Stadium garage to reshuffle parking

By Dan Heuchert

This fall's scheduled opening of a new parking garage at the football stadium, which adds a net of 250 new spaces to the University's parking inventory, has created an opportunity to implement an idea that Parking and Transportation has kicked around for many years, said director Al Whalley.

Perhaps as soon as September, Health System commuters will be assigned their own area in Scott Stadium's west lots. Those who work on Central and West Grounds will be given space in the western lots at University Hall (those between U-Hall and Klockner Stadium), with a new express bus route to get them to and from their work sites.

Those changes, plus additional higher-priced reserved space south and east of the stadium to serve those who work in Central and West Grounds, should provide greater efficiency for almost everyone involved, Whalley said.

Under the current system, blue permit holders park either at the stadium or University Hall. On weekdays, University Transit Service provides shuttle buses to the Medical Center from both areas during peak hours, as well as regularly scheduled service from both locations to Central Grounds via the blue route from 7:23 a.m. until 12:23 a.m.

Under the new system, shuttles to the Health Sciences Center will run only from the stadium lots, and a new peak-hours shuttle running every 15 minutes will take those who park at U-Hall directly to Central Grounds via Alderman Road, bypassing the more congested Emmet Street. Other current routes will continue, although service on the green route, which runs between between Copeley Housing, U-Hall and the Medical Center, will be cut to every 30 minutes rather than every 15, Whalley said.

"I think it's a reasonable approach at this time in the life of the good old U of V-A," he said. "Of course, not everyone will be satisfied."

Those with commuter (blue) permits who currently park at the stadium and walk to their workplaces on Central and West Grounds will have to choose another option. Under the new plan, they may upgrade to a more expensive green permit in the E3 (south of the stadium) or T4 (east of the stadium) lots, or park at University Hall and either ride the new bus into Grounds or walk.

"Blue parking is not meant to be cheap parking next to your building," Whalley said.

The new 600-space stadium garage will be added to the current E3 lot, for a total of approximately 785 permit spaces, and sold at the mid-range parking rate, which is scheduled to go to $18 per month this summer. Those whose departments are being moved to the rebuilt Bryant Hall -- University Career Services, the Athletic Ticket Office, the Virginia Student Aid Foundation, among others -- will be offered E3 permits, as will current blue-permit holders who work in Central and West Grounds and many of those currently on the E3 waiting list. The stadium will also have about 75 parking spaces for visitors to the Bryant Hall offices.

The 320-space T4 lot, between the stadium and the Engineering School, will also expand. T4 permits, which also cost $25 per month, will be offered to displaced blue permit holders and the entire T4 waiting list. Any remaining spaces will be offered on a yearly, non-renewable basis, allowing for future Engineering School expansion.

Health Sciences commuters parking at the stadium will be given distinctive permits, but at the blue rate ($10 monthly). Central and West Grounds commuters who park at U-Hall will continue to receive blue permits.

The current orange-permit lots, for long-term student parking, will not change.

There are other benefits to the plan, according to an information packet distributed by Parking and Transportation.

Parking arrangements for basketball games at University Hall will be simplified, since the parking population there will be overwhelmingly day-shift workers, while games are played on nights and weekends. Similarly, nighttime parking lot security efforts for Medical Center shift workers can be concentrated in the stadium lots.

The new parking garage is scheduled to open in October, but is ahead of schedule and may be ready in time for the first home football game Sept. 2, according to University officials.