1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:02,960 Good morning, Northern Michigan. This is your cup 2 00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:06,319 of Traverse City for the 03/11/2026. 3 00:00:06,319 --> 00:00:08,900 I'm Mike, and I do have my coffee. 4 00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:10,559 So, 5 00:00:11,039 --> 00:00:13,519 the city of Traverse City, who took over 6 00:00:13,519 --> 00:00:15,139 from the downtown development 7 00:00:15,634 --> 00:00:18,695 authority in Traverse City, took over the parking, 8 00:00:19,474 --> 00:00:19,974 is 9 00:00:21,234 --> 00:00:22,114 eyeing some, 10 00:00:23,234 --> 00:00:24,614 parking rate increases, 11 00:00:25,234 --> 00:00:28,355 you know, changes to an alley, Rotary Square 12 00:00:28,355 --> 00:00:31,239 Alley. I'm not sure where that is, but 13 00:00:32,659 --> 00:00:33,560 a lot of 14 00:00:34,340 --> 00:00:35,399 things are changing, 15 00:00:36,899 --> 00:00:39,700 you know, in the parking world in Traverse 16 00:00:39,700 --> 00:00:42,100 City. So, you know, part part of the 17 00:00:42,100 --> 00:00:42,600 problem 18 00:00:43,460 --> 00:00:45,239 is they're gonna be taking 19 00:00:46,604 --> 00:00:47,984 away some spots 20 00:00:48,365 --> 00:00:51,005 on Lot B where the farmer's market is. 21 00:00:51,164 --> 00:00:52,765 I think we did a story on the 22 00:00:52,765 --> 00:00:55,244 pavilion they're building over there, and that's gonna 23 00:00:55,244 --> 00:00:56,924 take it from a 136 24 00:00:56,924 --> 00:00:58,304 spots down to a 100. 25 00:00:59,005 --> 00:00:59,505 And 26 00:00:59,965 --> 00:01:01,024 a lot of these 27 00:01:01,859 --> 00:01:02,359 spaces, 28 00:01:02,899 --> 00:01:05,060 well, if they're, you know, there's West State 29 00:01:05,060 --> 00:01:05,560 Street. 30 00:01:06,260 --> 00:01:06,760 They're 31 00:01:08,420 --> 00:01:09,859 gonna lose 57 32 00:01:09,859 --> 00:01:10,359 spaces 33 00:01:11,540 --> 00:01:13,239 because it's gonna be redeveloped. 34 00:01:14,579 --> 00:01:18,515 Mobility improvements on State Street will eliminate some 35 00:01:19,135 --> 00:01:20,354 on street parking. 36 00:01:20,814 --> 00:01:22,415 You know, some of the other things is 37 00:01:22,415 --> 00:01:25,234 they oversell these lots for, you know, permits. 38 00:01:25,694 --> 00:01:28,515 State treats State Street's Lot P, 39 00:01:29,490 --> 00:01:32,290 one of the two main surface permit lots 40 00:01:32,290 --> 00:01:34,849 along with Lot T next to the Farmers 41 00:01:34,849 --> 00:01:35,349 market 42 00:01:35,810 --> 00:01:37,189 along Union Street. 43 00:01:37,490 --> 00:01:39,569 The city has a 157 44 00:01:39,569 --> 00:01:42,150 active permit or 357 45 00:01:42,209 --> 00:01:44,625 active permits for a 198 46 00:01:45,665 --> 00:01:46,724 spaces which 47 00:01:47,025 --> 00:01:49,444 means they're oversold by 80%. 48 00:01:50,224 --> 00:01:52,305 Industry standard is 30% 49 00:01:52,305 --> 00:01:52,805 oversell. 