Development

Jacksonville, FL – WGI Inc., the award-winning national design and professional services firm, in partnership with Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) and the Vision to Reality (V2R) team, is proud to announce the completion of the highly anticipated Autonomous Innovation Center (AIC), a cutting-edge research and development facility located in Jacksonville, Florida that is envisioned to place Northeast Florida as the national hub for autonomous vehicle technology advancement. The state-of-the-art command facility was designed by WGI as part of the Bay Street Innovation Corridor (BSIC), Phase 1 for JTA’s Ultimate Urban Circulator (U2C) program. WGI provided full-service transportation engineering, architecture, structural engineering, MEP engineering, civil engineering, environmental services, and geospatial technology expertise to the project. “The AIC represents a bold step into the future of transportation, automation, and smart cities,” said Eric Luttmann, Director of Architecture at WGI Inc. “Our design was guided by the goal of creating an agile space that not only supports cutting-edge research but also fosters meaningful collaboration between sectors. We’re proud to have partnered on a project that will shape the next era of innovation in Jacksonville and beyond.” The AIC, located in Jacksonville’s growing innovation corridor, will serve as a collaborative environment for startups, academic researchers, and major technology firms focused on autonomous vehicles, robotics, AI systems, and smart infrastructure. This transformational project is expected to drive job creation, foster public-private partnerships, and catalyze regional economic growth. The design by WGI Inc. reflects the Center’s forward-looking mission, combining sustainable architecture with highly adaptable command center, operations, and workspace environments. The facility’s modern design and efficient layout were crafted to support testing, innovation, and scalable development. The Bay Street Innovation Corridor is now operational and actively welcoming partners from industry and academia to join in shaping the next generation of autonomous technology. Tours and partnership inquiries are being coordinated through the V2R team. Please reach out to Eric Luttmann for more information. About WGI Founded in 1972, WGI is an award-winning national design and professional services firm leading in technology-based solutions for the construction of public infrastructure and real estate development. With 18 offices throughout the United States, the firm is a leading provider of civil engineering services, electrical engineering, environmental consulting, geospatial and land surveying, planning, landscape architecture, MEP engineering services, new mobility, parking solutions, restoration engineering, structuring engineering, subsurface utility engineering, transportation engineering, water resources, architecture, and project delivery. WGI can be found online at wginc.com.

Let’s face it, parking enforcement frequently serves as the least glamorous component of any parking operation.  Whether you or your team are dealing with a ticketed visitor misunderstanding payment requirements and options, irate delivery drivers occupying unauthorized zones, permitted and/or monthly parkers pursuing ‘creative’ parking methods, etc., our customer service and adjudications teams hear and read every excuse in the book and then some.  How can parking operators limit those related 1-star google reviews?  As service industry professionals, investing in routine educational training and team building exercises will prepare staff to serve as front line leaders actively promoting compliance with a high standard.  As an example, let’s look at contractor parking; these are workers performing essential duties on building projects throughout the campus which I work at, and contractors consistently rank high on the ticketing offender list. We often find that parking regulations and permitting options which are shared with project managers and coordinators, often do not make it to the worker in a concise and accessible way.  Below helps guide the enforcement team and provide contractors guidance with options: Customer Service oriented Parking Enforcement that is informative, approachable, and solution oriented Enforcement officer in-depth knowledge of territory, as well as parking availability Interacting positively with patrons Active listening, professional demeanor and communication, de-escalation Understanding and relaying of enforcement policies Providing information on daily parking or permitting rates, when applicable Knowledge of active events and construction projects impacting parking availability Parking Enforcement gets tough, but our staff prioritizing these techniques help make the operation come out on top. Zach Pearce, PTMP, is an Associate Director of Operations for Old Dominion University. Zach can be reached at zpearce@odu.edu.

IPMI’s Planning, Design, and Construction committee hosted a member roundtable focused on parking-related design and construction trends, including commercial real estate market costs and technologies that affect how garages and PARCs systems are designed.

I recently dove into the world of planning after being dedicated to the parking industry for 20 years.  In my previous parking career, I had the opportunity to scratch the surface of grants. However, as a planner I dove headfirst into the world of grants, specifically transportation-focused Federal Funding Pursuits.  I quickly got on board learning grant jargon -NOFO, BCA, Justice 40, LMI, etc. Throughout my entire learning process, my parking hat was still on.  I simply refuse to take it off. Old habits, right?! I remember saying to myself while proposing projects, “Why didn’t I look into grants for that and this?” There were so many parallels between parking operations/planning and transportation planning!  Harris County was awarded the 2022 SMART grant for $2M due to a well-thought-out and executed planning study. In all my years as a parking consultant, my biggest frustration was the study never leaving the shelf. This alone justified my career shift to county planning and allowed gaps to be bridged. Unfortunately, with the current administration in DC, many organizations fear not seeing grants come to fruition. If this is the case, planning and construction efforts impacting transportation and safety may be negatively impacted and studies may be put back on the shelf. Comprehensive planning and outreach are vital to set the stage for grants. While we sit tight and rely on our decision-makers in DC, I encourage us to continue to plan and conduct studies, bringing to light the need for infrastructure and/or improvements. Nicole Chinea, CAPP, is a Senior Planner for Harris County. Nicole can be reached at nicole.chinea@harriscountytx.gov.

