Hey, have you guys heard about this new paid parking proposal for the Dickson Street area? The ordinances and resolutions to move toward that system were discussed at Tuesday’s council meeting.
Five items are proposed to change the current system. Here’s the breakdown:
First up on the agenda, we have an ordinance that covers the Residential Parking Program. The plan is divvied up between those residents who live north of Dickson Street, and those who live on the south side.
For each vehicle that is registered to an address within the residential zone, one permit will be issued. The permit will be free of charge to the resident and ensure that they will not be ticketed when parked in the zone.
At tonight’s meeting, Julie Dorrough, the president of the Dickson Street Neighborhood Association, said many vehicles belonging to residents are not necessarily registered to the address in the downtown area. For example, student residents might have cars that are registered to their permanent address in their hometown, not for their address in Fayetteville.
Also, the ordinance requires that residents must renew their permit quarterly, which Dorrough said was onerous.
No amendments were offered to address those concerns, though Don Marr said by the next meeting the city would offer some recommendations to the council.
Moving on, the second ordinance will enact the pay-station program.
The public comment at the meeting was overwhelmingly in support of the new plan. Many of the comments came from representatives from the Walton Arts Center and echoed the benefit to the WAC stands to gain.
Sharon Crosson, the city’s parking and telecommunications manager, has said the WAC’s chief complaint from patrons was parking, and this program would alleviate that concern.
Next up is the ordinance that changes and sets new fines for over-parked cars. The first offense for an over-parked car will be $10. The second offense is $15 and three or more offenses will result in a $25 ticket. If the ticket is not paid within two weeks, the city will levy a $25 fine.
The third parking ordinance on the agenda addresses the purchase of equipment, such as new pay stations.
The city will lease-to-own the machines. Crosson said at the town hall meeting on Monday night that the city expects to be able to pay off the machines in 24 months.
This resolution was passed at the meeting to allow city’s parking consultant to start negotiations, which should conclude within a couple of weeks, Crosson said.
Lastly, there is an ordinance that stipulates the budget adjustment needed for the new parking program, which, for the last six months in 2010 will round out to $498,542. That includes the expenses of hiring two new parking personnel ($63,364 in salaries) and leasing the equipment ($177,648).
Also, the budget sets an allocation of $144,500 payable to the Walton Arts Center. The allowance to the WAC is done on a yearly basis, so annually, the WAC would receive $289,000.
The city attorney, Kit Williams, has expressed an interest in making that allocation contingent on the WAC staying in Fayetteville. However, that agreement is not a part of ordinance as it stands right now.
Again, all the comments from the public on this resolution were positive and mainly came from representatives of the WAC.
Fifty percent of the WAC’s budget comes from donations, which in their ever-growing operating costs, has been more difficult to maintain, Terri Trotter, chief operating officer for the WAC, said. Ticket prices have hit a ceiling, she continued.
The new parking plan will give the city a chance to make “a bold statement” to confirm Fayetteville’s support for the arts, Trotter said.
The resolution regarding the budget adjustment was tabled until the next meeting.
In addition to this program, the city wants to acquire the management rights to private lots around the Entertainment District. Crosson has said this would create a more uniform parking system for the area, as well as help eliminate the towing and booting enforcement policies.
However, that measure is stalled and not a part of the ordinances being considered now. Williams said he was waiting on an opinion from the Arkansas Attorney General about the legality of issuing a criminal citation on a privately owned lot.
No adjustments to the parking along the Fayetteville Square are proposed at this time.
Mary Robbins is a regular contributor for the Fayetteville Flyer. She declared Fayetteville as her hometown upon moving here for college. She is a Journalism graduate who enjoys live music, the outdoors and attending city council meetings. For more of Mary’s contributions, visit her author page.
I’m conflicted on this. One one hand, WAC is benefiting no matter what by having their #1 complaint addressed. Why do we need to give them over a quarter-million dollars a year on top of that?
On the other hand, if Fayetteville wants to land the WAC expansion, we need to put up or shut up. The allocation should definitely be contingent on WAC expanding in Fayetteville. Maybe they could use some of our cash to subsidize ticket prices for Fayetteville residents as well.
Haven’t been in the WAC since Jr. High choir and with their ticket prices I don’t see that changing. Let ‘em expand somewhere else.
