Parking in Waterloo Region

[Spokes]

Parking in Waterloo Region

[Spokes]

Yes of course.  I guess I was thinking he meant a parking garage as a parking garage, not offering parking for a condo.  But I guess if you chopped the tower off of One Victoria, that's what it'd be.

I meant a parking structure of some kind, and of course a street like Victoria needs active use at street level. At the same time, I think the Tannery, 72 Victoria St S, and the UW Pharmacy campus all desperately need a parking structure first so that the endless surrounding parking lots can be developed.

I 100% agree with you.  Also factor in the coming employment opportunities at the Bramm Street Yard and that need is increased.

[Drake]

I meant a parking structure of some kind, and of course a street like Victoria needs active use at street level. At the same time, I think the Tannery, 72 Victoria St S, and the UW Pharmacy campus all desperately need a parking structure first so that the endless surrounding parking lots can be developed.

I 100% agree with you.  Also factor in the coming employment opportunities at the Bramm Street Yard and that need is increased.

Well seeing as the Tannery has already cleared out an inventory of historic buildings for parking, the city should have insisted the developer replace those buildings with a parkade of similar or complementary design of the Tannery building(s). The lot they have 'created' isn't even paved and it looks like hell.

[mpd618]

Well seeing as the Tannery has already cleared out an inventory of historic buildings for parking, the city should have insisted the developer replace those buildings with a parkade of similar or complementary design of the Tannery building(s). The lot they have 'created' isn't even paved and it looks like hell.

Parking garages are expensive enough that it could have have affected the financial feasibility of the Tannery in the first place, though I would have liked to see that conversation. At any rate, it is what it is. The question is how do we make the best of what we have.

[Spokes]

I 100% agree with you.  Also factor in the coming employment opportunities at the Bramm Street Yard and that need is increased.

Well seeing as the Tannery has already cleared out an inventory of historic buildings for parking, the city should have insisted the developer replace those buildings with a parkade of similar or complementary design of the Tannery building(s). The lot they have 'created' isn't even paved and it looks like hell.

Andrin told the City when they demo'd the buildings that they would be building a parking garage.  When they sold the Tannery, that plan died.

[BuildingScout]

Parking garages are expensive enough

Are they really? A steel car park has a carrying cost of about 2 dollars a day on a 20 year mortgage. Is that not something people are prepared to pay?

[REnerd]

Parking garages are expensive enough

Are they really? A steel car park has a carrying cost of about 2 dollars a day on a 20 year mortgage. Is that not something people are prepared to pay?

This is threatening to go way off topic ... but BuildingScout, can you explain your comment?  What do you mean a carrying cost of 2 dollars per day?

[BuildingScout]

This is threatening to go way off topic ... but BuildingScout, can you explain your comment?  What do you mean a carrying cost of 2 dollars per day?

If you get a loan and build a steel structure car park you need about $2 per car spot per day to pay the mortgage in 20 years. To this you need to add the cost of the land, but I'm assuming we are talking about building on city owned property.

[mpd618]

Are they really? A steel car park has a carrying cost of about 2 dollars a day on a 20 year mortgage. Is that not something people are prepared to pay?

If you get a loan and build a steel structure car park you need about $2 per car spot per day to pay the mortgage in 20 years. To this you need to add the cost of the land, but I'm assuming we are talking about building on city owned property.

My understanding is that structured parking, and certainly the quality of structured parking that the City of Kitchener would want in a new downtown build, would cost more like $30K per spot. However many hundred the Tannery would have needed would have been a sizable amount in the context of a $30m redevelopment.

[BuildingScout]

Yes, that is something I never understood. In North America we tend to build expensive concrete parkades and then we complain bitterly about their cost. In Europe they build some rather nice steel parking structures that are so cheap they get built without a moment's thought. Is there any real reason why Kitchener prefers the more expensive option?

[mpd618]

Yes, that is something I never understood. In North America we tend to build expensive concrete parkades and then we complain bitterly about their cost. In Europe they build some rather nice steel parking structures that are so cheap they get built without a moment's thought. Is there any real reason why Kitchener prefers the more expensive option?

Maybe this is best moved to another thread, but I'd love to see more information and this kind of cost comparison with citations.

[BuildingScout]

Yes, that is something I never understood. In North America we tend to build expensive concrete parkades and then we complain bitterly about their cost. In Europe they build some rather nice steel parking structures that are so cheap they get built without a moment's thought. Is there any real reason why Kitchener prefers the more expensive option?


[moving the discussion here]

[Canard]

Can you show some examples of the lightweight, steel structures?  I don't think I've ever seen those. Is this what you are referring to?



I kind of like the concrete look that we have here.  Universal Orlando has these absolutely massive structures with attractive bas relief in them and plants growing down the sides, but I'm a huge fan of brutalist architecture, so I'm biased.  That's kind of the Florida way, though.  MCO has similar structures.  The new ones that GO/Metrolinx is building along the East side of Toronto look pretty good, in my opinion.

I wish automated parking would take off here, like it has in Japan!

[BuildingScout]

Some sources on steel car parks:

http://ds.arcelormittal.com/repo/brochur...0Steel.pdf

http://www.steelconstruction.info/Car_parks

http://sections.arcelormittal.com/upload...l_-_EN.pdf

[BuildingScout]

The average construction cost of a multistorey car park is about 5 000 euro per parking space. Using very economical construction methods, this figure can be reduced to 3 000 . The local conditions, the extent of the additional installations, improved comfort and aesthetic aspects can increase these amounts up to 10 000.

From the documents linked.