The summer of 2005 signals a number of major changes
in the paid parking system at the Homewood campus. The
university will soon begin to implement permanent and
interim measures to deal with a shortage of on-campus
spaces during the construction of a new underground garage
as part of the South Quadrangle project, located on the
site of what is now the 500-space Garland Lot.
Of particular note, the university has introduced a
new price-tiered system — to go into effect Sept. 6
— for parking spaces at a selection of on-campus and
off-campus sites. The registration period for these spaces
will start on Friday.
The parking system change was necessitated in large
part by the physical growth of the Homewood campus over the
past few years.
Under the new system, Homewood personnel can choose
one of five options offered at different prices. The
parking choices are the Homewood surface lots, faculty
hangtag spaces (for curbside spaces adjacent to academic
buildings), the West Gate Garage near the Johns Hopkins
Club, the new San Martin Center's garage and the Ellerslie
Avenue satellite lot at Johns Hopkins at Eastern. Monthly
rates range from $30 to $95.
The San Martin Center, whose main tenant is the
Carnegie Institution of Washington's Department of
Embryology, will add 340 spaces to the available inventory
when it opens on Aug. 15, helping to offset the loss of 550
spaces from the Garland Lot and the metered spaces on Wyman
Park Drive due to South Quadrangle construction.
Site work will begin in late summer on the new
604-space garage hidden underneath the South Quadrangle. In
September, full-scale construction will start on the
project, which is scheduled for completion by September
2007.
In 2000, the university adopted a new campus master
plan to guide Homewood's growth and enliven its aesthetic
appearance. One aspect of the plan sought to minimize the
disruption caused by trucks rumbling over a twisted network
of asphalt roads, while at the same time enhancing
pedestrian safety. To this end, the plan called for
diverting most traffic and parking away from the interior
of campus and toward the periphery.
In terms of growth, the university today has more
students and staff in addition to a number of new
buildings, including the Mattin Center, Ralph S. O'Connor
Recreation Center, Hodson Hall, Clark Hall and the New
Chemistry Building. The resulting problem is a greater
demand for parking and less land available for surface
parking lots.
The Homewood parking system will continue to be
self-supporting, financed on a break-even basis by the
monthly parking fees. The basic philosophy of the new fee
system is that those who choose the most convenience
— in terms of both proximity to campus and assurance
of a particular parking location — should be ready to
pay the most. Those who are willing to put up with a little
more inconvenience should get a price break.
From July 1 to Aug. 1, university affiliates may
select their first, second and third parking preferences by
registering at
www.jhu.edu/parking. The university will assign parkers
to their preferred options on a first-come, first-served
basis, until those options are filled to capacity. If the
first choice is not available, the person will be assigned
to either the second or third choice, as available. Those
who register after all on-campus options are filled will be
assigned to the Ellerslie Avenue satellite lot and be
placed on a waiting list for the preferred on-campus
options.
Between Aug. 1 and Aug. 15, those who have applied
will receive an e-mail confirmation of their parking
assignment.
The university strongly discourages parking in the
communities surrounding campus, to keep the severely
limited spaces available for neighborhood residents.
Baltimore City strictly enforces area parking regulations
with both ticketing and towing.
With the closure of the Garland Lot on Sept. 2,
visitor parking will be moved temporarily to the Stony Run
Lot, located off Wyman Park Drive, where there will be 150
visitor spaces available. The first half-hour will continue
to be free of charge, and the daily maximum fee in fiscal
year 2006 will remain at $10. Visitor's hangtags are
available to departments and offices for $8 each.
When the South Quadrangle underground garage opens in
September 2007, it will provide 150 visitor parking
spaces.
In order to help answer the majority of parking
questions and concerns, the Parking Office has created a
comprehensive Homewood parking Web site, www.jhu.edu/parking,
which includes details on all the available parking options
and related information, such as shuttle schedules.