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Ann Arbor underground parking garage to add solar panels, electric car charging station

Wednesday, September 01, 2010

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Ann Arbor

Electric car charging stations, bicycle parking -- and now the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority hopes to add solar panels to the list of environmentally friendly features in a future parking garage.

The DDA recently applied for a $359,700 grant through the Michigan Green Fleets project to fund a part of the electrical-car charging portion of the underground garage, which could include solar panels to provide some of the power. The solar panel system alone would cost $154,100; other costs include charging stations and the purchase of two electric cars, for a total of just less than $500,000. The DDA will partner with the Clean Energy Coalition for the funding, which would come from the federal Department of Energy.

The idea behind the garage is to build it in a sustainable way and then minimize its impact on the environment during operation, through both alternative energy and reducing overall energy use, according to Susan Pollay, executive director of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority. "We have been striving from the beginning of this project to make this parking structure a showcase for our own community," she says. "From the very beginning, when the structure was first being talked about, the DDA board said if we pursue this we need to be out ahead of everyone."

The garage's $49 million price tag -- about 70 percent of which is actual garage costs, with the other 30 percent covering new water mains, electricity, and the foundation for future developments above the garage -- will be covered by revenues from the public parking system, and not tax dollars. Plans for the rest of the parking garage include 600 underground spots, a new alley and pedestrian improvements, and the accommodations for future developments.

Planners for the garage, on South Fifth between William and Liberty, will be adding other green features such as efficient lighting and storm water capture. If electric cars become more popular, there's an area to add a second transformer; the building is wired to offer as many as 300 charging stations if the demand is there, Pollay says. Also, carpool spaces in choice areas will be reserved.

Although mass transit is important, there will always be a need for solo transportation, whether it's a gas-powered car, moped, or bicycle. But offering electric-car charging stations and secure bicycle parking helps encourage the modes that least impact the environment, she says.

Fifth Avenue was closed last month to accommodate the construction. The garage is expected to open next fall.

Source: Susan Pollay, executive director of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority
Writer: Kristin Lukowski

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Ann Arbor underground parking garage to add solar panels, electric car charging station

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