient design, rooftop photovoltaic panels, and sustainabilitydriven design-build construction process, Bramalea GO Station is targeting above LEED Gold.
Architectural Design
Kansas City International Airport Parking Garage
AWARDED TO: BNIM
OWNER: Kansas City Aviation Department
PRIME CONSULTANT:
● Architect: BNIM
● CM: JE Dunn Construction
● Engineer of Record: Leigh + O’Kane
TOTAL COST: $141 million plus $4 million for the parking guidance system
TheHONORABLE MENTION
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
new $145 million Kansas City International Airport (KCI) parking garage was integral to the “Build KCI” project. This $1.5 billion initiative replaced a terminal complex built in 1972 with a new 40-gate, 1.1-million-square-foot terminal. The massive 2.5-millionsquare-foot structure opened with the terminal on February 28, 2023, and provides parking for 6,219 vehicles on seven levels. It is the result of a collaborative design-build partnership between architect BNIM and JE Dunn Construction and the terminal’s design team so that the aligned buildings would be functionally and aesthetically cohesive.
The AIA award-winning project demonstrates how parking garage design can be welcoming, easy to navigate, and human-purposed. Its design supports clear wayfinding, safety and security, flexibility, and pedestrian-focused spaces. Features such as 62 EV charging stations, 85 ADA-accessible spaces, valet spaces, ease of access to multiple modes of transport, and a smart parking guidance system combine to amplify the user experience.
The structure is constructed from 4,382 pieces of precast concrete and features shingle glass on the north and west façades, a 168-kW array of photovoltaic solar integration on the south façade, and a unitized curtain wall system on the west façade facing the terminal headhouse. The LEED Gold facility also features the largest One Percent for Art initiative in Kansas City history, highlighting the works of numerous artists and positively impacting the city’s and region’s identity and brand.
Mixed-Use Facility Design
Abbott Northwestern Hospital Purple Parking Ramp
AWARDED TO: Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.
OWNER: Allina Health
PRIME CONSULTANTS:
● Project Management, Entitlement, Structural Engineering, Parking Consulting, Civil Engineering, Landscape Architecture, and Traffic Engineering: Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.
● CM: Mortenson
TOTAL COST: $61.8 million
JUDGES’ COMMENTS:
“Solid project, beautiful facility.”
“Much thought went into the aesthetics and the sustainability of this project. From screening the oxygen tanks from public view to the solar garden that can generate 1 megawatt of electricity, this is a great addition to the hospital.”
Allina
Health is a leading regional non-profit healthcare provider, drawing patients and visitors throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Located in Minneapolis, Abbott Northwestern Hospital (ANWH) is one of 12 hospitals in Allina’s system and the focus of a major growth and infrastructure improvement initiative to enable the 142-year-old institution to provide advanced patient care for the next 50 years. Plans call for three new projects by 2026: a surgical and critical care pavilion, a
central utility plant, and a multimodal transportation hub whose key component is the Purple Ramp.
The urgency to increase parking capacity was heightened by the demolition of Ramp 1, the hospital’s main parking facility, to clear the site for the new Care Pavilion. To compensate for the loss of 811 spaces, the Purple Ramp project added two levels and 445 stalls to the existing five-story, 1,130-stall Ramp 6 and constructed the new eight-story, 1,425-stall Ramp 7 on the adjacent 1.63-acre surface parking lot. Collectively, Ramps 6 and 7 became the Purple Ramp. Program elements included connecting the two ramps internally, incorporating 2,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and office space, providing storage for 200 bicycles and lockers for riders, and creating access to and from the adjacent Midtown Greenway.
The two side-by-side, four-bay ramps can function independently or as one facility. Each moves vehicles up and down using a double-threaded vertical circulation pattern with
APEX AWARD
MIXED-USE FACILITY DESIGN
70-degree stalls and one-way drive aisles. Access to both ramps is shared to promote safe and efficient movement. Internal connections between the ramps are located on each floor, from Level 3 up. A new skyway on Level 3 leads to the hospital lobby.
As the “front door” to the ANWH campus, appearance mattered. The façade combines perforated metal panels, precast column covers and spandrels, and living walls to form a coherent visual narrative uniting the two buildings. The metal panels also screen headlights, reducing the impact on the surrounding neighborhood. The ramp’s associated utility infrastructure was intentionally shielded from view by locating it below grade on the slope abutting the Midtown Greenway, surrounded by high walls and manmade and natural screening.
The owner’s commitment to the neighborhood and the environment is evidenced by sustainable design features such as 20 EV charging stations with a capacity for 90 more if needed, a rooftop community solar garden that will generate 1 megawatt of
electricity—enough to power 250 homes—when it is added this year, and repurposing unused space as a landscaped promenade to invigorate the streetscape, provide pollinator habitat, and help manage stormwater. Public safety and user experience were also paramount, and the new structure contains ample LED lighting, 200 security cameras, and more than 700 cameras monitoring parking space availability
Allina Health understood the Purple Ramp’s transformative power for the campus and the broader community. It challenged Kimley-Horn to provide a design that prioritized reducing singleoccupancy vehicles on the ANWH campus while integrating holistic parking and multimodal transportation solutions within the wider Minneapolis transportation network. The firm was responsible for project management, entitlement, structural engineering, parking consulting, civil engineering, landscape architecture, and traffic engineering services on the $68.1 million project, which opened in November 2022.
