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Paul Abdo Re: Mermaid Parking Study Anxon, Inc. 2 August 6, 2008 RHO Development Consulting, Inc. PO Box 357, Long Lake, MN 553546-357 p/ (612) 382-4804 f/ (952) 476-0876 www.RHOdevelopment.com Purpose The purpose of this report is to determine if there is sufficient parking available on the Mermaid Event Center and AmericInn Hotel and Suites site to develop additional retail uses in the eastern corner of the existing parking lot. This development will eliminate parking stalls while at the same time create additional parking demand. The site is located in the northwest quadrant of County Road 10 and County Road H in the City of Mounds View, Minnesota. Resources used to prepare this report include the City of Mounds View’s off-street parking ordinance as obtained from the City’s website, an aerial photo from Google Maps, CIC 598 provided by City staff, advertising literature from the Mermaid and interviews with Mermaid Event Center staff. Existing Building Uses The Mermaid Event Center and AmericInn Hotel and Suites provide a number of opportunities for its guests. There are three large and three small spaces available for seminars, wedding receptions, conventions and meetings. There is a 32 lane bowling alley, with a pro-shop and snack bar. There is a full service cocktail lounge and restaurant, with an adjacent game room. The Hotel has 70 rooms and an indoor pool. According to the Mermaid’s event staff there are occasions when all three event rooms are booked at the same time especially during the wedding season of May thru January. Maximum occupancy during this time is around 800 to 850 people, although advertising literature states the capacity at 990. It is reasonable to assume that wedding attendees average 2-3 people per vehicle. While events are held throughout the week, these peak occupancy wedding receptions start at 5-6:00 pm on Saturdays. Another use for the event rooms is for meetings where they are set up theater style. In this case the total advertised capacity is 1560 people. While unlikely this is an event possibility that should be considered. Bowling leagues provide the peak use of the bowling center. League bowling happens weekday evenings and Saturday afternoons. Specials are offered on Saturday night to promote business on this otherwise typically slow evening. The Mermaid has a dedicated group of restaurant, game room and bar patrons. These uses peak on the weekend nights during the winter months. The motel has 70 rooms available for rent. When there are events held on site these rooms are frequently rented by attendees. Weddings parties take on average 10 to 12 motel rooms the night of the event. Likewise out of town seminar attendees would book rooms. During the busiest times there are 30 to 35 employees on duty.