If approved at the state Board of Regents meeting in April, parking permit fees will increase about 4 percent next year as part of a five-year plan to build a parking ramp.

“The increase is pretty modest,” said Doug Houghton, director of DPS’ parking division. “We remain one of the least expensive places to park in the Big 12.”

Houghton said the ramp is the main project suggested in a parking study conducted a few years ago. Each year for the past three years, $200,000 has been put aside for the ramp and other parking projects.

The concept behind building a parking ramp is to create more short-term, accessible parking and to protect the environment around campus, Houghton said.

“New buildings take existing space [for parking],” he said. “There is little space left without cutting into the green space.”

The increase would be welcomed by some students and faculty, as long as something is done about the campus parking situation in the near future.

Jean Holt, secretary in the architecture department, said in the area where she usually parks, behind the College of Design building in the general staff lot, there is a shortage of spots and no place for guests to park.

“There just aren’t enough spots for everyone in general parking,” Holt said. “It’s always been that way.”

One of the remedies for the shortage of parking spots is to park in the commuter parking lot at the Iowa State Center and take CyRide’s Orange Route to campus, but Holt said she finds riding the bus to campus inconvenient, especially if she wants to go out for lunch or to a meeting.

Tom Hromatka, junior in electrical engineering, parks his car in Lot 63. Hromatka said he thinks parking on campus is a headache.

“It would be nice if a parking ramp could be built,” Hromatka said. “But the problem is there’s too many people who want parking spots.”

Gerrid Mellman, junior in industrial technology, also has a parking permit for Lot 63 and said the lot is always full and littered with broken bottles and trash. He said before a new ramp is built, the current parking facilities should get more attention.

“If they’re going to ask us to pay more to park here, DPS should patrol more and clean it up,” Mellman said.

Mellman said he thinks the current cost of parking is reasonable, but instead of being a separate expense, permits should automatically be available to students.

“Why tack other expenses onto the cost of school?” Mellman asked.