Community development is important to Ellis Parking Company. Over the years, our
principals have been active in the facilitation of public and private partnerships
to improve the downtown parking infrastructure.
In 2000, Ellis partnered with Kent County in a public-private venture to construct
the 40,000-square-foot Midtown ramp in the heart of the city's business district.
Kent County leases 103 parking spaces on the top floor of the ramp to accommodate
courthouse parking. Ellis Parking manages the remaining 547 spaces to meet the parking
needs of employees who work in downtown Grand Rapids. Ellis invested additional
funds into this project to create a convenient parking structure that enhanced the
aesthetic landscape of the developing downtown area. Several aspects of the newly
constructed ramp are considered ?best practices? in the industry, including lighting
levels that exceed industry standards and a novel gateless entry and exit system.
In the 1960s, Ellis Parking developed and initiated a program designed to encourage
the use of downtown Grand Rapids parking facilities and increase traffic to downtown
retailers. The Monroe Mall Parking Program offered discounted parking tokens to
downtown merchants who would then validate this service or provide it at a reduced
rate to customers. The program continued for [X] years, and was a testament to Ellis
Parking?s ongoing commitment to a partnership with the City of Grand Rapids. Still
today, Ellis continues to work in cooperation with the City while managing its busiest
evening and Van Andel Arena parking lot.
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