Cityscape Parking Garage Will No Longer Accept Parking Validations (Phoenix: rent, lofts)

[WSPHXPELON]

As of tomorrow, the Cityscape parking garage will no longer accept parking validations. I think this is ridiculous as we are supposed to be encouraging people to come downtown and aide the downtown revitalization by spending their money there. Now that parking won't be free I think this will discourage people from coming downtown.

Does anybody here use that garage on a regular basis? Will this directly effect anyone here? Comments or opinions?

[exit2lef]

When I visit CityScape, it's usually by train, so this won't have much effect on me. I'd say it's a sign of success if CityScape no longer has to give away parking for free. That would indicate it's functioning like a major attraction in any major city core where parking is almost always unbundled rather than built into the cost of goods and services. Nevertheless, the policy can always be reversed if if it has a negative effect on business. In fact, I wonder if it's a temporary measure during the Super Bowl events?

[new2colo]

Absolutely ridiculous. I normally park north of downtown, where the spaces are free, but I still think this is crazy. Of course this happens RIGHT as the Super Bowl events are starting downtown. The city already made a serious error in extending meter hours on the weekdays and making people pay on the weekends. Downtown has come a long way, I will admit, but it is not to the point where the city and CityScape management can nickel and dime people and expect them to continue coming downtown. CityScape is already full of chain stores that most people can find near their own homes. Starbucks? Chipotle? CVS? Urban Outfitters? Charming Charlie? All these stores have many locations outside of downtown. Sporting events and concerts are the reason people come downtown. City officials had better hope and pray that the Suns or Diamondbacks don't up and move to Scottsdale or Glendale one day. The Braves made a similar move. There is no reason why it couldn't happen here. That would be the end of downtown.

I feel like this city and private developers have done enough in destroying downtown. As a relative newcomer, I am shocked when I see older photos of downtown from the 1940s and 1950s and how vibrant downtown was. All these mom and pop stores torn down for soulless high rises, parking lots, and some hideous 1960s and 1970s architecture. The Fox Theater torn down for surface parking? Who thought that was a good idea? Sorry to go on a side rant, but I wish people would stop making harmful decisions like charging for parking just for greed and not recognizing the greater effect that this could have on downtown.

[43north87west]

For crying out loud, downtown hotels charge ridiculous rates to park in their mandatory valet lots, while the guests can park on the street half a block away for nothing. Hotels costing less only a couple blocks away have surface parking for guests at no charge. It's all about convenience. There are other options, and people don't go downtown to go to Starbucks. They go to Starbucks when they're downtown doing something else.

Another thing to consider is that Phoenix's economy is very dependent on tourism (whether in the form of sporting events, vacationing, conventions, or whatever). Tourist attractions get their money one way or another. It's not just Phoenix, it is everywhere. Look at Scottsdale. You can park at meter parking or pay to park at your hotel, or you can park at the free lot or free structure behind your hotel, or around the corner from whatever restaurant you are going to. Tons of areas are like this.

On the subject of teams moving out to Glendale, it works both ways, and I'm going to bet that Phoenix is going to play to win next time around. The City of Glendale can't whhore itself out indefinitely. The whole Westgate area hinges on sports presence. It will be a long time from now, but once the stadium ages sufficiently and whatever contracts are fulfilled, the Cardinals could pack up and move downtown to a nice shiny new stadium on some of the acres and acres of land surrounding downtown. Hockey isn't going to carry Westgate and all its high rent franchise space. Give it time and it's Metrocenter II.

Finally, downtown isn't teetering on the brink of extinction as much as people here would have others think. I'm not joking that someone actually posted on this forum, that he was glad to see that "downtown had a movie theater now". Some people here don't go downtown except for every 20 years, and when they do go, they pay no attention to anything. There are more residential developments in progress, and some just finished in the areas immediately surrounding downtown. Cityscape is only one piece of a huge improvement in downtown. A lot of things have taken place, and downtown is going to make it without Cityscape validating parking.

[TempeAZnative]

I work downtown and you pretty much have to pay for everything even the city jack up the parking meter price and extended the hours you have to pay to use them. If Phoenix wants to compete with in the long run the parking issues need to be addressed because in the long run people will just go to areas with the same entertainment where you don't have to pay for anything. Hell my employer basically told us next week during the Superbowl to take the light rail because out parking garage which is across the street from the Civic Plaza and the Superbowl experience is going to cater to the events so they can jack up the price of parking to take advantage of the Superbowl. So we basically must use a park and ride and light rail to get into work. The light rail is already pack so it's going to be chaos next week.

