Title
GateWay Community College Phoenix Forge Makerspace Parking Agreement (Ordinance S-47427)
Description
Request to authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to enter into a contract with Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) on behalf of GateWay Community College to provide parking spaces in the Adams Street Garage located at 310 W. Adams St. in downtown Phoenix.
Report
Summary
GateWay Community College’s makerspace, Phoenix Forge, a ONE Maricopa Initiative, serves as a learning environment offering students a location to learn the practical application of coursework, while providing the entrepreneur, hobbyist, inventor, and small business community, with a place to access the tools and equipment needed for idea fabrication and product development. Phoenix Forge is open to the public, MCCCD students, and staff.
Phoenix Forge builds on a nationwide effort to forge meaningful and collaborative relationships between Arts and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEAM). It serves as a cross-disciplinary learning lab for students of the Maricopa Community College system and is available to the public for a nominal membership fee. The makerspace offers an academic model of credit and non-credit courses and short, one-time workshops. This model creates a rich learning environment that supports student success by encouraging critical-thinking, creativity, and innovation.
The Phoenix Forge makerspace facility is located in buildings currently owned by MCCCD at 535 W. Van Buren St. in downtown Phoenix, and consists of 22,500 square feet of workspace, flexible classroom and community engagement/event space.
In preparation of the Phoenix Forge opening, the Phoenix Convention Center Department (PCCD) will provide 100 parking spaces at the City-owned Adams Street Garage located at 310 W. Adams St. Parking will be available to parkers solely in connection with Phoenix Forge by badge access. In lieu of parking revenue, an annual parking maintenance fee of $2,000 will be collected for each year of the five-year term to assist in maintaining the garage. The Community and Economic Development Department has agreed to pay this fee on behalf of Gateway Community College.
Contract Term
The contract will begin on or about April 1, 2021 for a five-year term.
Financial Impact
CEDD will be charged $2,000 annually by PCCD for the parking maintenance fee, not to exceed $10,000 over the life of the five-year term. There is no impact to the General Fund. Funding is available in the Downtown Community Reinvestment Fund.
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
This item was recommended for approval by the Workforce and Economic Development Subcommittee at the March 24, 2021 meeting by a vote of 2-0.
Location
310 W. Adams St.
Council District: 7
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Interim Deputy City Manager John Chan, and the Phoenix Convention Center and Community and Economic Development departments.