[SpawnOfVulcan]

It truly is sad... they have a chance to do something really nice and instead decide to plop down a fat slab of parking. I know the government isn't directly in the business of commercial development but it seems like the GSA could have worked with UAB, St Vincents, or even a developer to take advantage of the great views of downtown (and there are some spectacular views from this lot) and make this something nice.

I understand their great need for parking nearer to the VA Hospital, but really could they not have worked with UAB to expand an existing deck? I understand that structurally some deck simply may not be able to be expanded, but it seems like there had to have been some other options.

If I'm not mistaken, there is an Executive Order that puts pressure on the GSA to exhaust downtown options before pursuing locations outside the city center; I wish that soliciting community input was also a part of that Order...

Back when I had to frequent the Kirklin Clinic for my TMJ, I always went out of my way to take the Expressway, so that I could get off at University and see that great view of downtown. I guess people could climb the future parking deck to get a good view, but still...

I really hate how frequently we have to "settle" for this kind of thing.

EDIT: Also, can anyone think of a reason why the deck is fronting University and not the clinic?