Campustown parking may be more plentiful by August if all goes according to Ev Cochrane and Associates’ plan.

Russ McCullough, project manager for the company, said they have plans to tear down two older homes on the 200 block of Stanton Avenue to build a parking ramp.

“Over 400 spaces will be provided,” McCullough said. “They can be used by any Cochrane tenant on Stanton.”

In addition to people who live in Cochrane-owned apartments, other Ames residents would be able to lease space from them for parking.

“If they are our tenants, the cost of the space will be figured into the rents,” McCullough said. “If they are not, then I will estimate the cost to be $30 to $40 dollars per month.”

On March 4, the Ames City Council passed a motion to, adopt a resolution that states’ parking ramps must be constructed as an accessory to a new or existing apartment dwelling.

The ramp must provide at least 50 percent more spaces than are required for the apartment dwelling it’s intended to service, said Diane Voss, the Ames city clerk.

She said before a company can receive a tax abatement to build a parking ramp, they have to go before the city council and have a public hearing.

Voss said there has to be a 30-day notice give of the meeting before it is scheduled to take place.

“An ordinance for urban revitalization is then created and must pass at three separate meetings and three different readings,” she said.

City council member Russ Cross said the council didn’t specifically vote to provide tax abatements for any one company.

“We did create a program to encourage the building of parking ramps,” he said. “We didn’t deal with any specific requests from Ev Cochrane and Associates, but we do anticipate such a request.”

McCullough said the parking spaces cannot be leased to outside commercial interests and are only for residential use.

“The purpose of the ramp is to increase parking in Campustown,” he said. “It is not going to be like the parking at the Memorial Union.”