Behrend has officially opened its second phase installment to the parking deck, located behind the Burke building, which is now available to students, faculty, and staff this semester.

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The parking deck provides drivers with five levels of 400 parking spaces.

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The new installment was originally built to support parking space for the Burke building, where it was initially suppose to include 180 parking spaces.

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However, with the completion of the AMIC (Advanced Manufacturing and Innovations Center) building in 2016, the number of classrooms for engineering and business courses increased and the only other parking spaces available uphill of campus were for residential areas.

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After the AMIC building was completed, there was an increased demand for commuter parking within close proximity of both the Burke center and the AMIC building. The township zoning regulations required approximately 480 parking spaces to support the AMIC building, but unfortunately, the campus did not have the space to fulfill the parking requirements.

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Behrend partnered with GEIDC (Greater Erie Industrial Development Corporation), and ground leased the property to them until early last year when the organization went bankrupt. The property was reverted back to Penn State, but due to zoning regulations, students are still not permitted to park in the AMIC building, with the exception of faculty and staff.

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Initially, the purpose in expanding the parking garage was to provide additional parking spaces for commuters. After the completion of the AMIC building, the residential parking lots behind the on-campus apartments and maintenance building became repurposed for commuter and faculty and staff to temporarily relieve the demand for commuter parking.

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The second phase of the parking deck was initiated by Chancellor Ford a year and a half ago, where the blueprints of the original architect were examined along with the financial feasibility. The project was funded by student, faculty and staff parking fees, which are put into the Behrend Parking Reserve. The funded money is now being utilized for snow plowing, lot maintenance, line painting and building new parking areas.

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“We added about two and a half additional levels and an increase of about 211 new parking spaces,” said Senior Director of Business and Operations, Randall Geering. “We added a second entrance and separated the deck into two areas; one for faculty and staff and the remainder is for commuter students, faculty and staff.”

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The separation of parking spaces now provides commuters with about 260 spaces, leaving 150 parking spaces for faculty and staff in addition to the parking spaces in AMIC.

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Director of the Black School of Business, Dr. Filbeck, believes the parking garage is a beneficial addition to the campus.

“With the volume of traffic through Burke, and now through AMIC, it provides necessary parking options for faculty and now students,” Filbeck said.

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Senior interdisciplinary business with engineering studies major, Amanda Mostowy, is pleased with the new addition to campus, but competing for a spot, she stated is still an issue.

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“Thankfully for me, I have all morning classes so I can get a spot mostly every day,” Mostowy said. “But if you try and park any time after about 10 a.m., you have to wait for someone to leave to get a spot. The next closest parking lot for Burke is just inconvenient, especially when it’s -14 degrees outside with the windchill!”

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However, junior plastics engineering major, Ashley Meyer, said that the expansion of the parking deck has caused less competition for claiming spots.

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Future expansion of the campus, industrial wise and student body wise, is expected to increase in the next ten years. Behrend has about 4,800 students enrolled. In the Facilities Master Plan, the goals of expansion are to increase the student enrollment to about 6,000, according to Geering.

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Industrially, Geering has examined the possibility of adding more parking decks to campus. Financially, the cost comparison of a ground parking lot and a leveled parking deck differs greatly in numbers.

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“...but, we are on a hill,” Geering added. “If the need arises in the future to add parking, chances are we would look to deck somewhere, such as the tiered back lots of Ohio and Almy Hall.”

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As Behrend’s campus continues to grow, the possibilities of providing additional facilities, while maintaining an environmentally green campus, is geared towards implementing a safe and educational experience for generations of students to come.