Stand-Alone Facility Design
Virginia Hospital Center Outpatient
Pavilion Parking Garage
AWARDED TO: Walker Consultants
OWNER: VHC Health™
PRIME CONSULTANTS:
● Parking Garage Design and Consulting: Walker Consultants
● Concept Architect: HDR
TOTAL COST: $48.7 million
JUDGES’ COMMENTS:
Among the most impressive qualities are both the architectural and aesthetic elements of this garage, along with the consideration for the community, patients, visitors, and employees.
I enjoyed the efficient use of space, the LED TV display to guide guests to local transit options, and the layout to help them visualize and see their destination. Many folks forget the psychological side of parking and how the consumer believes the distance is not so long if you can see your destination. Loved the thoughtfulness of the healing garden.
VHC
Health is a community-based hospital providing medical services to the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The newest building on its main campus in Arlington, Virginia, is the Outpatient Pavilion. The seven-story facility houses outpatient surgery, imaging, pharmacy, lab, endoscopy, physical therapy, and women’s health services. A new nine-level, four-bay parking structure that was part of the expansion project provides 1,650 spaces for patients, visitors, and employees.
The garage design team, led by Walker Consultants, was tasked with providing more secure parking for employees by
separating their parking areas from those of patients and visitors. This was achieved by designating different entrances and parking levels for each group. Employees enter and exit from either North Edison Street or 19th Street North. In contrast, the patient and visitor entrance faces the campus, with a loop from the access road to the drop-off area at the Outpatient Pavilion. Another requirement was to locate patient and visitor parking at grade and the two levels immediately above it, using a single-space video camera-based APGS with dynamic parking availability signage. This scheme meant employee parking had to be above and below those levels. Once inside the garage, employees circulate those levels via a speed ramp system to keep the users separate. So that employees would know whether to go up or down when entering the garage, a
per-level APGS using ultrasonic overhead sensors on the speed ramps at entry points resolved the issue.
Initially, the $48.7 million garage was envisioned as an above-grade structure, but following planning meetings with local residents, the mass of the building was relieved by locating three levels below grade and six above, with four abovegrade levels stepped back as a way to meet zoning requirements and also respect the adjacent neighborhood. A combination of materials—full-field brick, brick screening, thin brick, ribbed architectural precast concrete, stainless-steel mesh, continuous
metal canopies, and ornamental metal panels—further reduced the perceived size of the structure. A false stair tower was added on the upper levels where the garage steps back to provide visual continuity to the egress stair required at the lower levels. As a testament to the design team’s keen attention to detail and the thoughtful associated landscape design, to the casual observer the structure does not appear to be a garage at all!
Mobility, user comfort, and accessibility were among the project’s many design considerations. An LED TV display located at the grade level of the main elevator lobby offers live local transportation information, including real-time bus times and headways. A lockable bike room provides safe storage for 40 employee bikes as part of an overall campus bike plan. All levels serving patients and visitors have an enclosed main elevator lobby for comfort, and conditioned corridors connect to the Outpatient Pavilion. A clearance of 8’-2” on all levels facilitates van accessibility. Other features include directional diodes and shielded LED lights to limit light spill, sound attenuation design for the belowgrade exhaust fans, six EV stalls and two vanpool stalls, and cantilevering of the garage over the service drive to make future horizontal expansion possible.
Stand-Alone Facility Design
Memphis Downtown Mobility Center
AWARDED TO: Premium Parking
OWNER: Downtown Memphis Commission
PRIME CONSULTANT:
● Operator: Premium Parking
● Architect: LRK
● GC: Flintco
TOTAL COST: $42 million
Aparking study identifying a 1.3acre surface lot at the corner of Main and Beale streets in the downtown core as a catalyst location for future development served as a springboard for the $42 million Downtown Mobility Center (DMC). Conceived as a strategic investment in public parking, the 960-space DMC is a multimodal transportation hub for a variety of mobility options: the public bus and trolley system, a micro-mobility zone for scooters and e-bikes, a rideshare zone, and pedestrian connections to the riverfront and the new Renasant Convention Center.
The seven-story structure incorporates more than 10,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space and includes features such as EV charging stations, the Bike Hub, a membership-based 24/7 facility with secure access to 100 bike racks, a customer
service center, and art from 16 local artists displayed throughout the center, including Memphis-inspired murals on each level. Garage operator Premium Parking coordinated the signage color scheme on each floor with existing architectural plans to harmonize with the showcased art and assist with wayfinding.
The DMC’s architectural design—metal panels and curtain wall glazing over a cast-in-place concrete structure—is responsive to both historic and current neighborhood contexts. The structure’s most prominent design feature is an exterior monumental stair connecting to all building levels and serving pedestrian movement along Beale Street. Stairway users enjoy panoramic views of the Mississippi, while rideshare users at street level enjoy the shelter it provides.
HONORABLE MENTION STAND-ALONE FACILITY DESIGN
Surface Parking Facility Design
Varsity Parking Lot Expansion
AWARDED TO: North Carolina State University
OWNER: North Carolina State University
PRIME CONSULTANTS:
● Engineering: TRC Companies, Inc. (formerly Draper Aden Associates)
● General Contractor: J.M. Thompson
TOTAL COST: $5.7 million
JUDGE’S COMMENTS:
“This submission stands out because it describes the project and facility and how it was designed with intention and integrated with the overall community.”
“This lot used sustainable building methods that recycled materials from demolition, used 100% clean concrete, and harvested local river rock. This, and the consideration for pedestrian and vehicular flow and micro-mobility, is the basis for an Apex Award.”
