City Council members have approved a smaller, $3 million project to fix the worst of the issues in the Clark Street parking garage.

The smaller rehabilitation project won’t be the last time we talk about the Clark Street garage. And, in our opinion, our next talk should include whether the Clark Street garage needs to continue to exist.

Mike Holtz, city manager, said before the COVID-19 pandemic the Clark Street garage was typically 90% filled with usage at its highest levels the year before the pandemic. But the past five years have seen decreasing use of the Clark Street garage. At the same time there is space available in many surface lots downtown. Total capacity in the garage is 644 spaces, with 471 spaces considered rentable and 316 actually rented. There are also 47 metered spaces and five spaces that can’t be rented because of rust problems.

There are realistically three options for the Clark Street garage in the future: further renovation, demolition and building a new ramp and simply tearing the ramp down and creating a big surface lot. The least expensive option is likely to demolish the ramp and create a surface lot – but that option only works if there are enough places elsewhere where those renting spaces in the ramp can park during the day while still leaving enough spaces available so those who want to come downtown to shop or attend events can park without getting so frustrated they simply drive away. We note that we need a realistic plan. Some conversation during a recent council meeting pitched the idea that downtown development efforts and the city’s new boat launch should drive enough traffic downtown to warrant investment in the Clark Street garage. As we move forward, we should be realistic in our projections. Will more people come downtown? Probably. Will it be enough to warrant a $6 million to $10 million investment in the Clark Street garage? We’re not so sure.

In our opinion, it should be the last bandage the city applies to the ramp. Fixing the spalling concrete keeps the parking garage serviceable for between eight and 10 years, according to the engineer on the project. That means it won’t be long before we’re having this same discussion. We need to be ready with alternatives when that time comes.