THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 7, 1995 TAG: 9507040092
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines
Given the anticipated reduction in military funds and the unknown completion time of the Lake Gaston pipeline, I'm convinced that the tourist industry must become the life-raft that will keep Virginia Beach afloat in the near future. Therefore, everything that will increase the attraction of tourists to Virginia Beach should be carefully con-sid-ered!
On the other hand if the economy does not improve and if our next president puts a big hike in the gasoline tax, people will not be able to - or want to - travel long distances for their recreation. But whether he lives 1,000 miles away or 10, if he comes to the beach and spends money, he is a tourist!
We have an untapped mine of 400,000-plus tourists in our own back yard, untapped because we've made little or no effort to encourage them to come to the beach! The major problem is lack of safe, legal, close-to-the-ocean parking. I'm recommending that we build an eight-floor, 800-space parking garage between 19th and 20th streets at the Dome site.
I've talked to the experts; I've read the reports. A large parking garage will not only go a long way toward satisfying the parking demands of our citizens desiring to come to the beach but will actually be self-supporting.
Do you know how many parking garages Norfolk has? Ten! And they are building an 11th.
``Oh, sure'' said one ``expert.'' ``Norfolk can support parking garages because of the large number of downtown employees that come to work all year.'' This is another partial truth. I've been in Waterside garage a hundred times; every time I've seen cars from Ottawa to Omaha, from California to Camden, N.J.
Norfolk makes money on its garages. Since 1982 they have never been in the red and this year they are putting profits into the city's treasury. They have built their garages with general-obligation bonds and without fall paid off the yearly obligation and the annual operating costs. And Norfolk doesn't have 400,000 local tourists!
We can build an eight-story, 800-space garage for $8 million, based on operating costs of $300,000 per year (total operating costs of Waterside garage are $200,000). We can finance it with a revenue-producing bond, a G.O. bond or in the C.I.P. If we go the bond routem the annual bond interest at 6 percent plus the capital reduction per year on a 20-year bond will total $880,000. Add the $300,000 operating costs and our annual total costs equals $1.18 million.
People from Pungo to Kempsville, from Great Neck to Little Neck, from Independence to Newtown Road say they don't go to the beach anymore because they hate to hunt for parking. They don't see any percentage in parking at the Pavilion and busing or walking to the beach. They've been burgled, vandalized and had their cars towed. They go to the city lot by the Dome - if they know it's there - and find it full! They park on the street and get tickets. They are fed up!
Harry J. Luman
Virginia Beach by CNB