Campus parking will temporarily squeeze tighter in July as a north campus lot closes to make way for a 600-space garage, more than tripling the spaces in the existing lot.

The current 188 spaces in Lot 56, at Millrace Drive and Riverfront Parkway north of Franklin Boulevard, not only serve the university offices in 1600 Millrace, but also faculty, staff and students from all over campus.

Construction of the garage on the Lot 56 site starts this summer; the future Millrace Drive Garage is designed to serve the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact as well as general campus parking needs. It will provide around 600 parking spaces, more than triple what’s currently there. But it’s not scheduled to open until June 2020, meaning campus parking will be scarcer in 2019-20.

Parking at the UO has been in flux in recent years, as former lots have been used as valuable building space and other lots close and open as construction projects start and end. Transportation Services is working closely with Campus Planning and Facilities Management to better balance future parking issues with operational needs on campus.

For example, the spaces added with the Millrace Drive Garage in 2020 will offset parking displaced by the transformation of East 15th Avenue by Hayward Field and the eventual development of the Romania Lot, also called Lot 59. 

Transportation Services Director David Reesor recommends that employees look at other university lots that typically have space, such as Lots 52, 53 and 54, on the east edge of campus near the Walnut EmX station, along with other potential ways to get to and from campus such as through transit use, carpooling and bicycling.

“With the tightening supply of parking this next year, it is critical that we all continue to look for more efficient ways to get to and from campus," Reesor said. "For those who can't carpool, walk, bike or rely on transit, we're also exploring park-and-ride options in the area, which we hope to share by the fall. We’ve also instituted a new contractor parking program which places a cap on parking spaces for construction contractors on campus, prioritizing our spaces close to the heart of campus for student, faculty and staff permit holders."