$11.3M in repairs needed at Asheville garages: 'Signs of deterioration'
Sarah Honosky
ASHEVILLE - An extensive assessment of downtown Asheville's four city owned parking garages found signs of deterioration, issues of non-compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act standards and some building code violations, totaling an estimated $11.3 million in needed repairs.
The facility assessment, conducted by Charlotte-based Walker Consultants as part of a $308,595 contract, recommends implementation by the end of 2025.
"It needs to be done," said the report. Without it, or if the city continues to defer maintenance, it "may potentially lead to partial structural collapse."
The report was delivered to city staff in August, and released to the Citizen Times via public records request Oct. 26.
It's what Transportation Director Ken Putnam, who has led the department since 2009, called "the most in-depth" look they've ever had of the city's parking garages. Report in hand, the department, in partnership with Capital Projects, has already begun implementation of the immediate recommendations — which include critical repairs at the Wall Street, Rankin Avenue and Harrah's Cherokee Center garages.
“We’re on the path ... to follow it to the letter," Putnam told the Citizen Times Nov. 1 of the report. Notably, he said, the assessment will extend the lives of all four garages up to 30 years. This is particularly important for the 47-year-old Harrah's garage, the city's oldest, which is the subject of the priciest repairs, clocking in at $5.3 million.
Current needed repair costs:
- Wall Street: $1.84 million
- Rankin Avenue: $1.53 million
- Biltmore Avenue: $2.56 million
- Harrah's Cherokee Center: $5.33 million
- Total: $11.26 million
Immediate priority work includes supplemental support for structural concrete corbels (a weight-carrying bracket) and steel framing in elevators and stairwells. Asheville City Council authorized a $279,940 contract with Cinderella Partners Oct. 10, to complete all immediate repair work. It will likely be finished in late winter or early spring.
But even before the report was finalized, the city had already started fixes on some of the most pressing needs in May, specifically a severely corroded step tread in the west stairs of the Wall Street garage, built in 1988.
The report says there are no plans for new parking structures, replacement or demolition — which it said would be pricier than maintaining existing buildings, costing $54 to $65 million, versus the about $30.3 million to maintain the four garages for 30 years.
"We know that we need to do it," said Capital Projects Director Jade Dundas of the recommended repairs. Now, it's a matter of financing.
As the city begins discussions around its fiscal year 2025 capital budget, Dundas said they will begin to develop a funding plan for the $11.3 million price tag.
The "deep dive" into parking garages comes concurrently to a separate evaluation of nearly all city facilities, which gave the city's aging infrastructure a "C" grade, and will focus on long-range capital planning. Dundas said the Comprehensive Facilities Assessment will be discussed at a Nov. 14 City Council work session.
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Out of compliance with ADA
Along with the immediate recommendations, Putnam said the department is putting particular emphasis on addressing the ADA needs. Most of the garages predate the ADA, a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability.
But compliance is required “when elements related to accessibility are altered” — meaning something as simple as resurfacing or restriping would trigger updates.
There’s “no excuse” not to make changes immediately, Putnam said.
Recent reporting from the Citizen Times found that of all the city garages, the Harrah’s garage created the most difficulty for people with disabilities, with several aspects out of compliance entirely.
A lack of required aisles beside “accessible” spaces, occasionally inoperable elevators, steep surrounding streets and narrow or blocked exits/entrances are among a few features cited by residents. The report affirmed many of these concerns, and said typical areas of noncompliance across all garages include:
“Accessible parking space signs installed too low, non-existent or noncompliant access aisles or accessible paths of travel, running and cross slopes exceeding maximum allowable limits in accessible parking spaces and accessible routes, lack of van accessible spaces, and parking spaces not located on closest route to entrances/exits.”
While the structure of the garage itself prohibits some change — like the slope of the ramps and vertical clearance of the building — the report said it “highly recommends that these conditions be addressed to the maximum extent feasible.”
Putnam said they are moving forward now with recommendations associated with ADA compliance, with a total cost to implement estimated at $80,000, and a Jan. 1 completion goal.
He said additional improvements to the exits/entrances onto Rankin Avenue and Vanderbilt Place, though not included in the report, are also being considered.
Meanwhile, the issue of the hallway connecting the county owned library to the Harrah's garage is still without a solution. It remains one of the few accessible ways to get from the garage to Haywood Street, but closes when the library does.
"It’s a vital connection, there’s no question about that," Putnam said, but the city does not yet have a plan to address it.
Record-breaking revenues
In 2022, replacement of old gates in city parking garages and subsequent equipment failure led to more than $800,000 in lost revenue, an amount further exacerbated by the lingering impacts of COVID-19 on the city parking fund — for which parking garages and meters are the primary source of income.
But revenues have bounced back, Putnam said. Fiscal year 2023 was the highest year on record for parking garage revenues. Meter parking revenues have also returned to pre-COVID levels.
Parking garage revenues (by fiscal year):
- 2023: $4.1 million
- 2022: $2.4 million
- 2021: $1.9 million
- 2020: $2.7 million
- 2019: $3.8 million
- 2018: $3.4 million
- 2017: $3.0 million
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24/7 security, and other operational changes
A number of operational changes are also underway, including a contract for 24/7 security of the city's garages and surface lots that Putnam said will go to City Council in November for approval. There will be three, eight-hour shifts, each with two guards. The contract will be about $480,000 annually.
The department is also initiating installation of security cameras in the parking decks, beginning with the Harrah's garage.
Additionally, according to an Oct. 10 report:
- Parking Services staff is available to escort customers who are parked in a city parking garage to and from their vehicle to the appropriate entrance/exit by calling 828-778-3216.
- A pressure washing contract has been in effect since May to clean the stairwells in the parking garages on a monthly basis.
- The additional "parking availability" sign for the Harrah's parking garage is expected to be installed along Haywood Street by the end of the year.
A multiyear process
As the report kicks off a multiyear process, with repairs and financing efforts underway, Putnam said it's critical that work will continue, all while creating a "minimal impact" on people who rely on the garages to park.
In the meantime, he said, garages are still safe to use.
“We’re definitely on course,” Putnam said. “We fully understand, too, just like with anything, if you don’t follow a preventative maintenance plan, and you defer maintenance, you hit a point where you better catch up. So we’re at that point. We’ve got to catch up. And from then on, we have a plan to keep it going, and that will get us to 30 years.”
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Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email shonosky@citizentimes.com or message on Twitter at @slhonosky. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.