Redmond Airport will add 200 spots to its parking lot later this summer after the recently expanded lot approached capacity during spring break.

Airport representatives, however, say even more parking is needed long term. The city expects to hear back from consultants this week regarding options for further expansion to the parking lot, which currently has 1,120 spots. Options being considered include a small garage and less costly parking platforms, according to one airport official.

Redmond’s City Council this week also will discuss future land use concepts for an area southwest of the airport that were recently presented by Oregon’s Department of State Lands. One of those concepts could lead to the development of residential areas directly under the flight path of planes that would use a future runway, one city official said.

To address immediate parking needs, the airport will convert a lot, originally planned to become an employees parking expansion, into a credit card- only parking area for travelers, said Airport Manager Carrie Novick. The 200-space expansion would boost the airport’s parking capacity to 1,320 vehicles.

Novick said the employee lot was constructed last year with the possibility of being converted to public parking, and the power conduits for credit card scanning stalls have already been installed.

”That turned out to be one of the smartest things we’ve ever done,” she said, adding that the airport has already ordered the equipment for converting the lot into a credit card-only parking area. The lot will be available to travelers as soon as the equipment is installed later this summer.

As for future parking expansion, Novick said airport consultants are looking at several options, including a garage. But she added that such a structure may be too costly, and cheaper options – such as steel parking platforms that don’t have solid, concrete walls – may be more likely.

”My job is to look into the future, and we have to come back with an idea that works and is cost-effective,” she said.

One option that’s out of the question, Novick said, is a remote lot served by shuttles. Such a lot would require 24-hour shuttle services, which would include high costs for drivers, vehicles and fuel, she said. The costs could cut into funds that would otherwise be dedicated to the new lot itself, Novick said.

Redmond Airport doubled its parking capacity late last year through a $5 million project, but the addition of new flights – such as Allegiant Air’s thrice-weekly service to Las Vegas – has boosted the number of parked cars at the airport in recent months.

Travelers visiting the airport last week said they have not had any problems finding parking, adding that they would prefer any expansion to be a surface lot.

One of those travelers was Steve Meyers, information technology manager for the city of Bend.

”I’m amazed that little old Bend is growing that fast,” said Meyers after he returned from Dallas last Friday. ”But I think that, if there’s room, I’d rather see them building out instead of building up, just for the aesthetics and the costs involved (with a garage).”

Tim Collette, who owns a construction business in Bend, was traveling to Spokane, Wash., on Friday. He agreed that a garage would not be his preferred option.

”It doesn’t look very nice to visitors to see a garage as the first thing coming out of the terminal,” he said. ”But whatever they do, they have to think ahead. They know that airport passenger numbers are going up by 10 to 15 percent every year, and if the lot’s already close to maxing out, it’s only a matter of time (before more spots are needed).”

Meanwhile, Redmond City Council on Tuesday will discuss recent plans by Oregon’s Department of State Lands, which recently acquired more than 800 acres of land near the airport, according to city documents.

The department put forward three development concepts for the area, one of which would see the addition of a residential area that could be affected by a third runway outlined in the airport’s master plan. That runway would run parallel to the current main runway.

Novick, the airport manager, said such a runway is at least 10 to 15 years away, but one city official said it’s necessary to plan any future development in the area around the existing airport master plan.

”(A parallel runway) will happen someday,” said Redmond City Manager Mike Patterson. ”It doesn’t make sense to plan a residential area (on the Department of State Lands’ recently acquired property) because runways don’ t match up well with residential areas. And residential zones can go to many places. Runways can only go a few places.”

The airport, meanwhile, also is planning to lengthen its main runway and roughly triple its terminal space. Terminal expansion should be completed late next year or in early 2009.