North
Carolina State University (NCSU) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it comprises 15.9 million square feet in 670 buildings on 4,800 acres. It is ranked in the top 1% of universities in the world.
To continue providing job-ready graduates to the tech industry in nearby Research Triangle Park and beyond, the state’s largest public university will get even bigger thanks to a College of Engineering expansion that will add +/4,000 new graduate and undergraduate students.
A $5.6 million capital project to expand the existing Varsity surface parking lot has fulfilled the vision for the South Campus Precinct described in the 2023 “Physical Master Plan: Framing the Future.” The plan prioritizes transforming the precinct “into an active and dynamic neighborhood with improved connectivity to both Central and Centennial Campus Precincts,” and providing “parking facilities to better support the needs of adjacent users and the broader campus community.” When it opened in August 2023, the new Varsity Lot added 454 spaces for resident and commuter students, which helped compensate for a portion of the inventory lost when the Coliseum parking deck was demolished to
APEX AWARD
SURFACE PARKING FACILITY DESIGN
accommodate the construction of two new College of Engineering buildings in 2020 and 2022.
Planning for the 5.5-acre facility was led by an inhouse design review panel composed of university trustees, faculty, the Office of the University Architect, and other campus representatives. TRC Companies, Inc. (formerly Draper Aden Associates) provided engineering services. Key planning assumptions included reinforcing the university’s identity and brand, stewardship of campus resources, enhancing circulation and mobility, and strengthening campus connections, with the goal of creating a sustainable, efficient, fiscally responsible facility and a pleasant user experience.
Varsity Lot’s central South Campus location bridges a one-mile gap between the Centennial and Central campuses and physically and visually connects them. Emphasizing micromobility, patrons can easily travel between the two campuses via scooters, bikes, sidewalks, and mass transit from the new lot. Pedestrian access is promoted between the north and south lots via two raised concrete pedestrian tables with trenched drains across the main drive lane. Continuous east and west sidewalks create unobstructed access across the lot.
To promote safety and security, blue light stanchions with emergency call buttons and two different types of
digital cameras were installed in strategic locations to maintain a 360-degree view of the lot. Passive measures include LED lighting and planting low shrubs to maintain clear sight lines throughout the property.
Sustainability goals were met by various means. Landscaping initiatives incorporated drought-tolerant vegetation and warm-weather sod. An integrative stormwater management system features medians and vegetative swales that convey runoff to a wet pond. During the demolition and removal of existing site structures, NCSU recycled 47.40% of the construction and debris waste, thereby diverting 588.99 tons of 100% clean concrete from local landfills. In addition to harvesting river rock from local quarries for the swales, 100 tons of river rock was upcycled from a separate on-campus demolition project. During construction, infrastructure for future photovoltaic roof panels was installed. Underscoring its commitment as an environmental steward, the university issued a change order to the engineering team requesting a site plan redesign to preserve a 150+-year-old pecan tree.
Surface Parking Facility Design
Port of Galveston Terminal 10 Parking
AWARDED TO: WGI, Inc.
OWNER: Galveston Wharves
PRIME CONSULTANT:
● Parking Design: WGI, Inc.
● Transportation Consulting and General Design: Trans Systems
● Technology Vendor: PSX Group
TOTAL COST: $9 million for parking areas and $4 million for associated infrastructure
Locatedjust 45 minutes from the open sea, the Port of Galveston has been a driving force for maritime activity since 1825. Planning for the port’s new Terminal 10 began in 2017, and the world’s first zero-energy, LEED Gold cruise facility opened in November 2022. As part of the larger $125 million project, two surface parking lots were incorporated. Between them, the North and South lots offer more than 1,100 spaces that exemplify the future of integrated parking ecosystems while enhancing the customer experience and providing high operational efficiency.
With solution flexibility and systems integration as project goals, the passenger-centric parking operation incorporates best-in-class technology for a simplified parking experience. Cross-platform integration includes parking access and revenue control systems (PARCS) equipment and software, license plate recognition peripherals, parking gates, and fully customizable roadway and variable message signs displaying real-time cruise
schedule updates, local and cruise destination weather, and available parking spots.
Both lots provide marked pedestrian walkways, covered sidewalks, and passenger shuttle stops. Electric vehicle charging stations are located in the North Lot, with a premium parking area protected by a 30,000-square-foot solar canopy whose photovoltaic panels supply all the energy for the parking operation and Terminal 10.
HONORABLE MENTION
SURFACE PARKING FACILITY DESIGN
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Innovation in a Mobility, Transportation, or Parking Program—
Accessible Parking and Transportation
Equity
Universal and Employee Transit Pass Program
AWARDED TO: University of Minnesota
OWNER: University of Minnesota
JUDGE’S COMMENTS:
“This is a commonsense program that improves equity and benefits many stakeholders and objectives!”
“Juggling many objectives and working with cross-collaboration partners, the U of M team created two phenomenal programs that meet not only a carbon reduction goal but also a customer need. This program pays for itself in dollars, carbon reduction, and the common good!”
“It’s fantastic that students can have unlimited access across transit platforms at a single fee!”
TheUniversity of Minnesota (U of M) is a public land-grant research university founded in 1851. One of five campuses in the system, Twin Cities is the flagship as the largest in size, student population, and number of undergraduate majors. Through its Parking & Transportation Services group, U of M Twin Cities launched an innovative transportation program to enhance accessibility, sustainability, cost savings, and convenience for students and employees. The comprehensive initiative introduced the Universal Transit Pass (UTP) in the fall of 2022 for students and the Employee Transit Pass (ETP) in the summer of 2023 for faculty and staff.