I am a firm believer that an organization’s work culture will determine employee longevity and overall success or shortcomings for a company.  While the Keurig coffee machines and donuts are appreciated when supplied, culture goes beyond these types of perks and instead centers on professionalism, understanding and respect across an entire department.  I also believe most working employees strive to perform their jobs efficiently with favorable behavioral patterns.  It is the primary responsibility of leadership to guide and maintain positive working cultures, which includes the below: Engaging management style Encourages staff on a consistent basis, promotes an open line of positive communication, provides constructive feedback and also at the same time looks for feedback Diversity Provides equal opportunities to different backgrounds, relies on a team with differing experiences to provide forward thinking solutions Involvement, support, growth Recommends growth and development, offers training resources and encourages higher education and/or certification, involves team members with new projects to enhance skills, promotes group activities Work-life-balance Respects staff and time away from work and establishes boundaries, designates tasks to the appropriate team members, considering flexible scheduling, leading by example Compensation For management positions with routine scheduling demands outside and in addition to normal business hours, matching salaries to reflect the nature of the position and work performed Our work environments continue to evolve, and staffing challenges continue to impact all service industries.   Companies coming out on top with talent and high retention rates are those promoting strong work cultures while demonstrating modern work practices, and these organizations are the leading industry innovators.    Zach Pearce is an Associate Director of Operations at Old Dominion University. Zach can be reached at zpearce@odu.edu.

We all know about New Year’s Resolutions and sayings like “New Year, New Me.” Sometimes, these resolutions are jumping-off points for positive life changes. Often, they are forgotten or given up by the end of January, but hey, it’s the thought that counts, right?! What is always true with the turn of the year is that new opportunities lie ahead.  That can mean many different things to many different people.  The pace at which our industry is moving is faster than ever, and if you’re reading this blog, it means you, too, have an entire 12 months ahead of you to take advantage of new opportunities. Whether you’re a technology provider hustling to grow your business, a municipal or higher-ed operator searching for ways to improve the parking experience for your constituents or students, or a parking asset owner looking to maximize revenue across your entire portfolio, 2025 is a blank slate. No matter the resolutions or goals you’ve set for yourself, personally and professionally, it’s important to keep things in perspective and define what really matters to you. One of my college friends recently mailed me a book called “The Daily Dad” by Ryan Holiday, as we’re both early in our fatherhood journeys.  In a book filled with memorable quotes & lessons, a certain one stuck out to me.  Holiday writes: “Who you are is more important than what you do.  I’d rather you be good than successful.  Character is more important than cash”. I hope we all had the chance to relax and spend time with family throughout the holiday season.  As we prepare to get after it in 2025 and chase all of our goals, let’s make sure to do it the right way.  Because who you are will always be more important than what you do. Anthony Caddell is a Regional Sales Director for Passport. Anthony can be reached at anthony.caddell@passportinc.com.

Leaving a well-established role and organization for a new opportunity is often bittersweet for those taking the next step in their career.  When assessing skills gained, accomplishments, growth patterns, and culture, employees often are able to dial in on compatibility, growth, and longevity, as early as the initial employment review cycle. However, many of us find work environments to be extremely complex and continually evolving which can either shorten or prolong career trajectory.       When I left my previous position at another University, I found the most difficult aspect to be the ending of strong professional relationships which had been built over an extended period.  Many of these relationships were former customers with frequent complex parking requirements, and I took enjoyment in the cross-campus-cross-health-system collaborations to provide essential access services in unique environments. Prior to leaving any role, we should always aim to leave the departing organization in the best position possible, and this frequently includes the updating of documentation and ‘playbooks’ so company management/leadership and incoming team members are well positioned for efficient transitions.  We eagerly expect the same when accepting new roles, although frequently this may not be the case.  I find this to be especially relevant when acknowledging the various software systems in a Parking & Transportation operation.  Coming into any new organization, parallels typically exist yet we need to be aware earlier in our stints the importance of re-learning, adapting, understanding the working dynamics of a new team, and quickly identifying our stakeholders.  While certain successful practices may be transferrable from one organization to another, you can count on instances where this will not be the case, all due to varying environmental factors.  Therefore when starting new roles it’s best to consider early on how to ‘un-think’. Zach Pearce is an Associate Director of Operations at Old Dominion University. Zach can be reached at zpearce@odu.edu.