2008 Woodie Awards
Consultant to help formulate solution for lack of parking
School searching for ways to make more space on-campus to alleviate parking crunch
Oliva Talavan
Issue date: 9/25/07 Section: News
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Having just arrived on campus with 20 minutes to get to class, hoping that there is enough time to use the restroom and find a seat, commuters often end up spending all 20 minutes finding a parking space. The only lots open are in the Agenos, which is a 10-minute walk to class.
Saint Mary's has created a the Campus Facilities Planning Committee (CFPC) to create new parking and transportation plans. The CFPC hired Walker Parker Consultants (WPC) to help them strategize. WPC has worked with other universities such as, University of San Diego, University of California at Berkeley, and Gonzaga University.
Hired a year and a half ago, WPC surveyed the campus in order to develop a plan for new parking locations. They discovered that there are 5,092 students, staff, and faculty on campus, with only 2,139 available parking spaces.
Peter Michell, vice president for finance and chair of CFPC said, "We are at our peak parking right now."
This is not only a major concern for the campus, but for the city of Moraga as well.
The town of Moraga is worried about Saint Mary's not having enough parking spaces and possibly having to park in parts of the town. Also, the town is concerned with how much traffic the College may generate as it continues to grow.
In addition to analyzing the parking spaces on campus, WPC has been looking at prospective areas for future parking. As Saint Mary's expands in size with buildings and in population there will be more of a demand for parking spaces.
The College has plans of reaching up to 3,000 undergraduate students and constructing a recreational center, baseball field, and more housing. If parking areas are used up to expand the campus, there needs to be a plan to create more parking spaces.
The Saint Mary's campus lies on 420 acres of land, however the land that can be built on is very limited. Since the hills are weak, the campus can only build on roughly 100 acres of land.
Instead of expanding outward, the College must expand upward or into the ground.
Saint Mary's has created a the Campus Facilities Planning Committee (CFPC) to create new parking and transportation plans. The CFPC hired Walker Parker Consultants (WPC) to help them strategize. WPC has worked with other universities such as, University of San Diego, University of California at Berkeley, and Gonzaga University.
Hired a year and a half ago, WPC surveyed the campus in order to develop a plan for new parking locations. They discovered that there are 5,092 students, staff, and faculty on campus, with only 2,139 available parking spaces.
Peter Michell, vice president for finance and chair of CFPC said, "We are at our peak parking right now."
This is not only a major concern for the campus, but for the city of Moraga as well.
The town of Moraga is worried about Saint Mary's not having enough parking spaces and possibly having to park in parts of the town. Also, the town is concerned with how much traffic the College may generate as it continues to grow.
In addition to analyzing the parking spaces on campus, WPC has been looking at prospective areas for future parking. As Saint Mary's expands in size with buildings and in population there will be more of a demand for parking spaces.
The College has plans of reaching up to 3,000 undergraduate students and constructing a recreational center, baseball field, and more housing. If parking areas are used up to expand the campus, there needs to be a plan to create more parking spaces.
The Saint Mary's campus lies on 420 acres of land, however the land that can be built on is very limited. Since the hills are weak, the campus can only build on roughly 100 acres of land.
Instead of expanding outward, the College must expand upward or into the ground.