The UTP program offers more than 39,000 students unlimited access to the Twin Cities metro area’s public transit systems, including buses and light rail, through their student ID (U Card). The ETP program provides eligible faculty and staff members with affordable and eco-friendly commuting solutions.
Since their introduction, the UTP and ETP programs have delivered significant operational, programmatic, and service improvements. Operationally, they have streamlined transportation access for students, faculty, and staff. With the UTP, students realize a 74% cost savings when using public transit.
The ETP has simplified employee commuting by promoting a sustainable alternative to individual car usage and reducing campus traffic congestion.
On a programmatic level, the programs exemplify U of M’s commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility. Each contributes to the university’s Climate Action Plan goals by reducing carbon emissions associated with personal vehicle usage. They also foster a sense of community engagement by encouraging members to participate in a collective effort to reduce the campus’ carbon footprint.
APEX AWARD
ACCESSIBLE PARKING AND TRANSPORTATION EQUITY
Service improvements are evident in the ease and convenience provided by the U Card, which also functions as a transit pass, thanks to innovative dual-chip technology. The U Card contains both iClass and MIFARE chips—a pioneering approach. By adopting existing technology, the university streamlined integration with Metro Transit’s infrastructure and reduced the need for expensive hardware upgrades.
The program results from years of negotiations and partnerships between U of M and Metro Transit. Its
implementation required a cross-functional, interagency team comprising representatives from University Services Information Technology, Parking & Transportation Services, U Card Office, and Metro Transit Sales and Marketing Operations. The team worked diligently to implement the UTP in just two months. This was accomplished by leveraging existing technology to have the U Card be the credential and by rolling out a comprehensive communication and promotions plan.
The UTP is primarily funded through the Transportation and Safety Fee. In contrast, the ETP operates as an employee benefit with funding from university resources dedicated to sustainability and the 2025 strategic plan. The cost of both programs varies depending on the number of rides taken within the fiscal year. A crucial aspect of cost management is the partnership with MetroTransit, which sets a cost ceiling of $1.7 million, ensuring budget predictability and control. This cost-sharing arrangement safeguards the university’s finances while maintaining affordable transit options for students and employees.
The Universal and Employee Transit Pass Program exemplifies innovation and creativity by leveraging existing technology and emphasizing sustainability and equity. It also serves as a model for other educational institutions and organizations looking to enhance transportation access, reduce environmental impact, and promote responsible commuting practices.
Innovation in a Mobility, Transportation, or Parking Program—
Innovation and Technology
Parking on Plastic: UTA’s Plastic Roads Project
AWARDED TO: University of Texas at Arlington
OWNER: University of Texas at Arlington
TOTAL COST: $442,233
JUDGES’ COMMENTS:
“This project represents a groundbreaking approach to sustainability.”
“This technology can potentially change the asphalt industry and how we maintain our infrastructure.”
“A very impressive project from both an environmental perspective and a hands-on educational experience.”
High-maintenance asphalt parking lots have long been a costly headache for institutions like the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). The relentless cycle of repairs and resurfacing takes a toll on both budget and the environment. Driven by the desire to reduce costs, enhance the durability of campus parking lots, and embrace environmental responsibility, UTA Parking and Transportation, in collaboration with the Solid Waste Institute for Sustainability (SWIS), embarked on a groundbreaking journey in 2019. The idea was simple yet revolutionary: integrate shredded plastic with asphalt to create a more robust, longer-lasting material, in alignment with the goals of diverting significant quantities of plastic waste from landfills, reducing maintenance expenses, and extending the lifespan of UTA’s parking lots.
Known as the Plastic Roads Project, this initiative is a testament to the power of partnership and innovation that embodies UTA’s mission to advance knowledge and pursue excellence. On the more tangible side, the meticulously crafted recipe for this new paving material and its installation transformed two campus parking lots. It marked an audacious step forward for the entire asphalt industry. Creative thinking fueled the endeavor, whose research
team was led by Dr. Sahadat Hossain, a professor and the director of SWIS. Their efforts were backed by funding from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Dallas district, signaling a broader interest in this unique approach. Rather than adhering to traditional methodologies, the team sought original solutions to harness the environmental potential of discarded plastics. Methodical laboratory research was conducted to finetune the plastic-to-asphalt ratio. This rigorous experimentation and data-driven decision-making were critical to developing an optimal blend for durability. By actively testing various factors like aggregate size, plastic contamination levels, and mixing techniques, the team left nothing to chance.
The project to repave Employee Lot F10 and Student Lot 49 bridged the gap between academia and real-world applications by allowing students to engage in exciting research and explore critical aspects such as changes in the coefficient of friction and the impact of plastic contamination on longevity. These studies were not just confined to the classroom; they extended to the surface lots where students park their vehicles daily. Furthermore, the decision to carry out real-world trials underlined the project’s commitment to innovation and implementation.
One of the initiative’s most meaningful outcomes is diverting plastic waste from landfills. By repurposing four tons of plastic, equivalent to the capacity of 15 recycled trash trucks, UTA made a substantial contribution to reducing environmental pollution.
Although integrating plastics into the asphalt mixture added 10% to the overall project cost, UTA saw it as a worthwhile investment whose extra cost was offset by media attention, enhanced sustainability goodwill, anticipated future savings in deferred maintenance, and various other factors.
