Commission presses staff for clear costs, uses for 17 South M building and downtown parking garage

Commissioners said the downtown parking garage project is the city’s largest recent capital commitment and asked staff for a single-page summary of hard and soft costs, expected parking spots, and trade-offs.

"For our biggest project in a long time, you know, upwards of $10,000,000 of public money, and we don't have universally agreed-upon piece of paper that says, this is what it costs. This is what you get," Commissioner Christopher McVoy said, urging clarity.

Discussion also focused on the planned relocation of the 17 South M Street building. Staff presented two options: move the structure with minimal upgrades, or perform a full renovation to accommodate future staff. Commissioners cited widely varying cost estimates—approximately $600,000 at the low end to more than $2.4 million at the high end—and asked staff to return with clearer, comparable options and implications for operations and long-term maintenance.

The clerk recorded consensus to add a fuller discussion of 17 South M Street to the July 27 special meeting agenda; staff said they would revise the one-page summary based on commissioner feedback.