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GREENSBORO — City officials say downtown could need up to two more parking decks in the next 18 to 36 months.

The most likely site for another deck would be the city-owned surface lot at Greene and McGee streets.

“This is our ... best site for the first deck,” said Michael Cramer, business and operations manager for the Greensboro Department of Transportation. “We think we can get the most bang for the buck (there).”

The deck would hold about 400 cars, include 15,000 to 18,000 square feet of retail space along Greene Street and cost about $6 million. Its facade would resemble the historic look of surrounding buildings.

Cramer said a second possible site would be the county-owned lot behind the YMCA bounded by South Spring, South Edgeworth and West Washington streets. That deck would relieve pressure created by the Guilford County jail under construction.

A city study identified three other possible sites for decks, including spots north and south of NewBridge Bank Park and one on the Lincoln National lot at North Davie and East Market streets.

In a memo this week to City Manager Rashad Young, Transportation Director Adam Fischer described the potential capacity and cost of the decks. They could range from 400 to 1,200 spaces and cost $6 million to $10 million. All would include retail space and what designers call “urban facades.”

Any new decks would be paid for by revenues generated by the city’s four existing decks, all of which have been paid off.

The study does not provide a timetable for construction.

Transportation officials called the plans conceptual, adding that property owners of potential deck sites have not been contacted. They said the city probably would not build two decks at the same time.

In September 2008, the City Council asked the transportation staff to explore parking needs downtown. The study, completed in March, was originally scheduled to go to the council three months ago but was delayed by other business.

Transportation officials hope to brief the City Council in January.

Even with the delay, transportation officials believe the findings remain vital.

“I don’t think the climate has changed,” Fischer said. “We are starting to feel more pressure on South Elm with the new development that is going on there.”

Fischer’s memo called a parking deck for that area “the most pressing need.”

Ed Wolverton, president and CEO of Downtown Greensboro Inc., said he’s comfortable with a deck at the Greene-McGee location, but he believes the city needs a second deck near the jail.

Construction of the eight-story building at 401 W. Sycamore St. has displaced more than 100 spaces in an existing lot.

“There is definitely going to be need for additional parking for that complex,” Wolverton said. “We need to stay ahead of the curve to make sure we have adequate infrastructure to meet (future) demands.”

Other downtown stakeholders think the jail area should be the preferred site for a new parking deck.

“Everybody in the city obviously has their heads stuck in the sand,” said Milton Kern, a downtown developer. “They don’t have enough places for people building the jail, not to mention when it is finished.

“Somewhere down the line, we might need a deck at (Greene and McGee), but being No. 1? No.”

Contact Donald W. Patterson at 373-7027 or don.patterson@news-record.com