Completed in August 2023, the Plastic Parking Lot is the firstever application of plastic-infused asphalt worldwide. It wasn’t just about finding an environmentally responsible solution; it was about fundamentally changing the way in which UTA—a research, teaching, and public service institution—approached asphalt and sustainability. Now that the blueprint for this innovative technology has been established through the university’s partnership with private asphalt and paving companies, other institutions and municipalities in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Colombia, and Kaufman County, Texas, are applying it to their own projects.
Innovation in a Mobility, Transportation, or Parking Program— Innovation and Technology
DFW Airport Terminal Link Interactive Mapping
AWARDED TO: DFW International Airport
OWNER: DFW International Airport
PRIME CONSULTANT:
● Technology Developer: Move Agency
TOTAL COST: $285,000
AND
Dallas
Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is one of the world’s busiest, serving over 80 million passengers from five terminals last year. As is common at large airports, passengers often depart from one terminal and arrive at another, making it necessary to either walk or use airport transportation to return to the departing terminal garage where their car is parked. DFW provides inter-terminal transportation service through Skylink light rail on the secured side or the Terminal Link shuttle outside of security. Terminal Link shuttles travel between two stops each at Terminals A, B, C, D, and E at 10-minute intervals.
In September 2022, DFW launched the Shuttle 1.0 app to track the shuttles’ estimated arrival times and stops down the line. A year later, an interactive mapping component was added to the app, which resides within DFW’s official mobile app for IOS and Android devices. The tracking service can also be accessed on the airport’s website under “Helpful Services for Your Trip,” and via QR codes displayed at each Terminal Link shuttle stop.
With the interactive mapping upgrade, arrival times are shown by the minute and a realtime journey map is displayed for the selected destination and shuttle—effectively taking the guesswork out of waiting for tired travelers at the end of their journey who just want to go home. The thoughtful, customer-oriented app has been a resounding success, as evidenced ty a 26% decline in total operational complaints and a 48% decrease in wait-time complaints based on unsolicited customer feedback.
Innovation in a Mobility, Transportation, or Parking Program— Innovation and Technology
Miami Parking Authority’s Digital Smart Zone Program
AWARDED TO: Populus
OWNER: Miami Parking Authority
PRIME CONSULTANT:
● Software Developer: Populus
TOTAL COST: $100,000
Demand
for general parking in Miami’s commercial districts has grown, leading to more cases of non-commercial vehicles parked illegally in loading zones.
Unavailable loading zones lead to a rise in dangerous and illegal parking. To address the problem, the Miami Parking Authority (MPA) launched the Digital Smart Zone program to provide commercial fleet operators with seamless access to curb space without needing hardware or an app download. The program is designed to achieve operational improvements in parking, transportation, and safety in the city by enhancing efficiency, reducing congestion, and improving parking compliance.
HONORABLE
MPA worked with Populus to structure and implement the Digital Smart Zone program, which required digitizing curb inventory and aggregating parking data in the city’s two most congested neighborhoods. Digitizing policies for priority curb management zones into an industryleading data standard will enable the city to share associated parking rules with connected fleets.
The innovative program was made possible by leveraging industry-specific technologies like the Curb Data Specification (CDS), a digital tool from the Open Mobility Foundation. CDS provides the means for expressing static and dynamic regulations, measuring activity at the curb, and developing policies that create more accessible, useful curbs. Miami is also leaning on the CDS Events API as the standard framework for what is required of commercial fleet operators to enroll and participate in the Digital Smart Zones program and to promote a higher rate of participation.
Innovation in a Mobility, Transportation, or Parking Program— Innovation and Technology Division of Mobility and Parking Services Modernization Program
AWARDED TO: City of Columbus, Ohio
PROJECT: Columbus Division of Mobility and Parking Services: Reinvented!
OWNER: City of Columbus, Division of Mobility and Parking Services
Overthe past five years, the City of Columbus’ parking division significantly modernized and expanded its organization. The transformation began in 2019 with the completion of a strategic parking plan to guide the management of on-street parking. The first step in transforming outdated parking infrastructure into a virtual, technology-based system guided by industry best practices was teaming with ParkMobile to introduce the ParkColumbus app as a new and streamlined payment method. To elevate public perception, the city agency changed its name from the somewhat intimidating “Parking Violations Bureau” to “Parking Services.”
In 2021, amid historically low utilization and revenue due to the pandemic, the division’s portfolio expanded to include off-street parking facilities. Then, in 2022, as residents began to return to in-office work and the city revived, single-space meters were replaced with multispace kiosks and the app was promoted as the primary payment method. With a laser focus on creating an enhanced customer experience, the beloved “My Buddy Charles” educational campaign program was introduced, driving record app adoption and cementing Columbus as an industry leader in mobile parking.
At the end of 2022, the parking division added a transportation planning team that focused on multimodal planning and shared mobility device management, heralding a more holistic approach to curb management. This initiated a final name change to the current and much more inclusive Division of Mobility and Parking Services.
HONORABLE MENTION
INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Innovation in a Mobility, Transportation, or Parking Program— Human Resources
Drive Safety Forward
AWARDED TO: LAZ Parking
OWNER: LAZ Parking
TOTAL COST: $1 million
FromHONORABLE MENTION HUMAN RESOURCES
a small-scale startup in 1981, LAZ has grown into the largest privately held parking company in America. Today, it operates over 1.5 million parking spaces in more than 3,700 locations in 42 states. In 2022, the company launched “Drive Safety Forward,” a comprehensive management program that set a new baseline expectation for safety in all markets. The primary goals of Drive Safety Forward were to identify potential hazards and develop solutions to overcome operational challenges.
