New eco-friendly parking garage to open on campus next year
A 1,920-space parking garage will open on campus by January, giving employees more parking options, while freeing up spaces to reduce some waiting lists.
The Sands Parking Garage by the corner of Erwin Road and Research Drive is expected to open spaces in nearby PG-II, LaSalle Street, Hock Plaza and Circuit Drive -- parking lots that are currently sold out.
With more than 1,800 people on waiting lists to gain access to the lots, the addition of the new parking garage can potentially allow many employees on waiting lists to gain access to a parking garage near the medical campus, said Melissa Harden, assistant director of Parking and Transportation Services.
"Parking anywhere at Duke is in high demand and in short supply," Harden said. "The most highly demanded parking is in the research sector of campus, where the garage is being built. This is going to help relieve some parking congestion."
The new seven-level garage, which will be considered for a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) designation, will have one level for visitor and Eye Center patient parking; the rest is for employees and students. A permit will cost $62.50 a month, the same premium rate for seven other parking locations at Duke.
A special "reserved" level will be available for $96.50 a month, the same rate as the Bryan Research Garage on Research Drive.
In an effort to make the garage LEED certified, the garage will include unusual "green" aspects such as:
• Two 10,000 gallon cisterns that collect rainwater and re-use it for watering landscaping
• Overhead canopies that can grow plants to provide shade on the roof
• Parking spaces with electrical outlets for re-charging hybrid vehicles
"It would be quite an honor to achieve a LEED certification since no parking garage in the United States has achieved the goal to date," said Dudley Willis, project manager for the construction. Willis added that Duke is installing a LED lighting system in the garage that would use less power than commonly used overhead fixtures seen around campus.