By Peter Corbett, The Republic | azcentral.com
Free parking is not cheap.
Glendale taxpayers will be asked to foot the bill for a $46 million parking garage for sports fans and shoppers at the Westgate Entertainment District if the City Council approves the project in June.
It is the latest expense for Glendale residents who have paid a hefty price over the past dozen years to host NHL hockey, NFL football, college championship games and two Super Bowls.
The city unveiled a $73.4 million, five-year capital-improvement plan last month that includes a multistory garage of roughly 4,000 spaces that it hopes to complete in time for the 2018 football season.
Glendale is required to provide 6,000 parking spaces at Westgate as part of a 2002 development agreement for University of Phoenix Stadium, and 5,500 spaces for Gila River Arena. The city has chosen to build a parking deck to fulfill its requirements.
