Ferndale Council to Vote Monday on Location of Parking Deck
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Oct. 20, 2016)
Ferndale, MI – Ferndale City Council is expected to vote Monday on whether or not to approve constructing a parking deck at the corner of W. Troy and Allen where the W. Troy Parking Lot is currently.
The vote would be a resolution in support of the location. The City would then move forward with a public input phase and the creation of more concrete plans.
A Parking Committee made up of Downtown Ferndale business owners researched options for building a deck, and decided on the W. Troy location. The DDA Board voted to support the plan which would add four levels of parking along with apartments and commercial space.
Architects from Fusco Shaffer Pappas, a Ferndale-based firm, came to the Planning Commission Wednesday to share where they are in the process. Dan Mooney of FSP emphasized that the concept is in the “really high level conceptual phase,” and that the project could change as discussion progresses with the city and the public.
As it stands the deck will likely be four stories, with apartments at the east and west ends, with ground level commercial on the first floor facing W. Troy. The deck will be constructed in such a way that it could support an additional two floors should the City want to add on vertically in the future. Currently there are 138 spaces in the lot. The structure would bring that up to 350.
Apart from that, most of the details are not yet planned. “There are few ‘knowns’ at this time,” Mooney said. “The size of the structure and the need for commercial on the first floor.”
“We know there’s a need for parking,” he added.
The committee had considered building two parking structures, on one the east side and one on the west, but ultimately could only be bonded for up $15 million. Repayment of the bond would be made through the Auto Parking Fund, which comes from parking ticket revenue.
“The location makes a lot of sense,” said Planning Commission member and former Councilperson Kate Baker. She and other members were excited about the plans but concerned about communication and making sure that construction would not hurt businesses. “Timing for our business owners is really important,” she said.
Assistant City Manager Joe Gacioch said that the City was in negotiations with Credit Union One (located on E. 9 Mile) to lease space in their parking deck during construction.
Councilperson Dan Martin, who is the liaison to the Planning Commission, asked that residents in the area be sent notice of the proposed project and the meeting on Monday.
Martin also applauded the DDA and the members of the committee. “I really appreciate the partnership that the DDA has shown on this,” he said.
The Ferndale City Council meeting is Monday, Oct. 24 at 7pm at Ferndale City Hall.