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Hospital Parking: Surfaces, Garage, Oh the Cars!

Lots of people work in our Hospitals and most drive to work. They've projected their Downtown Hospital Requires 3,000+ Parking Spaces! Why seek this destructive and very expensive move, when today the hospital owns 64-acres at their St. Luke's Campus?

Just one of the many reasons we ask, "What's Wrong With The Downtown Hospital Concept?" and "What's So Wrong With St. Luke's?".

Meanwhile a huge missing and confusing piece remains, "Where will the newly expanded AUD patrons park? And now we see plans for the Nexus Center and U District! Plus the following concept suggests the AUD requires 3,000 spaces: Utica AUD & Apartment Concept.

Utica's sports facility is growing, but where are the patrons going to park? Lots of plans for more events, more vistors, more jobs and downtown "economic development inducements", but where is everyone going to park?

During U District talks, we saw no parking plan. During Nexus Center discussions, we saw no parking plan. So where do all the new Utica AUD attraction seekers park?

We did see a parking plan as part of a proposed Apartment Complex On Whitesboro Street. We heard it came from Utica City Hall, a sports and apartment complex, but would it fit with everything else we here about?

Apartment Developer: Purcell Construction / MSP Realty LLC / Riedman Development

What do you say, let's drop the hospital concept figure out the rest and save CoLa?

September 8, 2020 - At least five places to build a parking garage...

Utica should pick historic Preservation, significant Erie Canal Heritage to protect.

October 10, 2018 - Oneida County approves design firm for hospital parking garage

FEIS: Parking Facilities

September 21, 2019

Parking facilities constructed under this Project will consist of a three-story, municipally-owned parking garage (1,550± spaces) and multiple surface parking lots (780± spaces), for a total of approximately 2,330 spaces.

Dedicated spaces are summarized below: Hospital (1,455± spaces)
 1,050 spaces (parking garage)
 405± spaces (parking lots)
Medical Office Building (MOB) (375± spaces)
 375± spaces (parking lots)
City-dedicated spaces (500 spaces)
 500 spaces (parking garage)

The parking garage will provide approximately 1,550± parking spaces and the parking lots will allow for an additional 780± parking spaces. Proposed surface parking space needs have been reduced from 1,100± spaces (DEIS) to 780± spaces. The reduction includes the elimination of a proposed surface parking lot originally proposed at the site of the existing Police Maintenance Facility (See Figure 3 of this FEIS Responsiveness Summary).

These parking facilities will be available for use by patients, visitors, staff, and volunteers, with the garage spaces being available for hospital-related parking, as well as to the community for non-hospital related events. (See page 10 of 1007 Ref. FEIS).

Also in the FEIS (see page 474 of 1007, the Traffic Impact Study - Addendum), one reads..

Emergency Department surface parking between the main hospital building and State Street with a total of 79 spaces with access on Columbia Street and State Street as well as direct access to the garage.

These spaces suggest the Helipad would double as a parking lot, not a grasses lot.

August 8, 2018 - Oneida County earmarks $500,000 for downtown hospital parking garage

May 17, 2019 - Today we see the Varick Street Brewery District having parking issues related to new development and a staple event; read Where to park for Saranac Thursdays with Court Street lot closed. We discuss this Parking Issue On #NoHospitalDowntown.

May 9, 2018 - The projections of required hospital parking spaces are totally and absolutely suspect, like most figures that MVEDGE has provided...

Seattle hospital (with LOTS more residents with cars) and 5 parking spaces/bed, yet Utica's proposed downtown hospital with 8 parking spaces/bed, why?

January 9, 2018 - Another concerned Utica resident sees the problem that's well recognized by urban design professionals...

Utica's downtown hospital concept is a disaster!

December 9, 2017 - "The sheer amount of asphalt dwarfs the hospital itself..."

November 17, 2017 - Downtown Utica has already been destroyed by surface parking! Now the "yes people" of Downtown MVHS say, "More, more, more"...

November 14, 2017 - Even people in Syracuse have heard about this nightmare (parking) concept proposed in Downtown Utica...

October 23, 2017 - There is a great deal of evidence that parking is "Viscerally Unpleasant" and "Disorienting" to neighborhoods...

July 3, 2017 - Expensive to build parking garages, one to be placed onto the backs of Oneida County taxpayers...

They also would include large surface lot(s) as well, and we have good reasons to believe there's a second parking garage hiding within the "hidden agenda" of their ill-conceived hospital concept!

May 22, 2017 - Too much of Downtown Utica has been rendered into parking...

April 21, 2017 - Utica parking lot ready for development

January 9, 2017 - In story titled Architects, construction manager named for MVHS hospital project, one reads...

"... in September 2015 that it had chosen a site located between Oriskany, Columbia and State streets and Broadway in downtown Utica for the hospital, assuming that site proved feasible. A parking garage or two and at least one medical office building also would be constructed in the neighborhood."

August 18, 2016 - "Parking: The project will include one or two parking garages; officials are leaning toward two so that one can be reserved for staff and visitors, while the other could be opened to the public after business hours."

May 21, 2011 - Looking back, we have real concern for downtown development, the most recent ($325,000) Master Plan, and parking. Consider this downtown story, A Paucity of Planning for Public Parking.

May 15, 2011 - And Paula Horrigan, a Cornell University professor and one of the overseers of the Rust to Green Utica project, said in Critics assail downtown Utica parking plan...

"...more surface parking is the opposite direction in which cities are going. She pointed out the Utica Master Plan still is in draft form, and called it a “shortsighted, inappropriate approach. I would like to know what the city is doing to encourage creative investors who want to take a risk on a city where there is not a lot of vitality,” she said. “I cannot believe parking is the main issue.”

The City of Utica offers links to their Downtown Parking options totally 1,794 vehicles (when and if fully operational, some are currently closed until repairs are made/funded.

Car Park
Type: Open lot, Spaces: 132 Cars, Address/Notes: Genesee Street, just south of Stanley Theater.

Kennedy
Type: Parking Garage, 2 levels, Spaces: 450 Cars, Address/Notes: Corner of Columbia and Cornelia Streets.

Union
Type: Open lot, Spaces: 230 Cars, Address/Notes: Union Street, behind the "Gold Dome" bank building.

Utica Place
Type: Parking Garage, 3 level, Spaces: 432 Cars, Address/Notes: Burnet Street, behind old Utica School of Commerce, east of Boston Store.

Washington
Type: Parking Garage, 3 levels, Spaces: 550 Cars, Address/Notes: Genesee Street, adjacent to Radisson Hotel.

News Headlines: Downtown Parking

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December 30, 2018 - OUR VIEW: Downtown parking must be addressed

July 2, 2017 - Utica seeks to bond $4.1M to repair deteriorating parking garages

December 19, 2016 - Utica parking garage getting support

August 28, 2015 - Patching Utica’s parking garages

January 19, 2015 - Utica parking garages in disrepair

May 15, 2011 - Critics assail downtown Utica parking plan

April 26, 2008 - Parking garage planned for Charlotte Street

March 16, 2004 - Read the Downtown Utica Parking Study, titled 2004 PARKING PLAN UPDATE: CITY OF UTICA, NY.

Parking lots of cars - cars that are projected to fade from urban neighborhoods - plus many other reasons we list at, What's Wrong With The Downtown Hospital Concept?

No Studies, No Reports, thus we remain #NoHospitalDowntown

Our research is ongoing, please check back. Our research is ongoing, please check back.