Arts Center Council Favors Adjacent Parking Deck

— The Walton Arts Center’s governing board would prefer Fayetteville not build a parking deck on the center’s campus.

The council unanimously approved a motion Tuesday in support of the city building a parking deck adjacent to the center.

“That’s with all things being equal,” said Terri Trotter, the center’s chief operating officer. “If price wasn’t an issue and everything was the same, then we would prefer that it be adjacent to the arts center.”

Potential site locations for a parking deck include the main lot west of the Walton Arts Center, a location on the south end of the center campus, a lot south of Kingfish bar on School Avenue and a lot at the southeast corner of Spring Street and West Avenue.

At A Glance

AMP Contract

The Walton Arts Center has renewed its contract with the Washington County Fairgrounds keep the AMP on site for another season.

Peter Lane, president and chief executive officer of the arts center, said 34,000 tickets have been sold this year since the AMP moved from the Northwest Arkansas Mall parking lot to the fairgrounds. Ticket sales have generated $1.3 million, he said.

Lane said the arts center will continue to look for a more permanent site after next season.

Source: Staff Report

Building the deck on-site has potential to disrupt arts center performances during construction, and city and arts center officials would need to come up with a solution for replacing the center’s administrative offices. Still, council members said they’re confident a parking deck could fit on the south end of the center property, while allowing for expansion near Dickson Street.

“Our point of view is that we’ve done our due diligence and any of the three sites will meet our needs going forward,” said Jeff Gearhart, board member. “For logistical purposes, our preference is with the Walton Arts Center parking lot or the east lot.”

Ultimately, Trotter said, the decision on a parking deck location will be up to the city.

That decision could come in October, according to Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan.

Also on Tuesday, the arts center council endorsed a design for the facility’s expansion. The concept, which includes an expansion with and without a parking deck, was created by Portland, Ore.-based Boora Architects.

Fayetteville was considered as a location for a 2,200-seat arts center addition until the center’s board announced in late 2010 the performance hall would be built on or near the Bentonville square. For months, city and center officials talked about building a 600-seat concert hall on Dickson Street. After concert hall plans moved to the University of Arkansas, center officials announced the planned renovation to the existing Dickson Street facility.

That $20 million-renovation plan includes an expanded Starr Theatre and lobby, along with a new backstage area and new administrative offices.

Overall, the expansion would add 30,000 square feet of new space.

Trotter said the design brings the entrance of the arts center closer to Dickson Street to create a “walkable environment.”

“Even with a parking deck, we still feel we can do our current expansion and have room at a later date to add more space,” she said.

Peter Lane, president and chief executive officer of the arts center, said the expansion means more programs on Dickson Street.

“This means more events, more education, more entertainment and more people on Dickson Street,” he said. “The bottom line is that it means more art.”

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