The $1 million investment in technology upgrades, infrastructure, and engagement efforts presented clients, team members, and the public with an unparalleled level of safety through meticulously planned and executed initiatives. The program incorporates daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual initiatives, with strategic launch dates rooted in analytics that optimize opportunities for positive operational impacts. An aggressive, multifaceted internal marketing campaign to promote safety awareness and encourage participation from all team members increased engagement in seasonal safety initiatives by up to 165%.
The direct and immediate impact on bottom-line costs is clear: In just 24 months from program inception, LAZ will recover 100% of its costs and expects to be profitable thereafter. Also, for the first time in a stabilized business year, incidents, claims frequency, and claim severity have trended downward despite unprecedented growth. Company statistics show a 10% decrease in claims frequency rates and a whopping 17% decrease in costs year over year. Further evidence of the program’s success is a 10.5% increase in LAZ’s existing workforce in the last 10 months alone.
HONORABLE MENTION
MOBILITY PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
Innovation in a Mobility, Transportation, or Parking Program— Mobility Programs and Services
Connecting Communities Through Micromobility
AWARDED TO: Miami Parking Authority
OWNER: Miami Parking Authority
TOTAL COST: $172,320 per year for two vehicles
Post-pandemic, the influx of people moving to Miami exacerbated traffic congestion in the city’s business improvement districts (BID). One of them, historic Coconut Grove, is Miami-Dade County’s oldest continuously inhabited community. Bordered by Biscayne Bay to the east, “the Grove” is known for luxury condominium buildings, high-end shopping, Michelin-starred restaurants, lush vegetation, and Bahamianstyled villages.
Such rapid growth threatened the Grove’s mobility, parking availability, and sustainability. Something had to be done, and the Miami Parking Authority (MPA) acted. Their challenge was to create a blueprint for connectivity from the Regatta Harbour garage, parking lots 62 and 72, and other points near the historic waterfront to the BID and back, with the desired
solution delivering a collaborative, useful, and free service to the community. Freebee—a privately-held Miami company that provides sustainable micro-mobility solutions through no-cost, on-demand transportation—became MPA’s ideal partner. Its vehicles are 100% electric, emission-free, and ADA-accessible.
The two six-person Freebee Circulator vehicles under contract have been a resounding success, with more than 24,000 passengers transported from the garage and parking lots to the BID and back in the first nine months after launch. Integration of Freebee into Miami’s transportation network has connected the community, closed the first- and last-mile gap, improved pedestrian and vehicular safety, reduced emissions, spurred economic vitality, encouraged social engagement, and increased the parking footprint.
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Marketing & Communications
“My Buddy Charles” Video Campaign
AWARDED TO: City of Columbus Division of Mobility & Parking Services
OWNER: City of Columbus Division of Mobility & Parking Services
PRIME CONSULTANT: Hunter Marketing
TOTAL COST: $303,439
JUDGES’ COMMENTS
“I really liked how “My Buddy Charles” brought a fun and friendly message to a city-wide change in Columbus’s parking program. It made a potentially difficult shift in operations very relatable by tying it to a smiling, happy face.”
“Absolutely loved the light-hearted but effective communication of this campaign!”
“This campaign serves as a case study for parking programs throughout the U.S. and what is possible.”
Asthe first step in a comprehensive city-wide program to transition from on-street parking infrastructure to a new asset-light and user-friendly model, Columbus, Ohio’s Division of Mobility and Parking Services (MAPS) removed nearly 1,300 singlespace meters, replacing them with mobile-pay-only zones to encourage contactless payment and reduce costs. The final transition from meters to the multispace kiosks was implemented in May 2022 during a two-and-a-half-week period, when 3,000 single-space meters were removed and replaced with 150 multi-space kiosks.
Planning the installation of 1,878 regulatory signs, ultimately altering over 22 miles of curb space took nearly six months. Associated program signage included 1,600 ParkColumbus mobile payment signs, 518 “Pay Here” signs at kiosk locations, and 930 wayfinding signs pointing customers toward the nearest kiosk.
The new system required customers to re-learn how to park, which naturally generated apprehension. In response, the city’s Division of Mobility and Parking Services (MAPS) hired a local marketing communications firm, Hunter Marketing, to develop a multifaceted campaign to educate the public. The approach had to be thoughtful and gentle, with a focus on reading all the new signage, using the kiosks, choosing a payment method, and understanding enforcement. The result was “My Buddy
Charles,” a video series that uses sitcom-style humor to engage residents, employees, and visitors, and educate them about the new parking system in a fun way.
The concept for “My Buddy Charles” was rooted in the belief that people prefer to receive help from someone they trust. To serve as the friendly and approachable face and voice of the campaign, the city tapped Charles Newman, a real community member, City of Columbus public information officer, and local pastor. Not limited to video alone, the campaign also uses social and paid media, incorporating display banners, billboards, radio and print magazine advertisements to reach the widest audience possible. The campaign’s evolution has been truly organic, from tailoring messaging in real time based on customer feedback to creating T-shirts at the request of fans.
On social media, the campaign has garnered an average of 82,415 impressions per video. Out on the street, billboards reinforced the messaging with an average of 2.6 million impressions per month. However, its success is most evident in recorded app usage. Prior to the launch of the meter transition and campaign, the
ParkColumbus app accounted for 45% of all on-street parking revenue and 31% of all transactions. Since the introduction of “My Buddy Charles,” revenue from the ParkColumbus app has doubled. Currently, the app accounts for 90% of all revenue, and 87% of transactions happen via mobile device. This is one of the highest adoption rates in the country for app usage.
