IS THERE ANYWHERE TO PARK? You might not realize it, but there’s actually an enormous – and usually pretty empty – parking ramp hidden in this picture. (Photo by Up Up and Around)
Downtown Eau Claire is immensely popular compared to the year 2000 when I moved here, with hundreds of new and long-established businesses, venerable public and non-profit institutions, and beautiful parks, bridges, and trails along our rivers. But with popularity brings challenges, like how to make sure thousands of people can safely and enjoyably access the downtown daily, whether to live, work, shop, or play.
Unfortunately, a perceived “parking problem” might be keeping some folks from visiting downtown Eau Claire as often, or staying as long as they wish. While recent parking studies show that only a few blocks of South Barstow Street have scarce available on-street parking spaces on weekdays, Friday and Saturday evenings downtown are increasingly becoming more congested with cars, coinciding with Pablo Center shows and tons of open bars and restaurants. Yet the parking ramps are rarely – if ever – full.
With the possibility that the city will begin charging for on-street parking, I urge drivers who are able to try walking, biking, taking the bus, or carpooling downtown whenever possible, so that more people can enjoy our downtown more often. Parking as many cars downtown as possible is not a viable strategy to attract more visitors, because the cost of accommodating thousands of cars will only grow for drivers, businesses, and the city budget.
A 1939 aerial view of Eau Claire, centered on the downtown. Compared to today, there are far fewer parking lots. (Photo via Chippewa Valley Museum)
We also miss opportunities for growth and revitalization when off-street parking space could be used for more buildings or green space, for people rather than vehicle storage. We are still rebuilding from when half the buildings in downtown districts were razed in the last half of the 20th century to accommodate the boom in automobile use, kicking off downtown’s decline in the 1970s, with hardly anywhere left to go. Tragically, even in recent decades we have seen blocks and blocks of housing and businesses razed for parking by the County Government Center, Mayo Clinic, and the L.E. Phillips Senior Center.
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IN THE NEW YEAR, PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING THE GROWING NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO CHOOSE OT BIKE, WALK, BUS, OR CARPOOL DOWNTOWN.
You’ll save money, help protect the environment, get some exercise, and make it safer for those around you. It’s one way to show your love for downtown, and help make its future even brighter.
JEREMY GRAGERT
CO-FOUNDER OF BIKE CHIPPEWA VALLEY, CHIPPEWA VALLEY TRANSIT ALLIANCE
Structured parking can’t save downtown neighborhoods from destruction either, because it costs about $50,000 per parking space to build, and that’s just not financially sustainable for the city or the private sector. Ominously, the city’s Capital Improvement Plan estimates spending $20 million over the next five years, all coming from local property taxes, for structured parking in the South Barstow District alone. Early discussions envision demolishing the aging Riverside Parking Deck on Graham Avenue along with the monstrosity that is the Gibson Parking Ramp on South Farwell Street, and replace the latter with a structure that has half the combined parking spaces of the two teardowns.
Downtown workers especially, who overwhelmingly drive alone, should strive to leave their cars at home and explore the many transportation alternatives. Employers should be creative to incentivize employees by offering bus passes or bike maintenance reimbursement.
Given the winter season, perhaps start with trying Eau Claire Transit (ecbus.org), which is celebrating 50 years of providing affordable public bus service in Eau Claire and Altoona. Buses primarily run between 6am-10pm weekdays, and 8:30am-6pm Saturdays. Not sure how to ride the bus? A volunteer can show you the ropes! Call transit and ask about Transit Ambassadors: (715) 839-5111.
The new bus transit center will finally open this year, and is aptly located in the most congested area of downtown. The two levels of parking above it, and engineering the building to hold three levels of housing above that, made it significantly more expensive and complex than a stand-alone transit center. Despite the delays, it is mostly federally-funded and the housing built, owned, and operated by a private developer will cover the city’s costs over time through paying property taxes.
I purposely live less than two miles from any part of downtown, and within blocks of three different bus routes and a trail, so I don’t need to drive downtown. Other people need parking more than me, plus I can spare both my neighbors and our downtown community from more traffic congestion, noise, and pollution. In the new year, please consider joining the growing number of people who choose to bike, walk, bus, or carpool downtown. You’ll save money, help protect the environment, get some exercise, and make it safer for those around you. It’s one way to show your love for downtown, and help make its future even brighter.
Jeremy Gragert served on the Eau Claire City Council and the Transit Commission between 2018-2024, and is a co-founder of both Bike Chippewa Valley and the Chippewa Valley Transit Alliance (CVTA). He lives car-free on the west side of Eau Claire.
