A dispute between the University and surrounding neighborhoods has postponed construction on a parking garage on Las Lomas Road and Redondo Drive.
UNM plans to build the parking structure in place of Lot C on the north side of campus. It would provide spaces for 440 vehicles.
But the State Board of Finance did not approve plans for the Lot C structure during its meeting with UNM officials June 23.
The board did, however, approve plans for a parking structure at Yale Boulevard and Lomas Boulevard, which will provide 850 spaces.
The University will pay for the two projects with $29 million in bonds that were secured in 2007. Beffort said the University will repay the bonds through parking fees, which should be higher than those for surface lots. The price of surface lot permits for commuter students last year started at $124.
"We have over 1,500 people on a waiting list to be able to park closer to campus, so we don't think we'll have any trouble," he said.
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Daniel Laird, Spruce Park Neighborhood Association member, said the University should improve biking and walking trails on campus and maybe expand the shuttle service area instead of building parking structures.
Kim C. Gonzales, Board of Finance public information officer, said in an e-mail that the parking structure contradicts UNM's goal to promote alternative methods of transportation.
"To a lesser degree, (the Board of Finance members) also questioned the need for a parking structure in light of UNM's goals to promote remote parking, public transportation, and plans to restrict vehicular presence on campus, noted in the draft master plan," she said.
Gonzales said that the board was concerned about the aesthetic impact of the Lot C structure, which is in the heart of central campus.
Steve Beffort, vice president for Institutional Support Services, said the University was careful about selecting the structure's location.
"We've done substantial studies to help us determine the most appropriate location for the parking structure and, in our opinion, we have those appropriate justifications and studies," he said.
Will Gleason, urban planner and associate with architecture firm Dekker/Perich/Sabatini, which is contracted to work on the structure, said the parking structure is beneficial because it efficiently uses campus space.
"It's a way of consolidating where the cars go on the campus and that, in turn, frees up the central campus for what it's really needed for - for building new classrooms, building new housing for students, building new research facilities," he said.
Laird said the Spruce Park Neighborhood Association is concerned with traffic flow increasing through their neighborhood from the parking garage.
"There's a park in the center of the neighborhood with quite a few children who play there and catch the bus there and so forth," he said. "If there's a lot more traffic running right by that, it would decrease the safety within our neighborhood."
Gleason said the traffic analysis suggests the impact on the small neighborhood's streets would be minimal.
Beffort said many are overlooking the most important point of these parking structures.
"It seems like nobody is paying attention to the value of these to the students and the faculty and staff, because we would include in these structures a lot of hourly access," he said. "A lot of students use Dane Smith and Mitchell Hall for evening classes, and this would provide substantial parking."
Gonzales said the board asked UNM to explore alternative sites for the structure and continue to work with community members.
The Association of University Neighborhoods also opposes the parking structure, but no one from the group was available for comment.
University representatives will hold a meeting with the Spruce Park Neighborhood Association later this month.
Laird said the association would like the University to consider the neighbors' opinion on the structures before acting.
Beffort said construction on Lot C depends on the Board of Finance's final approval, the outcome of the neighborhood meetings and the city's participation and approval.
