FAYETTEVILLE — Fayetteville’s downtown on Sunday afternoon could get a little more desolate if parking rates go from free to 50 cents an hour, merchants say.
“Nothing happens on Sunday,” said Michael White, 27, and a downtown retail worker. “The only thing that happens is people stop to see if Hugo’s is open. They see that’s it’s not, and then leave.” White asked that the name of his employer not be named because he did not want it to appear he was speaking for the business.
The move is to put downtown on a more equal playing field with the paid parking plan proposed for the Dickson Street Entertainment District, say parking officials. However, Sharon Crosson, Fayetteville parking and telecommunication manager, said the two plans would be taken up as separate items by the City Council.
The biggest change would require motorists parked downtown in the evenings pay for parking at meters which are now free after 6 p.m., according to the draft proposal. The rate for the meters on the streets would also be doubled. And the two-hour free parking on the downtown square would be abolished in place of the same parking rates for other downtown streets. The public is asked to offer feedback on the plan during a public input session set for 4:30 p.m. Monday in Room 111 at City Hall.
Crosson and Mayor Lioneld Jordan cautioned a number of specifics such as charging for parking on weekends and evenings has not been set.
“All of that may actually change before it gets on the agenda for the Monday meeting,” Crosson said.
“Nothing, nothing is chiseled in stone,” Jordan stressed, Thursday, acknowledging a difference between downtown and the Dickson Street Entertainment District, and a blanket approach to parking may not be the best way to move forward.
Regardless, the talk around the bar at Tim’s Pizza on Thursday was firmly set against any move to increase parking rates or charging for parking on the downtown square.
“If they really wanted to foster business downtown, and Dickson Street for that matter, they should pull all the meters,” said Michael Kelly, 41, who was having a beer at the bar.
Jordan and downtown denizens like White acknowledged nightlife may be the lifeblood of Dickson Street, making night paid parking there a valid idea. But nightlife is not a big part of activity on and around the square.
“Nightlife-wise it could put a stranglehold on the bars downtown,” White said, pointing out watering spots such as J.R.’s Lightbulb Club or Tables and Ale where the drinks are cheap and the parking is plentiful and free.
“Those bars do well because they’re cheap and you can park right there in front for free,” he added.
“If there’s been some sort of confusion, then that’s been my fault,” Jordan said, as he back-pedaled on the downtown paid parking proposal posted to the city’s Web site.
“I don’t want the people to think that this is what we’re absolutely going to do,” he added. “I want the people to know that we want to hear from them first and then we’ll go from there.”
Defending the move to modify downtown parking in some way, Crosson said an expanded Walton Arts Center will work to make downtown and Dickson Street more of one district rather than the two they seem to be now. Also, downtown parking rates have not changed since 1996.
“We’ve talked about the rates needing to be considered for some time,” Crosson said. “It’s been almost 14 years since the rates have been increased.”
Propelling the parking discussion is the move to revamp parking around the Walton Arts Center. And Center officials have been part of putting together the various proposals.
“We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from the Walton Arts Center and the public about this,” Crosson told the council recently.
Nearly a year ago the Walton Arts Center pitched the idea of transitioning the free city-owned lots around the theater to paid parking. The center has listed parking for 1,110 to 1,450 cars as a top site selection criteria for its planned expansion.
“I want everyone in the room to know that we plan to keep the Walton Arts Center here in Fayetteville,” Jordan said at a March 29 town meeting. “It was started in Fayetteville and it’s something we want to keep.”
Fayetteville officials have stressed the money generated through parking and the enforcement fines will be earmarked to pay for construction of a multilevel parking garage in the Dickson Street area.
Whatever option is decided, the downtown fees would be invested in downtown and not used to pay for the construction of a Dickson parking garage, Crosson said.
“All of those revenues will go into separate accounts,” she said. “We’ll make sure that the downtown parking money stays downtown.”
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AT A GLANCE
Fayetteville Downtown Parking
Existing
Downtown Square: two-hour free parking,
Short-Term Meters: 25 cents per hour, free after 6 p.m. and weekends
Long-Term Meters: 15 cents per hour, free after 6 p.m. and weekend.
Proposed
Downtown Square: 50 cents per hour Monday-Friday 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, $5 max per day. 50 cents per hour 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday
Short-Term Meters: 50 cents per hour Monday-Friday 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, $5 max per day. 50 cents per hour 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday
Long-Term Meters: 20 cents per hour Monday-Friday 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday. 20 cents per hour 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. 50 cents per hour $3 max per day
Source: Staff Report