Meridian Kessler Neighborhood Group Issues Position Paper Against Broad Ripple Parking Garage

Proposed Broad Ripple Parking Garage

Meridian Kessler Neighbors Helping Neighbors opposes the construction of a proposed parking garage subsidized by the City of Indianapolis using public funds.

1. The Broad Ripple Village Parking Study, by Walker Parking Consultants, August 3, 2007, funded by the Indianapolis Bond Bank, determined there is no parking shortage in the Broad Ripple area until after 11:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and only in several individual blocks.

“Overall, the peak occupancy occurred during the 11:00 p.m. count on a weekend, with 63% occupancy. While this alone does not represent a parking problem, we see that several individual blocks experienced higher occupancy in the core area”. (Walker’s study, p. 17)

2. We believe the proposed parking garage constitutes a “want” by narrow interests rather than a true “need” for the city. Also, any alleged parking deficiency has been self-imposed by the commercial businesses and the Broad Ripple Village Association. The variances and permits which have caused inconvenience for some have been readily “rubber-stamped” by the Board of Zoning Appeals and the Marion County Alcoholic Beverages Board. The $6.4 million in public funds should instead be spent on true public needs and not, in essence, be donated to a group of business owners which have dismissed and ignored the root causes of the localized excess demand for auto parking.

3. Recent news reports (in the Indianapolis Business Journal) and several watchdog blogs (e.g. Advance Indiana, Ogden on Politics, and Had Enough Indy) have sharply criticized the garage plan based on its poor location, excessive cost, lack of transparency by city officials and undue political influence.

In summary, the proposed parking garage, heavily subsidized by public funds, would only further encourage late-night consumption of alcohol and the further proliferation and densification of alcohol permits in the over-saturated Broad Ripple “entertainment district”. Instead, the community would increasingly suffer the negative effects of alcohol abuse, including crime, bodily injury and property damage as well as an increase in vehicular and pedestrian accidents. In addition, there is no identified proven need for a parking garage.