Surface Lots.

[wheatie]

I think it's the higher cost of parking in decks that is a major deterrent. When I lived in Chicago, I would search a minimum of thirty minutes for a street spot before I would consider a deck.

[SmellyCat]

When I lived in Chicago, I would search a minimum of thirty minutes for a street spot before I would consider a deck.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Is this George Costanza?

[MZT]

Fine for y'all. But I'm not backing off my assertion that most people (most typical ruralites and suburbanites) don't like decks. This is an *urbanist* website.

Yeah, a car gets hot sitting outside in the sun. But the average driver is used to that and accepts it.

I see this as kinda like the choice between an air dryer and paper towels. It's obvious which one is the best use of resources. But people generally just prefer paper towels anyway.

[wheatie]

Is this George Costanza?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've got better hair. It never actually took that long. Persistence usually paid off within 10-15 minutes of loooking. Just never try to find a parking place in Lincoln Park.

[ilektronik]

Fine for y'all. But I'm not backing off my assertion that most people (most typical ruralites and suburbanites) don't like decks. This is an *urbanist* website.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm a suburbanite. I prefer decks; same with every other suburbanite that I know or have met. There goes your theory.

[f0xym0p]

I don't know that it's actually the decks people are opposed to, but a number of factors that people have mentioned, such as not being able to tell if/where spaces are available, having to park and walk to the destination, and the perception of being less safe.

The same people who have no problem parking in a 2-3 level deck at the mall may not want to use one downtown because they are less familiar with them, they don't know if or how much they charge, and they don't know how to get in and out of them. It's not the parking deck concept they are inherently against, but all the other issues along with it.

[MZT]

Walking out of a deck is probably less distance than from the edge of a Wall-Mart or Mall lot.

But it's not an environment that people are as familiar with. I know i've had the experience of going back to the deck, and I can see my car "on the other side." But the structure didn't have a cut-through in the middle, so I ended up walking arouuunnnd the deck to get to it.

In a surface lot, if you're a little lost, you can stand on the curb, squint your eyes and "look in all directions" and re-orient yourself. There's more obstruction in the deck.

Yeah, I know-- the solution is to just remember where your freakin' car is. But the inattentive have an easier time remembering "the car was near the billboard" or "by the cafeteria", than floor X side Y of the parking deck. We've spent eons living in a 2-d landscape and it's just a more natural way to think.

FWIW, my #1 gripe about decks, and why I don't use them except on the weekend, is this: People drive too doggone fast in them, and whip around the curves. I've seen corners of other cars get clipped... and almost been sideswiped a few times myself when I back out.

[A2]

Can someone please go buy this guy some flowers or something. This is my kind of guy. NO STINKING PARKING LOTS !

Furman is qouted as saying:

Asked what uptown will look like in 10 years, Furman predicts 25,000 residents (almost three times the current population) and no street-level parking lots.

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/business/12401756.htm

A2

[bobliocatt]

I always hear about people complaining about surface lots in Charlotte and how they disrupt the urban fabric. While this is true, there are plenty of cities where the surface lots are not ever mentioned (on this and other forums).

NOTE: I know that Charlotte may have a proportionally higher number of surface lots, but these other cities still have a whole bunch of them.

Comparisons.

Minneapolis MN

Detroit MI

Jacksonville FL

There are probably a great deal of other cities that have many surface lots but Im too lazy to find them.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't think the issue is having surface parking lots, since most American cities do. Its about having a downtown core completely cut off from historical urban neighborhoods. For example, Downtown Jacksonville connects with Springfield, to the North and San Marco, to the South. Although Detroit has suffered greatly from urban renewal, there's still a pattern of urban development that connects it with New Center, along Woodward. Once again, Tampa's downtown connects to Tampa Heights, to the North.

Nevertheless, all of these cities get blasted by their local forumers in their sub-forums about these lots. After all, the site of Jax's lots was once the known as LaVilla, Florida's first urban African-American community with lots of history only to be torn down, because of a lack of vision from city leaders during the early 1990s. Tampa's lots were once a warehouse district torn down for the creation of an expressway.

Charlotte currently suffers because a combination of surface lots and a ring of expressways completely cut it off from the rest of the city. As the city continues to fill in, this will become less of an issue with everything inside of the loop forming one good sized urban pedestrian friendly core.

[atlrvr]

On the topic of parking decks.....a building permit was issued to finished the facade on the Holiday Inn/Trade Center Parking deck that has had the test pieces up for several months now.....thanks god...that is the ugliest damn deck in the city.

[dubone]

FINALLY!!!

the only thing uglier than a surface lot downtown is a deck with no facade!

i was running by that deck a few weeks ago and i noticed the little metal pieces turning with the wind. it looks cool. it will be interesting to see what pattern they use across the whole deck. hopefully it won't completely block the view from the deck, as it is one of the best views of the new arena. that is part of the fun of parking in a deck.

[skylinedrive]

On the topic of parking decks.....a building permit was issued to finished the facade on the Holiday Inn/Trade Center Parking deck that has had the test pieces up for several months now.....thanks god...that is the ugliest damn deck in the city.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I noticed they are paying $2M to put the wind screen on that parking deck. Would this be the most expensive piece of public art in Charlotte?

[atlrvr]

BofA owns the deck right? I know it's a private deck so the city won't be paying.

[skylinedrive]

BofA owns the deck right?  I know it's a private deck so the city won't be paying.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I meant public art as in open to the public at no cost. Just like the statues at the 4 corners of the square which were also privately financed.

So does anyone know if there is more expensive public art out there?