MobileGR, 2017-12-14

The MobileGR commision has approved its meeting schedule for 2018. All meetings are at 50 Ottawa Ave. NW and occur at 8AM. Dates are:

• 2018-01-11
• 2018-02-08
• 2018-03-08
• 2018-04-12
• 2018-05-10
• 2018-06-14
• 2018-07-12
• 2018-08-09
• 2018-09-13
• 2018-10-11
• 2018-11-08
• 2018-12-13

At the 2017-12-14 the commission also moved to have the city proceed with investigating the Dave Shaffer parking ramp. Ironically this meeting also featured discussion of the Rose Center's equity recommendations: remember that recommendation about being people centered and using additional parking supply as a "measure of last result". You can watch the Rose Center's "Initial Project Briefing Presentation" to the city at the DowntownGR website; fast-forward to ~49:30 to see their transportation recommendations. The proposed ramp would cost ~$15M to construct and ~$1M/year to maintain. The proposed ramp is ~360 spaces; meanwhile over 1,000 additional parking spaces are either currently under construction or planned. Fortunately this motion only proceeds with further study of the concept, it does not yet mean the ramp will ever be built.

The proposed Easttown Residential Parking Permit program was voted down, 55% to 45%; 146 of the 260 distributed ballots were returned (56%). Due to this vote a permit parking program for Easttown will not be established.

Joan Rosema-David, Michael Ellis, and Peter Varga were thanked for their service on the commission; all are leaving the commission due to term-limits.

You can find the official minutes for the 2017-12-14 MobileGR meeting here.