50 00:01:54,224 --> 00:01:57,025 If they take away Lot P completely, that 51 00:01:57,025 --> 00:01:59,380 would push the oversell for Lot T to 52 00:01:59,380 --> 00:02:01,240 a 153% 53 00:02:02,100 --> 00:02:03,480 and that's not cool. 54 00:02:04,100 --> 00:02:07,219 The city has issued a moratorium on permit 55 00:02:07,219 --> 00:02:07,719 sales 56 00:02:08,340 --> 00:02:10,980 and is now renew you know, is now 57 00:02:10,980 --> 00:02:12,919 only renewing them. Commissioners 58 00:02:13,905 --> 00:02:14,724 noted that 59 00:02:15,344 --> 00:02:17,924 the spaces may actually be lost and 60 00:02:18,384 --> 00:02:21,284 some projects may not move forward which can 61 00:02:21,344 --> 00:02:23,204 you know which include their own parking 62 00:02:23,504 --> 00:02:25,125 blah blah blah. Anyway, 63 00:02:25,824 --> 00:02:27,764 you know part of the problem is they're 64 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:30,560 they're not making any money. They're, not even 65 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:31,620 breaking even, 66 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:34,000 you know, on the lot on the West 67 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:36,900 Side. The parking deck on the West Side 68 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:38,659 isn't doing very well, 69 00:02:39,199 --> 00:02:41,280 or I guess, West Side. It's it's a 70 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:42,019 long union. 71 00:02:43,344 --> 00:02:44,784 You know the one on Front Street I 72 00:02:44,784 --> 00:02:46,004 guess is doing alright 73 00:02:46,465 --> 00:02:48,965 and they're planning on building yet another one 74 00:02:49,025 --> 00:02:50,324 at some point somewhere. 75 00:02:51,264 --> 00:02:53,264 But I've always said that I really don't 76 00:02:53,264 --> 00:02:55,425 want to live somewhere where I have to 77 00:02:55,425 --> 00:02:55,925 routinely 78 00:02:56,305 --> 00:02:59,509 pay to park and I don't routinely have 79 00:02:59,509 --> 00:03:01,769 to park, or pay to park here 80 00:03:02,310 --> 00:03:04,069 in Traverse City because I don't do a 81 00:03:04,069 --> 00:03:06,549 whole lot of business downtown. You know? I'm, 82 00:03:06,549 --> 00:03:07,849 you know, mostly 83 00:03:09,030 --> 00:03:11,689 out of, out of the the paid parking 84 00:03:11,830 --> 00:03:13,530 zone in Traverse City. 85 00:03:14,175 --> 00:03:16,495 And, you know, like during Cherry Festival, if 86 00:03:16,495 --> 00:03:18,015 I go to any events down there, I 87 00:03:18,015 --> 00:03:18,915 ride my bike, 88 00:03:19,215 --> 00:03:20,655 so I don't have to pay to park 89 00:03:20,655 --> 00:03:21,155 that. 90 00:03:22,735 --> 00:03:23,555 You know, just 91 00:03:24,575 --> 00:03:25,795 but, you know, if this 92 00:03:26,259 --> 00:03:29,639 becomes a problem, you know, that that sucks. 93 00:03:30,740 --> 00:03:32,280 I visited Ann Arbor. 94 00:03:33,300 --> 00:03:34,740 I think it was last year. 95 00:03:35,300 --> 00:03:37,300 We went down to Ann Arbor and actually 96 00:03:37,300 --> 00:03:37,960 we camped 97 00:03:39,344 --> 00:03:42,384 outside Ann Arbor at a campground, but there 98 00:03:42,384 --> 00:03:44,644 was no place to park period. 99 00:03:46,144 --> 00:03:47,685 It wasn't even a game day. 100 00:03:48,144 --> 00:03:49,584 You know, it was the day before a 101 00:03:49,584 --> 00:03:51,044 game day and 102 00:03:51,629 --> 00:03:54,289 there is just nowhere to park in 103 00:03:54,909 --> 00:03:56,209 the city of Ann Arbor, 104 00:03:57,069 --> 00:03:58,849 especially, you know, on a summer 105 00:03:59,789 --> 00:04:01,550 day and, you know, in Traverse City, I 106 00:04:01,550 --> 00:04:03,870 guess, is the same way. Again, I don't 107 00:04:03,870 --> 00:04:06,050 attempt to do it very often 108 00:04:06,935 --> 00:04:08,555 in downtown, but 109 00:04:09,094 --> 00:04:10,395 it can become a problem. 