Parking
Downtown Grand Rapids has ample inexpensive parking. To help you utilize readily available parking the Grand Rapids Parking department operates a downtown area circulator which is free; this service is known as The DASH. However the parking department does a generally lousy job of updating information concerning DASH services, routes, and schedules; users are best served consulting The RAPID which is the operator of The DASH service and provides route and scheduling information integrated with their fixed route and BRT lines. Courtesy of The RAPID DASH schedules are included in the data used by various mobile transit apps such as TransitApp.
ADVISORY: Every now and then there will be a rash of misleading click-bait headlines concerning a parking crisis in downtown Grand Rapids. Headlines like "By the numbers: Downtown Grand Rapids' 95 percent full parking system". No, we are not even close to 95% of parking capacity in downtown Grand Rapids. What they are saying, in a misleading way, is that 95% of monthly parking passes have been sold. It is difficult to acquire a monthly parking pass. If you just want to park downtown - there is no problem what-so-ever, there is ample capacity; you will readily find a parking space 24/7.
Resources
- Map of downtown parking facilities, PDF
- interactive parking facilities map, includes rate informtion.
- Parking and Mobility Study (DRAFT), June 2015
What lies behind all the fights about parking?
There is some great research and thoughts available on the true cost and impact of parking. If you care about a sustainable and livable city this is a critical issue. Suggested reading is:
- Our half-conscious assumptions about parking
- How much does one parking spot add to rent?
- Who's afraid of the spillover bogey?
- Fun Parking Facts
- A parking space is 144 - 200sq/ft, due to the need to be able to get in or out of a parking space the actual footprint is 250 - 350 sq/ft, so the maximum number of parking spaces per acre is 125 - 175.
- 10-30% of traffic congestion, collisions, and pollution problems is caused by government parking requirements
News
- 2012-11
- 2012-12
- 2013-06
- 2013-07
- 2013-12
- 2014-04
- 2014-05
- 2014-09
- 2014-10
- 2014-11
- Underground parking garages near Van Andel Arena could be expensive, consultant says, MLIVE
- What's a free bus ride cost? DASH route to get more parking revenue, MLIVE
- Arena authority takes first steps toward attached parking deck at Van Andel Arena, MLIVE
- Here's the math behind plan to replace parking south of Van Andel Arena with expensive underground parking, MLIVE
- 2014-12
- Spectrum Health faces parking crunch, GRBJ
- Parking rates won't chase businesses, GRBJ
- "In the long-term future, if you want to park at the front door, then you are going to pay more,” he said. “If you don’t care so much about that, you can park for a much lower rate (farther away).” Gerald Salzman, senior planner with Desman Associates.
- 2015-02
- 2015-04
- Price to park downtown could spike 65 percent; some rates may get cut, MLIVE
- Commissioners squelch Creston parking study, GRBJ
- Currently, there’s not a demonstrated need for a parking study, she [Pam Ritsema, managing director of Parking Services] concluded. “Is parking in those surface lots going to get more uncomfortable as we go forward? Yes, probably. Do we have employees who ride to work and park all day long who might be able to use multi-mobile solutions? Yes. Is the city’s political will to add additional surface parking? Probably not,” she said. “So, it does point out that our policy needs to be updated because our policy is solely parking focused and our future is not going to be parking focused. So, that’s the long way of saying, my recommendation is to take no action at this point, or to recommend a mobility study rather than a parking study.”
- 12-minute bus ride downtown from new Grand Rapids parking lot, MLIVE
- "The city's Parking Commission last week authorized a deal to lease 234 parking spaces from a new 334-space lot that Grand Valley State University plans to build at Lake Michigan and Maynard. The lot is scheduled to open Aug. 15."
- location of proposed park-n-ride lot
- 616 housing prompts parking concern in Creston neighborhood: Play city planner, MLIVE
- 2015-05
- 'Parking Pam' gets new nickname, more staff as Grand Rapids shifts transportation focus, MLIVE
- The Parking Services department has a new name: Mobile GR. The old parking department will now focus on transportation, finally, rather than on temporary vehicle storage.
- 'Parking Pam' gets new nickname, more staff as Grand Rapids shifts transportation focus, MLIVE
- 2015-08
- 2015-10
- 500 Spectrum Health workers moving to renovated downtown office building, MLIVE
- Health system plans to move up to 500 workers downtown, GRBJ
- Grand Rapids may eliminate free parking near Medical Mile, MLIVE
- "Besides Spectrum, the developers of The Venue Tower next to the B.O.B. night club at 20 Monroe Avenue NW and an unnamed insurance company tenant at 99 Monroe Ave. NW also are installing cash-out plans, according to a memorandum by Pam Ritsema, the city's managing director of enterprise services."
- Spectrum Health to move 500 employees to downtown Grand Rapids office building,MiBIZ
- 2016-02
- 2016-03
- 2016-04
- 2016-06
- 2016-07
- School district to buy parking lot from city for $310K, MLIVE, 2016-07
- More parking proposed downtown, MLIVE, 2016-07
2016-08
- Parking rate spike hits this week, Silver Line bus rides free, MLIVE
How downtown rate hike impacts these 4 kinds of parkers, MLIVE
The lowest monthly parking price in city facilities currently is $27, but that will bump to $48 in order to get more expensive than the cost of a 31-day Rapid bus pass."Mobile app shows 1,302 city parking spots available dowtown, MLIVE
- Grand Rapids making transit and parking changes, FOX17
- 2017-02
- Two major changes proposed to future of parking in downtown Grand Rapids, MLive these changes were tabled, apparently indefinitely as it is now 2023
- The Epic Downtown Grand Rapids Parking Guide, GRNow
- City of Grand Rapids plans new surface parking lot near Downtown Market, MiBIZ
- New city-operated parking lot proposed in downtown Grand Rapids, MLIVE
- Parking in Grand Rapids at 95-percent capacity, WZZM13
- By the numbers: Downtown Grand Rapids' 95 percent full parking system, MLIVE
- Note that these headlines are misleading. We are not even close to 95% of parking capacity in downtown Grand Rapids. What they are saying, in a misleading way, is that 95% of monthly parking passes have been sold. it is difficult to acquire a monthly parking pass. If you just want to park downtown - there is no problem what-so-ever, there is ample capacity.
- 2017-06
2018-02
- 'Studio Park' developers complete $6.9M purchase of downtown parking lots, MLIVE
- Studio Park developers acquire downtown GR parking lots for movie theater project, MiBIZ
- Medical Mile partners approve plans for massive parking ramp
Sources: Lighthouse Insurance plans to move nearly 150 employees to downtown GR
... seeking permission to demolish a building at 213 Oakes St. SW and build a surface parking lot to accommodate the additional workers. ... The parking spaces would be incorporated into an adjacent surface lot managed by Ellis Parking and would be available to the public in the evenings and on weekends, according to the filings.
2018-10
- 2023-06
- 2024-07
- Grand Rapids to extend meter hours, bump up event parking rates soon, MLIVE
- Finally!
- Grand Rapids OKs plan to borrow $30.5M for amphitheater parking ramp, Crains
- This is a 340 space parking ramp, a cost of ~$88,000 per space
- Grand Rapids to extend meter hours, bump up event parking rates soon, MLIVE
- 2024-08
- Planning Commission Agenda, 2024-08-08, UrbanGR 2024-08-08
- Zoning text amendment to modify the code related to parking maximums.
- Planning Commission Agenda, 2024-08-08, UrbanGR 2024-08-08