About 1,260 new and renovated parking spaces could be created on campus by 2005 if a proposal by the Department of Public Safety Parking Division is approved.

The proposed project, which will cost an estimated $12.5 million, includes three phases – new, improved and expanded stadium lots, a parking deck and a parking ramp. The proposal would be funded with an existing $1 million in seed money, parking fee increases, parking fines and special event revenues. The ISU Athletic Department also may contribute up to 30 percent of the stadium lot costs, said Capt. Doug Houghton, DPS parking program manager.

“We’ve been working on this for a long time,” he said.

The first phase, stadium parking, will cost about $2.96 million. It will add about 600 new student parking spots by fall 2002 and will be included on the CyRide Orange Route.

“We went from less than half to 65 percent [of students] bringing cars in less than a five-year period,” Houghton said. “We will solve not only the residence hall parking issue, but also the greek system parking issue at the same time.”

The proposal will increase student parking fees an estimated $15 each year for three years, from $42 to $87 per year. General staff permits also will increase by $15 each year, from $59 to $105 per year.

The two other phases, a $2.5 million, 160-stall parking deck to be completed by 2003 and a $7.03 million, 500-stall multi-level parking garage to be completed by 2005, are also included in the proposal.

“We serve the campus community better if we try to solve a wide range of problems in one fell swoop,” Houghton said.

“The problem exists, and this is the least expensive method of fixing it.”

The exact locations and building plans of the deck and garage have yet to be determined, but each will fill faculty parking needs on the east and west ends of campus.

The DPS Parking Division also will take over the maintenance of each parking lot, in addition to its current enforcement and permit-issuing duties.

The ISU Transportation Advisory Council will fine-tune the proposal by the end of January.

The proposal will then be presented to the administration and finally passed on to the Board of Regents in March, Houghton said.

Stadium construction has been pushed to the forefront and, if approved, is slated to be complete by the time students arrive for the 2002 fall semester.

Rick Fox, manager of the project, said the window for the construction is tight.

“This is kind of a tricky project because we need to do a large amount of work and have it done by the time students come back in the fall,” said Fox, landscape architect for Facilities Planning and Management. “We’re left with about four months for construction, give or take a few weeks. There’s no time for much error.”

Although the economy is slow and large tuition increases are now a reality, Houghton said, the project is necessary.

“We recognize this is a tough time, and that’s why we’re proposing a phased increase,” he said.

“This is the cheapest time in 30 years to borrow money and do construction.”

Houghton said he hopes to get more feedback from the campus community about the plans before they are finalized at the end of the month.

“The people who would pay that price need to decide if they want to buy this. We want to have everyone involved,” he said.

“We’re not so far we can’t back out.”

University Resident Parking

Iowa $189

UNI $20-37.50

Kansas State $65

Kansas $85

Oklahoma $114

Oklahoma State $44

Baylor $175

Colorado $180-297

Texas A&M $125

Texas Tech $110

Texas – garage $485

Texas – surface $80

Missouri – garage $144

Missouri – surface $120

Iowa State $42