Name: Watry Design, Inc.
Price range: $

As the City of San Luis Obispo develops its downtown core, additional parking was critical to support future development. However, the site’s prominent location adjacent to museums and the future Repertory Theatre meant that great care needed to be given to develop a structure that complimented the Mission Revival architecture of the area while making its own statement.

Watry Design studied the site, prepared design options, gathered feedback through public workshops, developed the EIR documents, obtained entitlement clearances and designed the structure. The Cultural Arts District Parking Structure provides 396 parking stalls and includes 5,000 sf reserved for future housing.

Because the façade not only needed to complement existing buildings but also future developments, Watry Design worked closely with the City’s architectural review committee to develop a design that reflected the character of the Cultural Arts District. This included a copper dome, decorative archways, mission tiling, terra cotta roof, and enhanced light fixtures. To mask the look and feel of a typical parking structure, openings in the naturally ventilated garage were designed to replicate windows. A gable designed into the Palm Street façade will provide a canvas for a public art installation that will be selected through a city procurement process, providing an opportunity to celebrate the City’s cultural heritage.

The upper deck was designed to accommodate event space that capitalizes on stunning views of the Bishop and Cerro San Luis peaks, and balconies look out on the children’s museum and future theater. As the east façade sits adjacent to local residences, mission-style lattice screening was incorporated at the stairwell to ensure privacy.

Pedestrian connections were a vital component of the project. Two stair towers on Monterey and Nipomo Street connect to the museum corridor. A third stairwell exits to Palm Street. The Monterey exit features a green wall and is lined with mission tiling, leading users into a plaza that will be shared by the future theater. A number of improvements were also made to pedestrian pathways outside the structure, including decorative brick pavers at key intersections, incorporation of mission tile into the sidewalks, and improved safety at pedestrian crossings.

Bicycle lockers are available for use inside the structure. A red and green light parking guidance system is integrated into the lighting system. These light indicators combined with dynamic signage at each level tells users where spaces are available, streamlining the time it takes to find a parking space. A parking access control system that utilizes LPR and RFID technology accommodates both day and permit users. To meet the City’s sustainability goals, the roof features photovoltaic panels to help offset energy needs. On opening day, 41 stalls were included EV charging stations, with an additional 25% of parking stalls equipped with EV infrastructure.

The compact site for the project presented a number of design challenges. In addition to an efficient parking layout that would meet the desired stall count, grade changes across the site and close proximity to neighboring residences necessitated a shoring wall. The team also had to take into account the code, openness, fire conditions, and stormwater needs of both the future theater and housing development, the latter of which would be “wrapped” around the parking structure. To overcome the limited site area for stormwater management, the team developed below-grade storm chambers that would accommodate both the garage and the theater. Additional stormwater treatment areas were incorporated into the mission-style sidewalks. A utility connection was added for the housing development, and openings in the structure were designed to be replaced with a firewall when the development moves forward.

Owner: City of San Luis Obispo
Contractor: Swinerton