Council approves design for green parking garage Council approves design for green parking garage (October 15, 2004)

Structure will feature first-floor retail, solar panels

By Jon Wiener

Visions of turning the parking lot at the corner of California and Bryant Streets into a gateway to downtown moved a step closer to reality Tuesday, as the city council approved the schematic design for a five-story, 405-space parking garage.

Council members and residents have cheered the nearly $16-million garage as a way to improve the experience for downtown pedestrians. The project is being designed to fit in with its surroundings, including 14,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor that council members hope will one day be home to a small market.

Monica Smith, vice president of the Old Mountain View Neighborhood Association, lauded the inclusion of first-floor retail, saying it will disguise the parking garage and make the street more pedestrian-friendly.

"The ability for pedestrians to come and go comfortably is what makes our neighborhood a great place to live," she said.

The garage's facade will also feature intricate metalwork trimmed to look like windows that will make it appear similar to neighboring buildings.

The building will, however, stand out for two reasons. A tall, rounded glass entryway may make the structure appear particularly large to passersby.

And the council supported installing solar panels on the roof of the structure. City staff stated the system's cost could be offset by rebates and recouped via electricity savings within approximately 20 years.

"We have an opportunity to be at the cutting edge of renewable energy," said Vice Mayor Matt Neely. During a June study session on the garage, Neely said he would support adding solar panels if the payback period was less than 40 years.

The proposed photovoltaic system adds more than $400,000 to the project's cost. The council voted to approve the system but will allocate the additional funding needed when it votes on the garage's final design in the spring of 2005.

The project is being paid for by bonds, parking in-lieu fees and developer contributions.

E-mail Jon Wiener at jwiener@mv-voice.com

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