July 10, 2012

Dear George Mason Students,

            Parking Services will begin selling permits for the 2012-2013 academic year starting on Monday, July 23, 2012.  You can purchase your permit by going online to http://parking.gmu.edu and clicking on “Purchase Your Permit” then logging in using the same username (NetID) and password as your Patriot Pass account.  We will have a limited number of reserved Mason Pond, Shenandoah, Rappahannock River and Founders Hall Parking Deck reserved permits; Lot I, J and R reserved permits; and Arlington General permits available on a first come, first served basis.  Parking Deck permits require a one-time refundable deposit of $25 for an access device that will allow you to enter/exit the reserved areas of the parking deck (if you are purchasing the same Parking Deck parking permit from 2011-2012 your current access device will be reactivated).  You will need to obtain one of these access devices by visiting the appropriate Parking Services Office (Fairfax office is located next to the Shenandoah Parking Deck and is open Monday - Thursday, 8:30am-7pm and Friday from 8:30am-5pm.  Arlington office is located in Room 219 of the Founders Hall Building and is open Monday – Thursday, 10am-7pm and Friday from 9am-5pm).

 

            All parking permits will be sold online and mailed directly to the address that you specify at the beginning of the purchasing process.  Please note that permits are not effective until August 8, 2012 for the Fairfax campus and August 1, 2012 for the Arlington campus.  If you decide to purchase your permit immediately before or after the permit’s effective date, you will be able to print off a temporary permit to place on your dashboard to begin using immediately while you wait for yours to arrive in the mail.  These temporary permits may be printed off at anytime by logging into your parking account, and going to “View Your Permits.”  Temporary permits are only valid for up to 10 calendar days from the date of purchase, and are not valid before the permit’s printed effective date.  If you do not receive your permit after 10 days, please visit one of our Parking Services Offices located on the Fairfax, Arlington and Prince William campuses to obtain a replacement.