As the campaign carries on, MAPS continues to average 22,348 new ParkColumbus app users each month. In addition to driving adoption of the app and a better understanding of the new parking system, the campaign has improved the public perception of MAPS and even helped with recruitment.
Marketing & Communications
Public Travel Smarter, Park Smarter
Campaign
AWARDED TO: Houston Airport System
OWNER: Houston Airport System
PRIME CONSULTANT:
● Creative Agency: Mnemonic
● Digital Advertising Consultant: Basis Technology
TOTAL COST: $1.4 million
TheHouston Airport System (HAS) manages George Bush Intercontinental/Houston Airport, William P. Hobby Airport, Ellington Field, and the Houston Spaceport. Like its counterparts in the travel industry, HAS faced multiple challenges stemming from the pandemic. Among them were reconnecting with customers, reaching potential new leisure travelers, increasing revenue through its reservation platform, updating and rebranding its creative catalog, and replacing its retiring creative agency.
In response, HAS deployed Travel Smarter, Park Smarter, a comprehensive, fully integrated, multiplatform marketing campaign crafted to authentically connect with Houston’s diverse audience. Understanding the hardships imposed on Houstonians at the height of the pandemic, the campaign emphasized celebrating the reasons individuals and families travel and raised awareness for the savings available through HAS’s various parking options: ecopark, terminal, and valet.
Six consulting firms were selected to fulfill the marketing team’s goal of increasing parking reservations and annual revenues by rebranding their products to inspire pride in Houston travelers. Creative messaging and content were strategically aligned with media channels that resonated with consumers, allowing the campaign to capitalize on current events and seasonally relevant messages that meshed with the city’s cultural landscape.
The $1.35 million campaign ran across multiple screens, digital and social media platforms, outdoor, radio, and fly2houston.com from January 2022 through October 2023. Based on analytics showing increased online paid parking reservations online, revenue generation, and a $17.70 return on ad spending, Travel Smarter, Park Smarter accomplished HAS’s primary goals.
HONORABLE MENTION
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS (PUBLIC)
Marketing & Communications
Private ZipBy App Launch
AWARDED TO: EasyPark
OWNER: EasyPark
PRIME CONSULTANT: ZipBy (App and Marketing)
TOTAL COST: $175,250
Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, EasyPark manages and operates 150 parking facilities throughout the city. In May 2022, they partnered with ZipBy, a leader in parking technology, to develop a convenient, efficient, and secure ticketless solution through their ZipBy mobile app.
As the only app in EasyPark’s five-app payment portfolio that can be used at on-street, non-gated and gated facilities, ZipBy allows drivers to reserve, extend, and pay for parking via their mobile devices, eliminating the need to use cash or touch parking meters. The free IOS and Android compatible app has a unique feature that automatically converts to the language of the user’s phone. Eleven languages are currently supported.
In preparation for the full launch in December 2022, the “frictionless parking” app was tested at 12 key sites. From user feedback, EasyPark learned that the app’s mascot, Zippy, was a big hit with customers. Subsequently, all marketing materials, social media posts, kiosks, meters, and signage have incorporated Zippy, who dances onscreen when payment is made. Additional marketing efforts included community engagement through partnerships with the Greater Vancouver Food Bank, theater events, festivals, air shows, and the annual Pacific National Exhibition. A branded vehicle appears at all events, where swag and $500 gift cards are distributed.
After only 10 months, the ZipBy app accounted for over 25% of all EasyPark sales, their highest payment device to date. Year to date revenue of $3 million on 250,000 transactions with an average revenue per transaction value of $12 are the highest numbers EasyPark has achieved compared to its other mobile apps.
Surface Parking Facility Restoration
Campus-Wide Parking Repairs
AWARDED TO: Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.
OWNER: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
PRIME CONSULTANTS:
● Engineering: Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.
● Contractor: Ruston Paving Co., Inc.
TOTAL CONSTRUCTION COST: $1.6 million
JUDGES’ COMMENTS:
“Going with the alternative full-depth reclamation repair was a great choice for saving time and money. Being mindful of the Child Care Center’s schedule showed the community that they are seen.”
“The project was well-planned and timed to mitigate disruption on campus.”
“Taking on the resurfacing of so many parking lots at once is very impressive.”
TheUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill) owns, operates, and maintains 163 surface parking lots and 10 parking decks, providing 23,300 parking spaces on the 729acre campus. In 2021, the university engaged KimleyHorn to do a campuswide condition assessment and provide an asset management plan for existing surface parking lots and decks. The report identified deficiencies and prioritized repairs over the next five years. Phase 1 work began in 2022 and encompassed repairs to the Ridge Road crosswalk and seven surface lots totaling 2,104 spaces.
A key project consideration was scheduling the work around ongoing campus activities and special events. Accordingly, bidding, procurement, and construction began after the spring academic semester and occurred over the summer months. UNC-Chapel Hill also allowed the contractor, Ruston Paving Company, Inc., to shut down larger areas of the surface lots when necessary. These measures minimized the impact on users and expedited the schedule. During parking shutdowns, users were relocated to alternate parking areas. The contractor maintained a two-week schedule for the Transportation and Parking Department to track how upcoming work would affect users, communicate relocations, and make accommodations. For the crosswalk repairs, construction was carefully
coordinated with Transportation and Parking Department staff to avoid disrupting summer baseball activities. In observance of the university’s Environment, Health and Safety Department’s robust requirements for maintaining a safe and healthy campus environment, construction activities near the Child Care Center were avoided during peak drop-off and pick-up times.
significant poor subgrade conditions, requiring a full-depth pavement and subgrade replacement. Normally, the repair would consist of removing the defective material and replacing them with properly compacted new material, but this would have had negative cost and schedule repercussions. Instead, a milling drum was used to pulverize the existing bituminous surface, granular base, and portions of the subgrade down to a desired depth. Portland cement was mixed into the base to create a stabilized and densified subgrade, and the new asphalt surface was installed on top.
