An information gathering trip to Sioux Falls found a situation too different from Rapid City's desire to develop the parking lot at 5th and St. Joseph Street to be relevant. Instead, the city will need to gather its own information, such as a new parking study, reports the Rapid City Journal. Finance Director Pauline Sumption asked the city council for such a study at a special meeting. The city knows how many leased spaces are used in the lot and how long the waiting list is, but doesn't know how much demand there is for parking, and thus doesn't know how useful a parking garage would be.
The lot would have been the site of the President's Plaza mixed-use facility, which at various points in planning included a parking garage. The council voted to end the project last year. Mayor Allender has been seeking new development for the lot.
More stories on parking are linked in the Black Hills Knowledge Network's online news archive.