110 00:04:11,335 --> 00:04:11,835 So 111 00:04:12,455 --> 00:04:15,414 let's see what the weatherman has to say 112 00:04:15,414 --> 00:04:15,914 today. 113 00:04:17,014 --> 00:04:18,714 Oh, another thing they're gonna do, 114 00:04:19,014 --> 00:04:20,954 forgot, is they're going to 115 00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:25,560 include some new fees for EV charging and 116 00:04:25,560 --> 00:04:26,860 and all that so 117 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:28,680 you know I guess in some of the 118 00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:31,720 parking decks they have EV chargers that they 119 00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:34,279 didn't have fees on or something. I don't 120 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:34,779 know. 121 00:04:35,295 --> 00:04:37,394 Anyway, here's the weather. Today, 122 00:04:38,334 --> 00:04:41,855 cloudy with freezing rain possible this morning, changing 123 00:04:41,855 --> 00:04:45,615 to light snow at times. High around 33 124 00:04:45,615 --> 00:04:47,154 slippery roads possible. 125 00:04:47,689 --> 00:04:50,169 And yeah, we got some thunderstorms last night 126 00:04:50,169 --> 00:04:51,769 and we heard a little rumble in here 127 00:04:51,769 --> 00:04:52,349 and there 128 00:04:52,729 --> 00:04:55,209 and a significant amount of rain. I don't 129 00:04:55,209 --> 00:04:57,769 know what the amount was but there's puddles 130 00:04:57,769 --> 00:04:58,750 in my driveway. 131 00:05:00,214 --> 00:05:03,415 And tonight cloudy with cloudy and cold with 132 00:05:03,415 --> 00:05:06,134 lingering snow showers around 23. I don't think 133 00:05:06,134 --> 00:05:07,754 there's gonna be any significant 134 00:05:08,694 --> 00:05:09,194 accumulation 135 00:05:09,975 --> 00:05:11,675 but hey still snow. 136 00:05:13,209 --> 00:05:16,410 Tomorrow, mostly cloudy with occasional snow showers. High 137 00:05:16,410 --> 00:05:17,629 near 34, 138 00:05:17,769 --> 00:05:20,189 which means it won't stick very long. 139 00:05:21,129 --> 00:05:22,910 And there's a couple of events. 140 00:05:23,850 --> 00:05:26,974 The annual youth art show featuring k through 141 00:05:26,974 --> 00:05:29,954 12 student artwork continues this week at Denos. 142 00:05:30,974 --> 00:05:33,294 Denos always shows up in these events, but 143 00:05:33,294 --> 00:05:35,615 that's good. That's good. That's what the that's 144 00:05:35,615 --> 00:05:36,675 what it's there for. 145 00:05:37,294 --> 00:05:39,949 And, of course, Saint Patrick's Day events and 146 00:05:39,949 --> 00:05:42,430 pub crawls are starting to pop up across 147 00:05:42,430 --> 00:05:44,930 Northern Michigan heading into the weekend. 148 00:05:45,470 --> 00:05:46,529 When is it? Eleventh? 149 00:05:47,310 --> 00:05:49,169 When is Saint Patrick's Day? 150 00:05:50,430 --> 00:05:50,930 Anyway, 151 00:05:51,604 --> 00:05:53,845 I guess I'll figure that out and, and 152 00:05:53,845 --> 00:05:56,245 I'll have green artwork for that episode, I'm 153 00:05:56,245 --> 00:05:56,745 sure. 154 00:05:58,324 --> 00:06:01,365 Anyway, if you're gonna participate in pub crawls, 155 00:06:01,365 --> 00:06:03,544 have a designated driver and be careful. 156 00:06:04,840 --> 00:06:07,560 People tend to do stupid things when, they're 157 00:06:07,560 --> 00:06:09,260 doing a pub crawl. So 158 00:06:10,280 --> 00:06:10,780 beware. 159 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:12,700 Catch you tomorrow.