The expected completion date for Webster University’s parking garage expansion has been pushed back. In an October 2012 interview, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Greg Gunderson said construction would begin this summer, construction is now expected to begin in the fall.
Webster University representatives will meet with officials from the City of Webster Groves this Monday, May 6, to seek approval in the next step to expand its parking garage.
Director of Public Relations at Webster University Patrick Giblin said a start date cannot be set until the city officially approves the project. Webster University will meet with city officials in June to seek approval.
If approved, the expansions will more than double the existing garage’s parking spaces. Construction is expected to take six to eight months.
Webster University submitted its first Conditional Use Permit (CUP) to Webster Groves for the expansion last January. According to Mara Perry, Webster Groves planning and development director, there was a list of requirements the city put forth that Webster University must provide the city. The key requirement was to conduct a study on how the new garage and its construction would affect traffic in the area.
Webster University submitted a second CUP with a completed traffic study on April 15. According to the new permit, the parking garage expansion is not expected to cause a substantial increase in traffic.
Construction will make Lots O, E, and the Nerinx hall high school lot unavailable for parking. This means 204 spaces will be lost during the construction period. Webster University will create an off-site park and shuttle program to supplement the missing spaces. According to Webster University’s CUP, the program will be comprised of private and public transportation.
Webster University has contacted properties with extra parking spaces in Webster Groves, Maplewood and Shrewsbury. Students and faculty will be transported from those sites to campus. Webster University will provide shuttles that will carry up to seven passengers at once.
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