When a car-free tomorrow meets the realities of today

Across Minneapolis, surface parking lots are evaporating like rain puddles.

U.S. Bank Stadium, considerable residential development and the Wells Fargo complex have transformed "East Town" in the blink of an urbanist's eye. Surface lots are similarly disappearing in the North Loop. The changes are hailed as great progress on the city's official website.

Not everyone is dancing in the streets, however. The unintended consequences of all this success are upon us, and a legitimate crisis exists in a lack of affordable, available parking to support business and residential needs. In the North Loop, it is already fair to say that numerous retail businesses have been or are being choked out as parking options shrink. Real estate professionals who serve this part of town fear we are already at a tipping point in terms of attracting larger tenants.

Downtown is now facing the conundrum that is sure to occur when planners' collective vision runs into reality. In spite of best efforts and intentions, the proportion of people who rely on an automobile for their primary transportation has not changed much since 1990 — it's just over 50 percent. There are lots of reasons for not hopping on a bike or using transit, and most of them are not as selfish as some advocates would portray them.

Many surface lots have gone away, but in many cases structured parking incorporated with specific development has taken their place. In fact, more than 20 percent of land use in the central business district of Minneapolis is still dedicated to parking, a number fairly consistent across the U.S.

Downtown auto commuters are feeling the impact. Many monthly parking contracts in the core well exceed $300, and waiting lists are becoming normal for the slightly less expensive publicly controlled ramps on the periphery.

The popular belief is that the future is "almost" upon us. Over the past few months, there have been several announced breakthroughs in driverless car technology, and beta testing in partnership with Uber is underway.

The problem is that the "almost" is still a good 25 years from everyday reality.

Those who oversee our infrastructure — elected and appointed officials — need to get serious now about accommodating this new world. Tinkering with on-demand rates with on-street parking and relaxing conditions that prohibit public parking in certain facilities can provide some very short-term relief. The need for planning more structured parking is now.

A new concrete parking structure in an urban environment costs around $25,000 per space — maybe $50,000 if it is underground. Presently, the structures are designed to last for 50 to 75 years, but they are designed only for automobile parking. They can never be repurposed to other uses because of sloped flows, low ceilings, load tolerances, etc.

It is time to adopt a new approach to designing and financing parking facilities, to take seriously the concept of adaptive-use parking garages that could be converted to housing, offices and other uses. It is not prudent to construct expensive single-use buildings that will have to be torn down in 25 years. Adaptive-use parking garages cost as much as 20 to 30 percent more to build than conventional garages, but the necessary public investment will be recouped over time. (Subsidies will be needed to make the facilities affordable.)

The future of commercial vitality depends on our leaders' willingness to blend visions of a car-free tomorrow with the realities of today. Well-planned district parking facilities designed for repurposing as automobile needs subside are an important component.