VALDOSTA —
Parking issues for the library became a contentious issue at a meeting Tuesday between members of the Five Points and Municipal Auditorium Steering Committee.
Over Tuesday and today, Steering Committee members are meeting with architects and planners to discuss site plans and visions for transportation, use of green space and the locations for both the library and auditorium, which are both currently slated for completion by October 2016.
Located on 22 acres near the current Five Points intersection, planning designers from IPG, Inc., provided three initial concept designs for the area. Members discussed whether the 62,000 square-foot library should be located near roads to prevent the 110,000 square-foot auditorium from overpowering the visual impact of the area. Other options were also considered, including a spontaneous idea from City of Valdosta Planning and Zoning Administrator Matt Martin. He proposed placing the green space between the two buildings, which would share the visual space.
South Georgia Regional Library Chairman Kay Harris, who is also the Valdosta Daily Times managing editor, emphasized that the library would need more parking spaces than slated by project planner John Starr of Clark Patterson Lee, a design firm working with IPG, Inc.
Based on public assembly parking requirements, Starr offered 474 spaces for the multi-purpose room, auditorium, library and amphitheater combined. His first proposal offered 800 spaces.
South Georgia Regional Library Director Kelly Lenz provided usage data for the current library facility, which frequently overflows into the 600-plus parking spaces at South Georgia Medical Center in addition to 74 spaces that are exclusive to the library.
She said current parking demands overflow into SGMC, nearby streets and the lawns of the library. Lenz said that the library’s 150 computer stations are constantly in use from the moment the doors open until 8 p.m. daily.
To formulate an adequate solution, peak parking hours for weekdays and weekends at night and during the day were considered for the library, auditorium and retail center. The auditorium showed heavy usage during evenings, while Harris and Lenz said current library parking is nearly always 90 percent of capacity during mornings and evenings. Harris and Lenz agreed that 400 parking spaces would be adequate for their current needs due to the number of events and facility usage, but admitted with increased availability of services that usage would also increase.
Harris said some parking would be required within 50 feet of the library to meet requirements from the American Disability Act.
The discussion also focused on landscape design and monument design, which could include a participatory fountain or water feature for children.
The Five Points and Municipal Auditorium Steering Committee will continue discussions at the City Hall Annex multi-purpose room from 1-5 p.m. today.
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