Annual rates for all employee parking permits will increase 3 percent each year beginning in FY 2011. Gold permit rates will remain in line with parking rates in downtown city structures set by the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority.
The increases will aid in the development of new parking spaces on Central Campus and elsewhere as well as initiatives to provide alternative transportation options.
Tim Slottow, executive vice president and chief financial officer, told the Board of Regents during its April 15 meeting in Grand Rapids, “The parking system is self-supporting, and permit fees provide funding for daily operations, annual maintenance projects and debt service for new structures.
“Last year there was no increase for blue, yellow and orange permits. However, this increase is necessary for the long-term financial stability of the parking system, including funding new parking decks.”
In July 2009 the Board of Regents was presented with a long-range strategic parking and transportation plan that identified an addition to the Thompson Street structure, as well as a new parking structure on Fuller Road.
The Thompson Street parking structure addition will provide an additional 273 parking spaces when completed this fall.
The Fuller Road Station, a partnership between the university, the City of Ann Arbor, and the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (AATA), will include a 1,000-space parking structure and covered bus station. Approximately 780 parking spaces will be available for U-M use. The first phase of the project will be completed by the summer of 2012.
The “Go Blue, Think Green” campaign promotes a variety of alternative-transportation options such as M-Ride (providing free AATA bus rides for M-Card holders), vanpools, the Zipcar car-sharing program and the Zimride ride-sharing program.
For more information, go to the Parking and Transportation Services Web site, www.pts.umich.edu.
