City studies parking situation on Ninth Street; can new parking deck be in the works?

In the last year I have covered many planned construction and development projects around Ninth Street, including the controversial Harris Teeter, the Circle Nine apartments, the renovation of the space formerly occupied by George's Garage, and other miscellaneous projects. 

But while growth -- smart or otherwise -- is on the way, questions have been raised by local businesses and residents alike about the future of Ninth Street Shopping District, particularly in light of the attention the newly revitalized downtown Durham has grabbed in the imagination of the local leaders and the national media.

One such concern, expressed very clearly by several business owners of Ninth Street establishments, as well as  the commenters to this WRAL article about Ninth Street, is the lack of parking. Aside from street parking, shoppers can park at a city-leased lot directly across the street the Regulator Bookshop Shop. There are also some parking lots on Hillsborough Road and on Iredell St. but no clear guide or path to find parking for a person who is not familiar with the area. 

So it was with some interest that I have recently learned that the City Council has recently commissioned a comprehensive parking study for Ninth Street and Downtown, retaining Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. to provide professional consultant services on the situation. 

If, as I suspect, the consultants determine that there is a lack of sufficient parking to attract additional shoppers to Ninth Street, the most logical remedy would be to build a well-designed and unobtrusive parking deck somewhere in the strip, perhaps replacing the surface parking lot. If designed and built correctly - this new parking deck can be a boon for business, giving new shoppers an easy and clearly demarcated way to park without subtracting from the overall pedestrian and small-town feel of the area.