TRAVERSE CITY— A newly released parking study for Cherry Capital Airport outlines up to $80 million in potential ground transportation upgrades over the next two decades, but airport officials stress the figure represents a ceiling, not a spending plan.
“If you implemented all the changes that were in that plan, it would probably amount to that $80 million mark,” said Bob Nelson, the airport’s engineer. “There is no plan on doing that.”
The study, prepared by the engineering firm Mead & Hunt and dated Feb. 5, found the airport faces a significant and growing parking deficit. TVC currently has about 1,348 public parking stalls but needs roughly 1,568 to meet baseline demand, a shortfall of more than 400 spaces.
That gap is projected to grow to nearly 1,500 spaces by 2042 as annual enplanements climb from about 340,000 to an estimated 568,000.
The airport recently opened an economy lot that has already proven popular with travelers.
“The economy lot in particular, in what we’re able to do to expand that economy lot, is going to be able to serve our current and future parking needs out, probably 10 or 15 years,” Nelson said.
Additional economy lot expansions could follow at a modest cost.
“If you figure we do that maybe two more times, you’re talking about another $6 million over the next 10 to 15 years,” Nelson said.
The study’s larger recommendations, including a consolidated rental car facility and a multi-level parking structure that together account for the bulk of the $80 million estimate, are tied to passenger thresholds that may be decades away.
Nelson said a parking garage would not be on the table until the airport’s total parking inventory exceeded 2,500 spaces.
“We would probably need to be looking at over 2,500 parking spaces,” Nelson said. “So yeah, we would have to add another thousand or so to our current setup before we start really looking at planning any additional type places.”
The study also recommends a series of new services, including valet parking, EV charging stations, covered parking with solar canopies, premium reserved spaces and a ground transportation center to consolidate shuttle, rideshare and rental car curbfront operations.