Parking garages often play second fiddle in the public’s mind to the developments they are designed to support. But those that design garages have no easy chore.
Walker Parking Consultants has been designing parking facilities for more than 75 years, including numerous garages in Rhode Island. The company is also behind the design of the parking garage under construction at the new Wickford train station in North Kingstown.
Arthur Stadig, a vice president in charge of Walker’s Boston offices, recently took some time to discuss the job of designing a garage and the Wickford project.
PBN: First off, for those unfamiliar with Walker Parking Consultants, could you tell us a little about the company and some of the projects you’ve worked on in Rhode Island?
STADIG: Walker Parking Consultants is the oldest and largest firm in the nation that specializes in parking consulting. The firm started out more than 45 years ago as a structural consulting firm in the Midwest and now has 15 offices nationwide and a presence in the Middle East. We design or consult on new parking facilities, perform business consulting related to parking projects or operations, and we perform building restoration services of which the majority are parking facilities.
We are currently providing restoration services for the Washington Street Parking Facility across from the Biltmore and Providence Place Mall Parking Facility in Providence (formerly known as the Providence Journal Garage). Our most recently completed parking facility project in Rhode Island was the new FM Global office building in Johnston. We have been involved in three of the garages at T.F. Green Airport, three garages for the Fidelity campus in Smithfield, the garage at Rhode Island Hospital as well as various consulting engagements in Providence.
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PBN: I understand that Walker is also involved with the new garage at the Wickford Junction commuter rail station now under construction. Can you tell us a little about what that garage will look like and if it will be unique from other garages?
STADIG: The garage at Wickford Junction is about to begin construction. The facility is for train riders and also residents and employees at the development site. The facility was designed with the general appearance of a mill building to blend with the development and the general style prevalent in Rhode Island. The garage is of precast construction and will be similar to others in the area. Emphasis was placed on the train users and their experience.
PBN: The idea of a parking garage at a train station is nothing new. But people also put them in all sorts of other places. In Rhode Island specifically, are there unique reasons that people chose parking garages over surface parking lots or other arrangements?
STADIG: Generally, structured parking in its many forms is the last choice for parking if surface parking or other means of transportation are available. The primary reason for this is that the initial construction cost is difficult to finance. Having said that, parking is critical for many businesses and users and sometimes requires structured parking due to the lack of land for surface parking. Structured parking also offers the advantage of providing safe, convenient and covered parking that can be more environmentally sustainable than surface parking.
PBN: How do the economics play into the decision to build a parking garage? Surely finding the financing is just – if not more so – a challenge as designing it?
STADIG: Financing is usually the most difficult issue for structured parking. Unless you are in markets like Boston or New York, parking fees and parking utilization are not always in a range high enough to allow a revenue stream capable of paying off debt service and other operating expenses. In many cases, the parking portions of projects are paid for as part of the overall project and are not intended to cover their own costs.
PBN: Just for fun, can you point to your personal favorite garage in Rhode Island and explain why it tops your list?
STADIG: Walker has been involved in more than 75 design and consulting engagements in Rhode Island over the past 15 to 20 years. It is tough to pick a favorite project or facility. I think I would choose the Red Beam garage at the airport. That’s the third garage from the terminal. I like the architecture of the stair elevator tower and the bold red beam icon.
