Columbia City Council approves six-story Short Street garage

COLUMBIA — A bigger garage is now planned for Short Street.

The City Council unanimously approved the six-story, 410-space garage during its meeting Monday night. The project is expected to cost $9 million.

An earlier plan for the garage included five stories with 340 spaces.

So far, 275 of these parking spots are reserved. As previously reported by the Missourian, subscribed spaces would be used by the new DoubleTree hotel, Boone County Family Resources, a proposed apartment complex and other commercial businesses built near the garage.

Assistant City Manager Tony St. Romaine said if there had been 340 spaces in the garage, they would all be reserved before it was built.

The 410-space design would leave 135 spaces open to the public.

Sixth Ward Councilwoman Barbara Hoppe asked for an estimate on how much installing electrical outlets for future electric cars would cost, but no figure was available.

No one from the public spoke about the proposal.

Percent for Art

Earlier in Monday's meeting, the garage was also made a Percent for Art project after a unanimous council vote. In these projects, 1 percent of the cost of new city building project can be used for site-specific artwork.

Funding for the art project will come from the city's Parking Utility — a part of the Public Works Department that runs and maintains parking lots, meters and garages — and not the city's general fund, Addison Myers, chair of the commission of cultural affairs said.

Myers described the garage as the "gateway" to Columbia's arts districts.

Hoppe was in support of the art project but said that sometimes the end result of proposals can be "disappointing at the very least." The standing committee on public art reviews artist proposals and then brings them to the council.

Mayor Bob McDavid agreed with Hoppe and said the council members "don't like surprises."