Students and Faculty at Kent State University currently have access to over 11,000 parking spaces and 70 parking lots at the main campus. Some students think there needs to be a major parking expansion. But is that expansion necessary? Zach Downes reports.

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Kent State is the second biggest campus in Ohio and is constantly expanding.

The university has over 70 parking lots and over 11,000 parking spaces for students and faculty.

Some students feel that a parking garage should be built on campus.

 

“It would be very beneficial,” Freshman Taylor Livingood said. “More people have more options for parking opposed to just a few parking lots.”

 

Not including Dix Stadium, there are over 9,000 spots on Kent’s campus available to students and faculty.

 

Some students have taken the initiative to bring the problem up to students.

 

Junior animation major Stephanie Watters has been commuting to campus for three years.

 

“I actually had to put a survey out for class,” Watters said. “I had to do a proposal to Kent State about something that I think should change and I’ve always had a problem with parking even when I have purchased a pass.”

 

Watters also said that there have been days where she has spent an hour trying to find a parking spot. After a while, she gives up and does not go to class that day because she says it is not worth waiting for an hour.

 

Watters’ has had some students fill out her survey but has yet to project the idea to university officials.

 

Kent State University does not have plans for a new parking garage in the near future.

 

“A 700 car parking deck would cost about 15 million dollars,” Parking Services Manager Larry Emling said. “That would require a 1.4 million dollar debt payment every year and parking permit fees and parking ticket costs would rise in order to pay for it.”

 

Emling also said that the parking garage would not solve the problems of student parking.

 

“There’s 12,000 students with permits but they are not all going to be in the parking deck and they will still have to walk a distance to class,” Emling said.

University officials and Parking services are not currently planning for a new parking garage.