[Altavia]

Where else would they start a downtown "renovation" project by building a parking garage?

DOWNTOWN PARKING GARAGE TO BEGIN
CONSTRUCTION IN JANUARY

Construction of Wildwood's new parking garage at the corner of US 301/Main St. and Oxford St. is scheduled to begin in early January. The surface lot on
that site will close as soon as Jan. 2, 2024.

A groundbreaking ceremony will be held Jan. 8 at 11:00 a.m. and is open to the public. All are invited. The multistory structure will house approximately 125 vehicle spaces, providing much-needed parking for existing and future downtown businesses.

Current construction schedules estimate a Fall 2024 opening, subject to change based on supply chain, weather,
and other potential delays.
The first significant construction project of the city's downtown master plan, adopted in November 2021, the parking garage is one component of a public- private partnership between the City of Wildwood and G3 Development.

That partnership also includes construction of approximately 8,000 square feet of new, leasable commercial space expected to be filled by one or more dining and entertainment businesses. The commercial building, which will be built, owned, and operated by G3 Development, is expected to begin construction in mid-2024 and open in early 2025.

The downtown master planning process involved participation and input from both residents and local businesses through surveys, interviews, a workshop, virtual open house, and presentations. During that process, participants were asked to identify and prioritize community needs and wants. Downtown redevelopment and revitalization quickly emerged as the top issue community members wanted the city to address. "Nothing happens quickly in government" said City Manager Jason McHugh. "There are checks and balances built into every step of the process to ensure fair and judicial use of taxpayer resources, which is vital but takes time." "Then the pandemic threw a big wrench into the mix," he added. "But we are now firmly on our way to implementing the vision laid out by our community, and Wildwood's future is brighter than it has ever been."

[kansasr]

Because it's not going to do a lot of good to create a lot of new business when there is no place for customers to park. Have you been over to Wildwood? The train tracks running behind the business along 301 make parking almost impossible. Makes sense to me to build a parking garage first.

[Altavia]

Originally Posted by kansasr

Because it's not going to do a lot of good to create a lot of new business when there is no place for customers to park. Have you been over to Wildwood? The train tracks running behind the business along 301 make parking almost impossible. Makes sense to me to build a parking garage first.

And with 301 on the other side? This is like shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic after hitting the iceberg

Sorry but the people behind this are drinking their own bathwater at the taxpayers expense..

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by Altavia

And with 301 on the other side? This is like shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic after hitting the iceberg

Sorry but the people behind this are drinking their own bathwater at the taxpayers expense..

Makes sense to me. Limited parking now and even less when the renovation work begins. Either cripple downtown for years or provide the parking that will be needed to keep it viable.

[Michael 61]

So this is what we are getting for our tax money for those of us that pay Wildwood City taxes.

[thelegges]

Originally Posted by Michael 61

So this is what we are getting for our tax money for those of us that pay Wildwood City taxes.

And Wildwood police presence, many of us came from the LSL and north.

We could watch cars, UPS, FEDex, and lawn company's (never Amazon, or Mike Scott Plumbing), going 50 in a 30, maybe seeing a Leo once a month if that.

Or that great empty sheriffs car parked on the side of a road for 2 weeks.

Wildwood will stop, and ticket, kudos to them. Just for PD it’s worth the tax.

[photo1902]

And just when I thought people ran out of things to complain about

[CartColor]

Parking garage and MORE!

[url]https://www.www.**************.com/2023/05/03/wildwood-mayor-issues-statement-after-split-vote-on-new-recreation-center/

From May 2023:

Wildwood’s city commission last night directed staff to begin contract negotiations with OLC Architecture to design a new recreation and outreach center at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park.

Following a conceptual design presentation by OLC’s Maged Elsheikh, five citizens in attendance spoke in favor of the project during the meeting’s public forum. Included were faculty and parents from the Wildwood Middle High School drama club, who described a shortage of space for programs that enrich traditional classroom education.

Elected officials discussed the significant, growing need for such a facility while raising questions about its capacity related to projected population increases, accessibility, security, and cost. Project construction is currently estimated at $10 million, with a total project cost of approximately $12 million.

In a split vote, the commission authorized the city manager to develop contract documents for project design. Following the meeting, Mayor Ed Wolf, one of two dissenting votes on the five-member commission, issued the following statement:
I have no question this facility is intended to serve the community. The concerns I raised this evening were centered around our best path forward, and exercising prudence with taxpayer funds as we take on the largest infrastructure project in Wildwood’s history, our new wastewater treatment plant.

As an educator in Wildwood’s schools for more than a quarter-century, I taught and coached many of the residents in the room tonight, as well as their children, and still regard them as family. I have no doubt that the students and athletes who will use this facility—as well as our seniors and other community members—will benefit from it.

As we proceed, I implore our management team to achieve the vision presented tonight with the same civic responsibility and meticulous attention to detail they demonstrate in other city affairs to ensure this investment does not jeopardize Wildwood’s current and future fiscal health.

In a subsequent agenda item, Ben Fries from CPH LLC. provided an update on the new wastewater treatment facility, explaining that recent flows have exceeded those projected when the project began. He recommended increasing the new facility’s ultimate 6 MGD capacity by one-third to 8 MGD, noting that disposal of the resulting increased volume of treated water presents additional challenges that will need to be addressed.

[Maker]

Wouldn't multiple surface parking lots make a lot more sense? Spread them all along 301. Then people can park next to the store they want to go to. And a lot less expensive.
What is the latest cost for this new parking ramp? How much $ per car?

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by Maker

Wouldn't multiple surface parking lots make a lot more sense? Spread them all along 301. Then people can park next to the store they want to go to. And a lot less expensive.
What is the latest cost for this new parking ramp? How much $ per car?

I guess you missed post #8?

[Maker]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

I guess you missed post #8?

Thank you for you most helpful comment, bit I did not miss that comment. Where was the $ per car in that post? The question was to clarify costs. In the past, a total cost of $4mm to $6mm was floated. Now it's at least double that. What changed? What extras are being paid for in that increase? More spots somewhere? More side lots?

IF at $12mm for 125 spots... that's only $96,000 per spot. Such a bargain. Surely that cost is not right. No sane person would approve that.

[Number 10 GI]

Originally Posted by Maker

Wouldn't multiple surface parking lots make a lot more sense? Spread them all along 301. Then people can park next to the store they want to go to. And a lot less expensive.
What is the latest cost for this new parking ramp? How much $ per car?

Where are you proposing these surface parking lots be located along 301? There is no space next to these businesses that isn't already a parking area. Definitely no way to park in front of them either.

I do see some problems with ingress and egress from the proposed parking garage, 301 can get pretty heavy with traffic.

[Altavia]

Originally Posted by Maker

Thank you for you most helpful comment, bit I did not miss that comment. Where was the $ per car in that post? The question was to clarify costs. In the past, a total cost of $4mm to $6mm was floated. Now it's at least double that. What changed? What extras are being paid for in that increase? More spots somewhere? More side lots?

IF at $12mm for 125 spots... that's only $96,000 per spot. Such a bargain. Surely that cost is not right. No sane person would approve that.

Well they did. $6.6 million for 126 spots, $52,000 per parking spot.

Most of which likely will be used by city hall employees, not customer's. But probably enough left over for Miz Kathi's Cotillion Southern Café...

[RPDaly]

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[BobGraves]

All the info. https://wildwooddowntown.com/wp-cont...ent_Report.pdf