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March 6, 2009 · The problem of too many cars squeezed into Brackenridge Park now has a solution. The city’s favorite picnic area now has an environmentally smart parking garage.
“It's the best looking parking garage in San Antonio,” said the Witte Museum’s president and CEO Marise McDermott. “It’s a three-story, open air, 300 free parking spaces for Brackenridge Park,” said McDermott while standing in front of the lattice covered exterior of the garage. McDermott said she’s been waiting a long time for the parking garage and so have the many people who frequent the popular family picnic area and the museum.
Mayor Phil Hardberger said the opening of the garage will bring an end to a common sight in the area that he called the Broadway Dash. “That’s where a woman pushing a baby buggy can get across Broadway before the F-150 that’s roaring down on her that’s just turned on Hildebrand,” said Hardberger.
There was no argument that the additional parking was needed, but there was a controversy over cutting down trees in the historic park to build the garage. Hardberger said he thought they came up with a workable compromise. “But I hate to see any tree cut down for any purpose,” said Hardberger. “The compromise though was to make it as environmentally sensitive as possible and to really try to incorporate it into the park so it becomes a part of the park,” he said.
The vision for the garage is to allow trees, vines and local flora to cover the structure and to capture rain water for irrigation. Hardberger said future parking garages could also adopt this model if the city is willing to pay for it. “This parking garage was more expensive than your typical parking garage,” he said.
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