Commission recommends Baker’s Place parking-permit agreement to Common Council after commissioners probe TDM, access and pricing

The Madison Transportation Commission unanimously recommended the city forward an agreement with Baker’s Place LLC for 20–50 24/7 parking permits at the South Livingston Street garage to the Common Council on March 18.

Commissioners removed the consent-item agreement from the consent agenda to ask questions about fairness, Transportation Demand Management (TDM) outcomes, and access for the general public. Robbie Weber led the request to discuss the item, saying she wanted clarity on whether the arrangement imposes TDM requirements on the building’s management and whether the city is giving preferential treatment to a downtown developer.

Ann, a parking-division staff member, told commissioners the proposed agreement replaces a previous long-term lease that had 40 reserved daytime stalls. Under the new approach, Baker’s Place would buy permits (minimum 20 sold at commencement, capped at 50), and those permits provide 24/7 non-reserved access to the Livingston garage rather than exclusive reserved stalls. The staff presentation noted the public retains first-come access to the garage; a permit does not guarantee a specific stall.

Trent, the TDM manager, said the Baker’s Place development already meets or exceeds the city’s TDM guide if it were evaluated under today’s standards. He explained that, even with 50 off-site permits plus about 15 stalls the development rents elsewhere, Baker’s Place would still meet the point thresholds staff use for TDM compliance. He added the current long-term-lease program is not codified to impose additional TDM obligations on lessees, so the agreement itself does not add new requirements beyond existing guidelines.

Commissioners pressed on public access and pricing. Staff said the ordinance-set monthly rate for a 24/7 permit is $140 and that Baker’s Place would pay the same rate charged to a member of the public plus a 10% administrative fee. “The public still has the same level of access as the residents of Baker’s Place,” a staff member said; staff also stressed the agreement is revenue-generating for the parking utility.

After discussion about how reserved daytime stalls historically blocked public access, Commissioner Harold Gleams moved to recommend approval to the Common Council; Alder William Okovich seconded. The chair called for unanimous consent and the motion carried without objection.

What’s next: The commission forwarded the recommendation; the Common Council will consider the contract and the final draft of the agreement (staff said negotiations were in a final round and the full contract text was not attached to the commission packet).