** IMPORTANT CHANGES TO PARKING IN 2012-2013**
Changes to Lot J:
The back half of Lot J, closest to Mason Inn, will be a General permit parking lot except for the signed Faculty/Staff spaces (beyond the drive aisle that splits Lot J in half).  The front half, closest to Patriot Circle, will remain a reserved parking lot, requiring a Lot J specific permit to park there at all times.
Changes to Lot R:
1.  Lot R will now be a reserved parking lot similar to Lot I and the front half of Lot J.  Permits for Lot R will initially only be available to Liberty Square & Potomac Heights resident upperclassmen (sophomore and above).  Any unsold permits at the start of the semester will then be available for resident upperclassmen outside of the Liberty Square & Potomac Heights area, and then commuter students, until filled.
2.  Lot R permits will be sold on a semester basis only this year (no annual permits) due to the construction of the new Residence Hall in the Shenandoah Neighborhood that will start this winter, taking away 1/3 of the parking spaces in Lot R.  Only students that purchased a Fall 2012 Lot R permit will be able to buy a Spring 2013 Lot R permit (discounted to match the annual rate), and will be made available on a first come, first served basis.  Unfortunately, due to the construction, we anticipate we will not be able to allow every student that purchased a Fall 2012 parking permit the ability to purchase a Spring 2013 parking permit.  Spring permits are scheduled to go on sale starting Monday, December 3, 2012.  More information on the new Residence Hall in the Shenandoah neighborhood will be available this fall online at http://building.gmu.edu
Changes to Reserved Parking Permit Rules & Regulations:
The reserved parking deck permits for Mason Pond, Shenandoah, Rappahannock River and the reserved surface lot permits for Lots I and J will be required to park in their designated parking area when parking on campus.  These reserved permits will only be valid in the General permit areas between 5PM and 11PM, Monday through Friday, and all day on weekends.  Reserved permit holders may also park in the General permit areas of the Prince William Campus at any time.  The only exception to this rule will be Shenandoah Parking Deck Evening permits (valid in Shenandoah from 4PM-2:30AM, M-F and all day on weekends), as they will be valid in the General permit areas of the Fairfax campus at any time.
West Campus & Campus Drive Construction Project:
George Mason University will be undergoing a new construction project that will connect Mason’s Fairfax East & West campuses with a road that will cross under Route 123 / Ox Road called Campus Drive.  Construction is scheduled to start this fall with a planned completion date around January 2014.  As a result of this construction, we will be losing over half of the spaces at the West Campus parking lot, and will have to limit the number of available West Campus permits we have for sale.  Anyone interested in purchasing a West Campus permit ($90 annually) is advised to do so as soon as possible, especially Freshmen Residents that are limited to purchasing only a West Campus, Lot I, Lot J or Rappahannock River Parking Deck permit.  West Campus permits are available to all students, faculty and staff on a first come, first served basis.  As the number of West Campus parking spaces will be reduced, shuttle buses servicing the West Campus lot will also be reduced. The shuttle hours of service will be 7am-12am M-F and 2pm-12am on Sundays, but from 7am-3pm M-F there will only be one bus instead of two, making departures from the lot only every 30-35 minutes. From 3pm-12am M-F, there will be two buses operating with departures from the West Campus lot and Presidents Park approximately every 20 minutes.
New Reduced Price Lot M Permits:
Lot M, located within the Field House parking lots off of University Drive, will now have its own reduced price parking pass.  Lot M permits will be offered to commuter students and faculty/staff members for $195 annually.  Lot M permits are only valid in Lot M from 5am-5pm Monday-Friday.  Only a limited number of these permits will be available, and they do not allow overnight parking on campus.  Lot M permits are also valid in all General permit areas from 5PM-11PM, Monday through Friday, and from 5AM-11PM on weekends.
Premium Multi-Deck Reserved Parking Permit:
Students who purchase either a reserved Mason Pond Parking Deck or a reserved Shenandoah Parking Deck permit who would also like access to the Rappahannock River reserved parking area (levels 4 & 5), may add this option for an additional $200.   Parking deck permit holders on the Fairfax campus that are also attending class at the Arlington campus, may also add Founders Hall to their permit for an additional $200 (please provide student schedule when making request for Founders Hall).  Students will need to stop by the Parking Services Office next to the Shenandoah Parking Deck on the Fairfax campus in order to obtain the upgrade for Rappahannock River; Founders Hall upgrades must be done at the Arlington campus Parking Services Office.  Upgrades permitted based upon availability.  Mason Pond reserved permit holders cannot add Shenandoah and Shenandoah reserved permit holders cannot add Mason Pond.  Rappahannock River reserved permit holders cannot add Mason Pond or Shenandoah to their permit. 
New Student Carpool Program-Discounts for Reserved Deck and Lots I/J permits
Starting in fall, there will be a new student carpool program that provides between a 20%-40% refund on reserved deck and Lot I & J permits. Register your carpool at the Transportation Office (located in Nottoway Annex) by October 1 to receive the discount. ONLY one person in the group will be able to own a permit but the permit can be shared between members of the group. The discount will depend on the number of people in the carpool. More details about the student carpool program will be available at the end of July. For questions, please email transpo@gmu.edu or call 703-993-9530.
Other Road Improvements On & Off Campus:
In addition to the Campus Drive project, George Mason University and the Fairfax County Department of Transportation will also be making improvements to Roanoke River Road and Braddock Road starting July18, 2012.  The road improvements include (1) doubling the length of the left turn lane for east-bound Braddock Road into Roanoke River Road onto campus; (2) widening Roanoke River Road on campus to have three lanes outbound, a median, and two lanes into campus with a dedicated left turn lane into Lot K and a dedicated right turn lane onto Po River Lane by the Patriot Center as the road heads toward Lots L and A; and (3) synchronizing the traffic signal at Roanoke River Road and Braddock Road, so left turns out of campus and University Mall can be made simultaneously to improve traffic flow on Braddock Road.  More information on this project can be found on the Parking Services website at: http://parking.gmu.edu/announcements/roanokeriverrdclosure7-2012.html.  Additional updates and news on other construction projects at Mason may be found online at http://building.gmu.edu. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at parking@gmu.edu.  You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook