This week, Georgetown University Student Association President Calen Angert (MSB ’11) and Vice President Jason Kluger (MSB ’11) announced that they are searching for ways to fulfill one of their campaign promises to bring ZipCars to Georgetown’s Main Campus for students 18 and over.
Georgetown University has offered two ZipCars at the Law Center since 2004 to students, faculty, and staff who are 21 and over. Currently, there are no ZipCars located on the Main Campus.
Angert said that the University administration supports the expansion of the service on campus and that it is included as a goal in the 2010 Campus Plan. The main obstacle is obtaining parking spots somewhere on the neighborhood’s densely packed streets.
He added that the University is still looking for creative ways to get around the long waiting list for parking spots.
Georgetown may seek off-campus students and residents in Burleith and West Georgetown willing to rent out spots to ZipCar at competitive prices. The number of spots that become available would depend on the number of residents who are willing to participate, as well as ZipCar’s preferences.
Angert said that the GUSA executive is trying to find an adequate number of spots. Once the spots are secure, more concrete negotiations with ZipCar can proceed.
Angert believes that the arrangement will be beneficial for residential neighbors as well.
“When you have one car that’s shared among 50 people, it’s less likely that any of those people are going to be bringing cars themselves,” Angert said. “If anything, [the service] is taking cars off campus.”
ANC Commissioner Aaron Golds (COL ’11) thought the proposal would be uncontroversial among neighborhood residents as long as the cars use private parking, not street parking.
“If the proposal were to remove public spaces, then I can see a public outcry, but as long as the cars are parked legally in private spaces it doesn’t matter what any neighbors say, and I doubt any will raise a big fuss,” Golds said. “The main issue is tenants have to make sure their leases allow for them to give their space to ZipCar.”
The Burleith Citizens Association could not be reached for comment.
