S Fifth Ave Underground Parking Structure Project
Construction of downtown's new underground parking structure project has begun!
The City of Ann Arbor and the Ann Arbor DDA are installing a new underground parking structure, midblock alley, midblock street (dubbed “Library Lane”), water mains and electric improvements in the area commonly referred to as the “Library Lot” Block. The new parking structure portion of this project will be fully paid for with parking revenues generated by the patrons of the public parking system – with no use of tax dollars.
- Updates & Webcam - Track our Progress
- Construction Logistics
- Contact our Project Managers
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Project Overview
- Preparations for Future Development
- Environmental Design
- Project Team
- Contact the DDA
Update:
Webcam - Track our Progress:
Watch the construction progress via a still-shot webcam, updated with photos throughout the day:
Construction Logistics:
The shoring and excavation of the underground structure is underway at the S. Division end of the project site. Trucks are entering and exiting the job site from S. Fifth Avenue. This phase of work will take many months. The documents below provide more detailed information regarding a pedestrian traffic plan, sidewalk/lane closures, and construction phasing.
The DDA is very aware that this work is taking place near the Ann Arbor District Library, existing businesses and residents. As a result, construction is being planned and coordinated to minimize negative impacts to adjacent properties and the general public. The DDA has instructed its contractors that construction is not to begin before 7:00 a.m. and construction activities will be required to comply with the City’s Noise Control Ordinance. Sound, air, and vibration monitoring will be installed on the site, and dust controls will be utilized as well. Further, an on-site manager will be present at all times during scheduled work hours to respond to any issues or concerns.
Contact Our Project Managers
In addition to a Construction Site Manager, DDA Senior Project Managers will be on site during scheduled work hours and available by phone 24 hours/day, 7 days/week to answer questions or address concerns:
Mike Bergren cell phone number: 734/323-5618
Park Avenue Consultants
adrian@parkavenueconsultant.com
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is the S. Fifth Avenue Underground Parking Structure Project anticipated to be revenue-positive, revenue-neutral or revenue-negative to the city?
The parking structure is anticipated to be revenue-positive. During the 20 years or so that the construction bond debt service is being paid off it is anticipated that the parking structure’s operational costs will exceed its revenues. During this time net revenues from other parking facilities will compensate for any shortfall because the DDA operates parking as a system. But when the structure’s debt service has been paid, it is anticipated that the structure will be revenue-positive for many decades thereafter. The structure has been designed with a minimum 75-year useful life, and with regular maintenance, will extend far beyond this timeline.
It may be helpful to use other structures as an example to demonstrate how this works. The Ann Ashley and Liberty Square (aka Tally Hall) parking structures were constructed in the early 1980’s – also during a bad recession. Their construction debt has been paid off. In 2008/09 net revenues from the Ann Ashley parking structure contributed $882,000 to the public parking system and Liberty Square contributed $1 million. The S. Fifth Avenue parking structure is anticipated to follow the same pattern and be revenue-positive to the public parking system.
2. Are tax payer dollars being used to construct this new parking structure?
3. Why construct this project now, in middle of an economic crisis?
First, financing for this project was made significantly lower due to the “Build America Bond” program, which were included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed into law by President Obama in Spring 2009. This bond program was designed to encourage big construction projects like this as a way of generating jobs. The interest rate on this bond was 3.81%; if a tax-free bond had been issued instead, it was estimated that the rate would likely have been approximately 5%, or an added expense of approximately $22 million over the life of the bond.
Secondly, the costs of construction are anticipated to be the least expensive we will experience in the foreseeable future. The world recession has slowed growth and construction, which means the cost of steel, concrete, labor, etc. is much less expensive than it was just a couple years ago. Due to the reduced number of construction projects underway, construction companies are aggressively competing to provide low prices. It is very likely that construction costs will be much greater if we wait to build.
It is also worth noting that it will take at least two years to see this construction project completed. Ann Arbor – and indeed the nation – will look very different in two years, just as it looked very different two years ago.
4. How will this project benefit the overall Ann Arbor Community?
First, the project is much more than just parking. The project includes infrastructure improvements, including two new 12” water mains, new electric transformers, pedestrian friendly streetscape, and a new midblock alley and street. These elements provide the basic building blocks needed if the southern center city area is to one day support development and become more than oceans of surface parking lots.
Second, the project has been designed from the beginning with the goal of encouraging the Ann Arbor District Library to continue its remarkable growth in programming and use. More than 600,000 people a year come to the downtown library for a variety of purposes, and the needs we have for this Library only continue to grow. The structure will facilitate easier access to the Library and absorb at least some of the infrastructure costs that the Library might one day incur if the AADL board elects to move forward with a rebuilding program.
