Downtown Parking Garage Project
March 2024 Update
The City held a groundbreaking to mark the start of construction on the parking garage on March 26, 2024.
As of March 12, 2024, City Council approved the construction contract for the downtown Austin Avenue parking garage at 502 S. Main Street.
After a competitive Sealed Proposal solicitation, Swinerton Builders was selected to provided general contracting service for the city on the construction of the downtown parking garage, which will include 315 parking spaces. WGI of Frisco, Texas is the design engineer for the garage.
The contract cost is $19.8 million. Funding for the project comes from the American Rescue Plan Act, certificates of obligation bonds, and the Downtown Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone.
Number of Parking Spots: 315
Current estimated timeline: Completion anticipated September 2025.
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These are the design concepts as of January 2023. The Historic and Architectural Review Commission is scheduled to review the concepts for final approval Jan. 26, 2023, after which the design will go to City Council for adoption.
Why are we considering a parking garage now?
The 2015 Downtown Parking Study recommended short-, mid- and long-term solutions. Many of the short-term solutions have been implemented, including expanding and enhancing surface parking and increasing enforcement for three-hour limited parking.
The City has seen robust development during the past four years, with 40 new businesses opening in 2019. As the intensity of use increases for the downtown area, parking needs increase. According to estimates from the Planning Department, the new businesses that have come to downtown would have been required to add nearly 700 parking spots, had the businesses been constructed outside of the downtown area.
The proposed first garage presents a mid-term parking solution that fits the City budget and addresses parking for the square in a convenient location. This project is expected to help address the additional parking needs due to increased activity so that visitors are not tempted to utilize on street parking in the adjacent neighborhoods.
Why Tamiro?
- Provides parking in the NE quadrant with most current parking pressure
- More development on the near-term horizon in this quadrant
- Opportunity for mid-sized garage as a first
- Will be a reliever for parking when future garage(s) are built
- Less costly than at Ninth and Main streets
- Visibility to visitors
- Council approved land swap on April 26, 2022
- Usage agreement which would allow for maintaining nearly 200 parking spots during construction
- Opportunity for P3 (Public Private Partnership)
How many spaces were available in downtown in 2015? In 2019?
The 2015 Parking study included the Monument Café lot and the North Library parking lot and included 610 lot spaces. With the sale and development of city owned properties, 83 spots were reduced for public use. In addition, 24 spaces were utilized with the development of the Watkins building (on a non-city owned lot that was used by the public). The expansion of the Sunflower lot (currently under construction) will net an additional 66 spaces. The parking garage is expected to increase overall public parking by 158 spaces.
How would the parking garage be funded?
The cost and financing for the garage will depend upon the design. The proposed garage had a budget of $5 million, with debt that is amortized during 20 years. The annual payments of the debt were budgeted to be split equally between the property tax rate for the entire city tax base and the Downtown Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone Fund (only downtown properties). The Downtown TIRZ is already in place and the revenue comes from existing taxes.
Funding considerations include:
- Federal America Rescue Plan Act
- FY2022 Certificates of Obligation
- FY2023 Certificates of Obligation
Will the City only ever build one garage?
The City will continue to evaluate parking needs for the downtown area, consistent with the parking study and the master plan. The first garage likely will be followed by a second garage in the future, when demands increase. The City is also making other parking improvements, including expanding the Sunflower lot (across from library), which is property the City leases from Williamson County. The County retains the right to use that lot to address their future facility needs.
Additional parking needs will be assessed during the development of the updated Downtown Master Plan, which will be worked on in 2023 through 2024.
Council is considering an update to the parking study in conjunction with the Tamiro project.
How many total parking spaces would be created in the parking garage?
The total number of spaces ultimately would be determined in the location and final design of the garage. Council directed staff to create a minimum of 150 net new parking spaces. The Tamiro site will provide 319 spaces with infrastrucutre included to provide power for future Electric Vehicle Charging Stations.
Will it cost money to park in the garage?
The City does not intend to charge for parking in a garage during the first few years, but may choose to charge or limit parking during special events (for example, may consider the garage being utilized for ADA parking during festivals). Future Councils may choose to change this policy if needs and demands change in the future.
If a garage is approved, what would the tentative schedule look like?
If Council approves a contract to design and build a parking garage downtown, it would be at least two years before anyone could park in the garage. During that time, use and visits to downtown will continue to grow.
The preliminary schedule for the initial garage showed:
- Design – estimated 9-10 months, earliest estimated completion: Summer 2023
- Bid/Construction – estimated 15-18 month, earliest estimated completion: Winter 2024
When a garage is constructed at Sixth and Main streets, where can I park during construction of the parking garage?
These free parking lots downtown are available:
- Red Poppy Lot at Ninth and Main streets: 136 spaces
- Sunflower Lot at Eighth and Martin Luther King Jr. streets: 140 spaces
- Daisy Lot at Fifth Street and Austin Avenue: 108 spaces
- Williamson County public parking garage at Third and Rock: 400 spaces
- Bluebonnet Lot at Sixth and Main streets: 47 spaces
Will renovations at 101 E. Seventh St., the former Council Chamber and Municipal Court building, affect parking?
The City has agreed to provide use of a portion of the property that will become the garage for use during structural enhancements to 101 Seventh St. Staff is communicating regularly with the owner on project schedules. According to the current project schedule, no conflict is anticipated. Staff will continue to coordinate with the building owner to mitigate any conflicts if schedules shift.
What is the Downtown Parking Garage Stakeholder Steering Committee?
This committee was established in 2019 to provide input to the City staff and Council about a potential parking garage. Its members were appointed by the City Council. View meeting agendas and minutes here.
