Parking Garages: An Effective Tool for Cities and Towns

When you think of economic development or redevelopment projects, you may naturally think about the latest mixed-use development announced for “insert Indiana city/town here.” The renderings are usually inspiring, and often these projects bring office or retail space or housing that is pivotal to growing neighborhoods. But, did you know that parking garages can be one of the most effective tools for cities and towns?

Whether a parking garage is needed to support already existing businesses in a downtown with more potential or part of a project bringing much-needed density to a neighborhood, Envoy is committed to providing our clients with expert solutions for all types of parking structures.

For example, Envoy has built two parking garages in the Nickel Plate District in Fishers, Indiana—both meeting a different economic need. The first garage was part of The Edge project on the corner of 116th Street and Lantern Road. The Edge was one of the first projects completed in the redevelopment of Fishers’ downtown, and the parking garage provided not only parking for tenants and customers of the building, but also vital parking for nearby office buildings, eateries like Four Day Ray Brewing, and local events. It was a crucial component in the growth along Lantern Road.

The second garage that Envoy built in Fishers was part of the Spark Apartments project. While this garage is a stand-alone structure, it meets the growing demand for daytime parking in nearby office buildings—including a corporate headquarters and tenants of the new Braden Building—and public parking during special events at the amphitheater. The parking garage also serves the tenants of Spark Apartments and the flexible live-work units that face Lantern Road.

Glamorous? No. Vital to the success and growth of our local economies? Yes.

Parking structures are a unique building type that requires an in-depth knowledge from your construction professionals. Envoy continues to adapt to the very latest technologies and techniques in design and construction to deliver optimum solutions. According to data sourced from Steetsblog USA, our parking expertise has resulted in parking structures delivered to our clients at costs less per space than the U.S. National averages ($19,700/space in 2017 and $20,450/space in 2018), and the Indianapolis averages ($18,041 space in 2017 and $18,753 space in 2018).

Whatever your parking needs might be, whether building on an unimproved lot or a tight active downtown area, Envoy has the expertise and experience to help you plan and budget for car/space costs and then get the job done right, on-time and within budget.