And most important, the community has put enormous amounts of time and energy shaping a vision for its downtown through the Calthorpe process and then the A2D2 zoning and design guideline planning process which we need to respect. For instance, in the Calthorpe report the following community vision for the central core area was established:
Create a dense, mixed-use core area that is connected to adjacent neighborhoods. The Downtown core will be anchored by four retail centers, Main Street, State Street, Kerrytown, and South University and should attempt to strengthen the connection between the centers…. Redevelop the library parking lot. This lot might be appropriate for a design competition and should include a central “town square,” underground parking, and residential uses…. An analysis of the Downtown land use data illustrates the significant amount of land devoted to parking lots. In many cases, these parking facilities foster pedestrian dead-zones. Create a framework for the transformation of vacant and underutilized properties
This S. Fifth Avenue project isn’t about adding parking. The purpose to this project is to install infrastructure improvements so we as a community can redevelop an underutilized and enormously valuable section of downtown that will someday strengthen the connection between campus area and Main Street area. 2009 is the time to install the improvements for cost saving and redevelopment reasons. By the time construction is done, the marketplace will have had three years to readjust and build demand for new projects that will add more people living & working in the core area. This is the goal - more people and more activity in the downtown core area.
Project Overview
The project contains a number of well-thought out elements that directly correlate to the values set forward 
by the community in an expansive on-line survey, feedback from members of City Council, Planning Commission, and City staff, as well as comments provided by community members at a public open house.
Much work went into planning for a project that will be environmentally friendly and includes elements to enhance safety, pedestrian linkages, alternative transportation use, traffic flow, and future uses on top of the site, as well as future development in the midtown area of downtown.
Environmental Design
From the beginning the underground parking structure project was designed to incorporate a great number of sustainable elements.
- Reuse of mass excavation materials as part of the concrete mix
- Recharging stations for electric vehicles - as well as extensive conduit runs to accommodate future electric car demand increases
- LED lighting, including use of motion-detector technology
- Natural Ventilation (where possible)
- 100% of stormwater from the site will be detained, far exceeding requirements. Extensive pedestrian improvements along Fifth Avenue and installation of more than four dozen bicycle spaces to encourage sustainable transportation uses.
Leed Efforts:
The project will utilize a variety of means to minimize its environmental impact. If there were a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System for parking structures, the projects sensitivity to sustainable site selection, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental air quality would likely receive 31 total points, and possibly as many as 63.
While stand-alone parking structures cannot yet be rated, these efforts encourage green building on the site, as future developers may be able to use the points toward achieving a LEED rating of it's own.
- To see a breakdown of possible points for the parking structure, view the following LEED checklist (pdf)
- The point requirements for LEED certification are as follows:
- Certified 40 to 49
- Silver 50 to 59
- Gold 60 to 79
- Platinum 80 to 110
- To view more detailed information on these certification requirements, see the 2009 LEED Reference Guide (pdf)
Replacing the former surface parking lot with the new underground parking structure will improve environmental impacts at this site:
| Former Surface Parking Lot | Underground Parking Structure Project |
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Surface parking lot is an inactive use in an otherwise active downtown |
Project will install the structural support & infrastructure to encourage the development of activity generators on the ground floor (e.g. restaurant or retail), high density commercial or residential in the center of the block, and a public plaza along S. Fifth Avenue. Fostering dense development at this site will 1) encourage much more pedestrian traffic along S. Fifth Avenue, and 2) encourage many more people to live and work downtown. Downtown residents and workers are much more likely to walk/ride the bus and less likely to use their cars than others working & living outside the downtown.
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| Stormwater runoff, washes into storm drains flowing directly to the Huron River |
A stormwater detention system will manage 100% of storm water from the site, allowing filtration to occur.
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| Inefficient light fixtures in use |
The project will maximize the amount of natural light into the underground parking area. The parking areas will be lit with LED fixtures and the light system will operate with light level reductions in off-peak hours using motion sensors. All equipment will be selected for their energy efficiency.
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| No provisions for electric car parking and little provision for sustainable vehicle use |
Electric charging stations will be provided to encourage electric vehicle use. Van/car pool parking spaces will be provided in the most convenient locations near the entrance to highlight the convenience of this transportation choice. More than 4 dozen bicycle parking spaces will be installed.
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Preparations for Future Development
The site has been designed to support many different types of future development on top. The City is currently considering several open space and building proposals from developers interested to build on top of the underground parking structure. Read more at the City's webpage.
Project Team
The Underground Parking Structure project team includes the following members:
- Michael Ortlieb, Project Manager Carl Walker, Inc.
- Carl Luckenbach, Luckenbach Ziegelman Architects
- Doug Kelbaugh, Kelbaugh Associates
- Deb Cooper, Beckett Raeder Inc
- Francine Alexander, Alexander Resources Consulting, LLC
- Pat Podges, Construction Manager, Christman Co