For the end user there was no perceived difference, but the alternative process saved UNC-Chapel Hill two weeks on the schedule and $260,000 in extra costs. There were environmental benefits as well: the solution recycled in-place materials and reduced the amount of construction debris to dispose of and the number of truck trips needed to haul it off-site, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Phase 1 was completed in October 2023. Future phases this year will address repairs to additional surface parking lots and parking garages on campus.
The massive scope of work focused on repairs to asphalt and concrete pavements that would mend structural defects, improve lot appearance, and enhance the user experience. Action items included 2-inch milling and asphalt replacement, full-depth asphalt and concrete pavement replacement, crack sealing, asphalt seal coat, curb replacement, and re-striping. Various ADA compliance upgrades, which were recommended from a previous audit performed internally by UNC-Chapel Hill, were made to two lots and the crosswalk.
Although most areas of concern at the Friday Center South lot called for two-inch milling and asphalt replacement, during repairs the contractor encountered
Sustainable Design
Maple Street Deck
AWARDED TO: Allentown Parking Authority
OWNER: Allentown Parking Authority
PRIME CONSULTANT:
● Architecture: Bernardon
● Structural: MacIntosh Engineering, now DCI Engineers
● Civil and Landscape Architecture: Rettew
● Electrical: Entegra Integrated Energy Engineering and Orlando Diefenderfer Electrical Contractors
● Lighting Design: Entegra Integrated Energy Engineering
● HVAC and Plumbing: Industrial Valley Design and Dual Temp Company
● Parking and Traffic: McMahon Associates, now Bowman
TOTAL COST: $24.7 million
JUDGES’ COMMENTS:
“The use of the Smog Armor paint is a great idea to cut down on emissions. It is functional as well as beautiful.”
“The incorporation of pollution-eating paint was fascinating and only further proves that our industry will continue to improve for the better. It is wise to stay on the cutting edge of all new technology, even paint.”
Oneof six parking garages in downtown Allentown, Pennsylvania, the Maple Street Deck replaced the aging 524-space 9th and Walnut Deck, and the 110-space Fountain Lot. The new precast concrete structure, which holds 1,100 parking spaces on six levels, is conveniently located for patrons of the shops, restaurants, and offices located in the bustling 800 and 900 blocks of Hamilton Street, as well as the DaVinci Science Center at PPL Pavilion which opened in May.
The $24.7 million design-build project was led by North Star Construction Management. Architectural design efforts by Bernardon focused largely on the Maple Street façade, with special attention given to creatively integrating large curtain wall elements enclosing two stair towers and ADA compliant design compatible with accessible van entry and navigation inside the garage.
Sustainable design features include two dual head EV charging stations with room to add a third; energy efficient lighting and controls; water quality controls; pollution-eating paint; and a green roof that decreased impervious cover by 18,175 square feet. During demolition of the old deck, all of the concrete and steel was taken to a salvage yard where it was processed and reused.
The deck’s lighting elements are exclusively LED, which typically uses about one-third of the energy required by high pressure sodium lamps. Ongoing maintenance keeps the lenses clean so that ideal lighting levels can be maintained. System controls include photocells and sensors that provide automatic on/off and dimming control and a digital 24-hour clock. Lighting in the closed alleyway on the east and west sides of the deck is controlled by motion sensors.
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
The green roof is planted with 10 different varieties of sedum. According to the National Park Service, succulents such as sedum are often chosen for extensive green roofs because they withstand harsh conditions and minimize water loss. Succulents are one type of plant that utilizes crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM). Plants that utilize CAM open their stomata (pores used in photosynthesis) at night, taking up carbon dioxide, and keep their stomata closed during the day while they photosynthesize the carbon dioxide. Because of this characteristic, CAM plants minimize water loss, help with stormwater management, and emit evaporated water through their leaves as vapor. There are two spigots on the roof that Allentown Parking Authority staff can readily access to water the sedum during extreme dry spells.
Perhaps the most eye-catching—and environmentally innovative—feature of the 346,390-square-foot structure is a patriotically hued mural commissioned by the Parking Authority and Allentown Mural Arts was painted on the Maple
Street façade by Dripped On Productions using revolutionary pollution-absorbing paint called Smog Armor. Lab tests have proven Smog Armor to reduce air pollution by up to 95.1% in one hour. The non-toxic, zero-VOC, water-based paint is infused with zeolite, an enhanced mineral that attracts and neutralizes harmful air pollutants, including carbon dioxide, VOCs, and airborne chemicals for five to seven years. Because it will continuously absorb emissions from vehicles on Maple Street and in the parking deck, the 10,000-square-foot mural is not only the functional equivalent of planting 20 street trees, but also serves as a testament to the city’s ingenuity in reducing its carbon footprint through art.
DOROTHY J. VERDON , CPSM, is the Owner of Bright Bunny Communications. She can be reached at dorothy@ brightbunnycommunications.com
2024 IPMI Events Calendar
JUNE
JUNE 4
Free Member Chat Conference First Timers’ Orientation