[WSPHXPELON]

Yeah I go to the Gold's Gym (they actually just changed their name to EOS Fitness) there in CityScape at least 5 times per week. They would always validate my parking and it has always been very convenient. No way in hell I'm going to pay for parking every day now, so I'm gonna just start riding my bike to the gym (it's less than 2 miles). Not a huge deal, but a hassle nonetheless.

[new2colo]

Originally Posted by 43north87west

For crying out loud, downtown hotels charge ridiculous rates to park in their mandatory valet lots, while the guests can park on the street half a block away for nothing. Hotels costing less only a couple blocks away have surface parking for guests at no charge. It's all about convenience. There are other options, and people don't go downtown to go to Starbucks. They go to Starbucks when they're downtown doing something else.

Another thing to consider is that Phoenix's economy is very dependent on tourism (whether in the form of sporting events, vacationing, conventions, or whatever). Tourist attractions get their money one way or another. It's not just Phoenix, it is everywhere. Look at Scottsdale. You can park at meter parking or pay to park at your hotel, or you can park at the free lot or free structure behind your hotel, or around the corner from whatever restaurant you are going to. Tons of areas are like this.

On the subject of teams moving out to Glendale, it works both ways, and I'm going to bet that Phoenix is going to play to win next time around. The City of Glendale can't whhore itself out indefinitely. The whole Westgate area hinges on sports presence. It will be a long time from now, but once the stadium ages sufficiently and whatever contracts are fulfilled, the Cardinals could pack up and move downtown to a nice shiny new stadium on some of the acres and acres of land surrounding downtown. Hockey isn't going to carry Westgate and all its high rent franchise space. Give it time and it's Metrocenter II.

Finally, downtown isn't teetering on the brink of extinction as much as people here would have others think. I'm not joking that someone actually posted on this forum, that he was glad to see that "downtown had a movie theater now". Some people here don't go downtown except for every 20 years, and when they do go, they pay no attention to anything. There are more residential developments in progress, and some just finished in the areas immediately surrounding downtown. Cityscape is only one piece of a huge improvement in downtown. A lot of things have taken place, and downtown is going to make it without Cityscape validating parking.

Unless you park after hours, there isn't free parking a half block away from any hotel in the downtown core. You have to park blocks away if you want 24 hour free parking. I believe most parking north of McKinley is still free. Few people are willing to walk from north of McKinley to the downtown attractions in the heat. We have a proliferation of hotels outside of the downtown core that do not cost a dime. I work near Central and Indian School and most of the out of state visitors who come to my office stay at the Marriott at the 202 and 44th Street or one of the hotels in Midtown Phoenix, in part, because parking is free.

I lived in Skyline Lofts when I first moved to Phoenix (3rd Street and Fillmore). Once I left downtown for the Kierland area, I found I had absolutely zero reason to go downtown. Everything I needed downtown could be found near my house. This is not how a vibrant downtown works. The main reason people even go downtown is because of sporting events and concerts. On summertime weekday evenings and Sundays when there was nothing going on downtown, it was incredibly eerie how dead downtown was. I could stand on my balcony at 9 PM and go two to three minutes without seeing a single car traveling south on 3rd Street into downtown or across Fillmore from the north end of the AZ Center to the Westward Ho. The arenas carry downtown. Nickel and dime people to death who drive in to support those and see what happens. It's not going to be pretty.

While downtown has and continues to come a long way, charging people for parking left and right is a good strategy to keep the forward momentum going. People are just starting to warm up to the place again and doing a thing like this could be a serious impediment. People in Phoenix are not used to paying for parking. This is a suburban city with huge, expansive free parking everywhere you go. If enough people raise concern about this and decide to avoid downtown again, the stadiums could eventually roll up the rug and move to an area where parking is a lot more plentiful. Most people here do not hold some sacred allegiance to downtown. This is not Chicago or New York. Downtown is expendable.

[kct987]

Guess everyone is going to have to use another form of transportation. Bummer.

[pbenjamin]

Originally Posted by WSPHXPELON

As of tomorrow, the Cityscape parking garage will no longer accept parking validations. I think this is ridiculous as we are supposed to be encouraging people to come downtown and aide the downtown revitalization by spending their money there. Now that parking won't be free I think this will discourage people from coming downtown.

Does anybody here use that garage on a regular basis? Will this directly effect anyone here? Comments or opinions?

Do you have any email or online information about this? I can't find any reference and the Cityscape website is still promoting 2 hour free parking with validation.

CityScape Phoenix | Restaurants | Shopping | Entertainment | Hotel in Downtown Phoenix

[military spouse]

My daughter loves Urban Outfitters, so we are there at least once or twice a month and always with validated parking. I think without the free parking, it will be a deterrent.