Tuesday, October 31, 2023

South Campus Garage: Updates and clarifications

To ensure a smooth transition, some of the changes to the South Campus Garage originally scheduled for Wednesday, November 1 have been delayed.

For the time being, the gate arm in S03 will remain raised, however, we will be proceeding with the addition of PPUP and lowering the gate to S03 in the future.

Here are some details about parking in the South Campus Garage until further notice:

  • S01 (Top Level) remains visitor and disability parking
  • S02 (Middle Level) parking for anyone with an active S01* or S02 permit
  • S03 (Bottom Level) parking for anyone with an active S01*, S02, or S03 permit

*Please note that S01 is included as a permit location in the list above because all levels of the South Campus Garage fell under the “S01” name.

Unsure about your permit type or location? Please visit our website and log into the Customer Portal using your UW NetID.

If you have already switched to an S03 pay-per-use parking (PPUP) permit, you will still be able to take advantage of PPUP’s flexibility and potential cost savings. To use your S03 PPUP permit, please use either your Husky Card or AVI card at the gate. When using your Husky Card, please swipe it at the gate reader when entering and exiting the lot. When using your AVI card attached to your windshield, it is important to slow down or stop when entering and exiting S03 so your AVI card can be detected by the card reader, similar to how you would if the gate arm was lowered.

If you hold a Single Occupancy Vehicle (SOV) permit, you may continue to park on the second (S02) or third levels (S03) of the garage as before. The gate arm at the entrance of S03 will stay in the raised position until further notice, meaning you will not need to scan an AVI card to enter. We strongly encourage you to please use S02 as your primary parking area in order to get used to the coming changes. 

Daily permit holders will also continue to be able to park on both the second and third levels of the garage, but are encouraged to use S02 as their primary parking area. Out of area parking sales will continue to be restricted, and will only be available in a limited amount from the online portal (not available for purchase at gatehouses). 

Motorcycle permit holders should use S02 and S05 as their primary parking areas but may continue to park in S03 as well. A02 Bike House permit holders are encouraged not to use the drive lane ramps for the garage, but may continue to do so at this time. 

Thank you for being part of this transition, we look forward to making parking in the South Campus Garage more accessible for UW staff members.

If you have been planning to switch to a PPUP permit but haven’t done so yet, please reach out to your department parking coordinator. At this time only payroll deduction eligible employees with an existing SOV permit or Daily permit may switch to S03 PPUP. 

What's changing and why:

Once a new transition date has been identified, the South Campus Garage will be divided into three separate parking areas. The top level will continue to be referred to as S01, the middle level will be S02  and the lower level will be S03. New signage will soon be in place to reflect the changes. 

  • The top level, S01, will continue to be primarily for visitor parking. 

  • The middle level, S02, will be available for parking permits such as Single Occupancy Vehicle (SOV) permits, Daily permits, reserved stalls, and motorcycle parking.

  • The bottom level of the garage, S03, will be gated and offer pay-per-use parking (PPUP) permits. 

  • S05, a small lot next to the South Campus garage, will be for additional motorcycle parking

These changes are coming after months of collaboration with the South Campus Transportation Committee. Adding PPUP permits to the South Campus Garage allows more people to park in the garage overall. This change was also made to the UW Tower garage with great success as it increased the number of customers able to park in that facility.

Over time, we will be able to increase the number of permits departments have available for employees based on real-time daily usage, we expect this could be as many as 600 additional permits based on the size of the lot and usage data. This may also lead to alleviated demand for parking in other south campus facilties such as the Portage Bay garage.

What is PPUP?

With a pay-per-use parking (PPUP) permit, parking fees are deducted from your paycheck at the end of each pay period. The less you park, the less you pay. You can also track your usage during the current pay period online.

To learn more about PPUP permits, and the differences between PPUP and other types of faculty and staff parking permits, please visit the Faculty & staff page.

Please Note:

Department approval will still be required for all permit types on all levels in the garage.  

  • If you purchase Daily Permits in S01 and are interested in switching to PPUP, reach out to your department’s parking coordinator.  Our Sales & Administration team will work with your department parking coordinator to determine the availability of additional PPUP permits after the transition is complete.

  • Existing Eligible S01 SOV permit holders will receive an email regarding how to save money by switching to PPUP.