SPOKANE, Wash. — As Gonzaga puts the finishing touches on it’s newest residence hall, the university is hoping its partnership with Spokane Transit Authority can help everyone avoid a parking nightmare.
Mantua Hall near the roundabout at Cincinnati and Sharp is set to welcome students in January.
With the new housing and Gonzaga’s overall enrollment increase, people living in the area are worried parking could be more difficult to find.
“On campus…I typically try to find street parking but that’s a little difficult at times,” said Derek Bowechop, a Master’s student at GU.
However, Jim Simon, Gonzaga’s Director of Sustainability, said the university has worked together with STA to ensure GU students and staff can ride public transit for free and cut down on using cars on campus.
Since the city line opened last year, more than 15,000 student trips have been recorded.
He said the convenience offered by the bus route is appealing to students.
“They’re also able to consider using their car less and maybe having to worry about finding parking less,” said Simon.
According to GU’s Campus Security and Public Safety Office, there has been a noticeable decrease in the number of parking passes issued to students in the past three yeras.
STA said this is part of the development they are hoping to bring to the Division Corridor by 2030.
“So I wouldn’t say that the goal is to reduce the reliance on the car as much as to make it easy for people to have the freedom not to have a car and to get around the region easily and accessibly without having to have a car,” said Karl Otterstrom, STA Chief of Planning and Development.
Otterstrom said more permanent structures can help people trust public transit and incorporate it into their routines.
“People can rely on it, and if they buy a house or sign a lease, they can also make longer-term decisions about investment and development,” he said.
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