COU to add hundreds of parking spots ahead of summer travel
COLUMBIA, Mo.
The Columbia Regional Airport is expected to add hundreds of parking spots ahead of Allegiant Airlines starting services to Florida in June.
Airport manager Michael Parks told ABC 17 News in an email that the project would add about 250 new parking spots and pave about 175 existing spots. The project would be completed before June 1, and Allegiant flights would start June 3.
The airport currently has about 1,000 parking spots with a mix of paved and gravel, according to the master plan. Almost 600 of those spots are paved.
According to the master plan, the long-term goal is to have a total of 1,600 spots.
The Columbia City Council needs to approve the first project to go out for bid at its April meeting. Parks said the project would cost about $3 million, but that won't affect parking rates.
"Parking will remain free. There is no immediate plan to charge for parking at COU," Parks wrote.
The master plan notes that management has seen people storing their vehicles in the parking lot but not using the airport.
"This additional demand for parking means that at peak hours and weeks, COU’s parking lots are often completely full. To address this, COU will need to consider expanding their parking facilities in the short term or limiting access to parking by charging a nominal fee," the plan reads.
Gary Scribner said he flies out of Columbia regularly for his job, and parking has always been difficult.
"It's always a mess trying to find parking. Luckily, I got a Jeep, so I can park on the grass pretty easily," Scribner said.
He said that added parking would be "a win for everybody."
Elizabeth Jenkins said Saturday was her first time flying out of Columbia, and that parking was tricky.
"It was a little more difficult than I was expecting it to be, given the size of the airport. It was kind of hard to find a spot," Jenkins said. "I was lucky that I found one not too far from the front, but I've come here once in the past, and had to park pretty far away."
She said parking at larger airports is easier because there are more parking spots available.