I agree… I would rather they expand elsewhere and we keep free parking. If they can’t run a profitable business by charging $60 a ticket, receiving 50% of their operating cost in donations, and whatever kickbacks the city gives them, then they don’t deserve to be in business.
WAC wants to administer and control the branding and flow of the entire Dickson Street Entertainment District, while at the same time threatens to leave if its insatiable appetite for public funds isn’t courted.
The fortunes of a variety of downtown businesses are bound in a sort of hostage situation created by WAC leadership. The current Fayetteville government falsely believes the past positives of WAC influence on Dickson are similarly vital to the area’s present and future, and grants the WAC a dangerous level of sway over local politics. The possibility of flight from Fayetteville creates such a climate of fear for the mayor that he buckles, blind to any competing needs.
The 11th-hour concessions to WAC are a swindle, pure favoritism. Worse, they trample the vitality of other area businesses and the interests of Dickson Street patrons, and create absurd parking logistics for local residents and paying visitors to local establishments.
Stripped bare are the repeated pay parking justifications, “It’s only going to be used to build a parking deck,” “It’s the only way to solve parking issues,” and “Fayetteville needs this to be like big cities.” The underlying motivation has been WAC appeasement all along, with the benefit of driving away the riffraff that compete for parking and accessory dining/entertainment during WAC shows. If pay parking proceeds are only fractionally earmarked for WAC, the parking plan in last-minute form will be disgraced permanently as a shill, along with anyone voting in favor.
The parking plan has gone from shortsighted to shameful. How can anyone place any confidence in the Jordan government with such continuous and transparent partiality to one local business?
I want to hear Terri Trotter make a bold statement to confirm the WAC’s support for Fayetteville by making a committment to build the expansion in the city.
Jordan has lost all credibility on the paid parking plan and as a public offical- he should resign or be recalled.
This plan is a disaster and if we don’t stop it before it starts, we will just waste tons of money and have to rip it out later. I know many people have a hard time making it to the meetings, but is there some sort of petition or preferred contact to decry this action?
Wow! So, I know of an organization that could use $144,000 and serves everyone in the community – not just the already well-off who can afford to pay $100 to go see Beauty and the Beast. The public library provides services to all Washington County residents regardless of income. I can’t believe that the city is furloughing its own employees while throwing money at the WAC.
There is plenty of parking on and around Dickson St. The problem plaguing our local economy is that we no longer attract hotel and restaurant patrons from Benton County as we did 10 years ago.
Dickson St. businesses are hurting; bad. We need to investigate ideas collectively to bring MORE people to Dickson St. and spend money to lift our local economy. Instead, our city leaders are searching for more ways to tax, fine, build and hinder Fayetteville patronage.
Why doesn’t walton Arts center just move to an area of Fayetteville with alot open land and just build a new auditorium and have a lot more parking. Because in couple years their auditorium is going to be too small anyways.Most of all a stupid parking garage is not going to change anything other than take up space for a resturant or a couple bars for the city instead of useless parking garage. Last time I checked nobody metions WAC as the main attraction for Dickson street most people talk about the bars and restaurants that offer great southern hospitality as part of Dickson Street.
WAC should do what almost all theaters everywhere else do and sell standing room only tickets for $15 or so…the seats empty at curtain call or literal standing room where its appropriate. Great for increasing community participation and investment in their org. Right now its priced out of reach for at least 2/3 of Fayetteville’s population who understandably resent it while at best WAC stays on the public dole and at worst issues threats of moving to extort more money.
I believe when WAC was built it was promoted as being uniquely Fayetteville’s, part and parcel of the community. Without Fayetteville WAC wouldn’t exist, not the other way around.
Jordan wasn’t even for paid parking downtown in the campaign.
Then he said he wasn’t going to turn them over to the WAC for a revenue stream. So instead he supports making a deal to make that happen anyway…
Is anybody else starting to see all of the hystrionics about the previous administration was mostly about getting Don Marr a better job?
@burgerboy, I have seen you make reference several times to Jordan’s position on paid parking during the campaign, and now you state that “he said he wasn’t going to turn them over to the WAC for a revenue stream.” I followed that campaign rather closely and have tried to keep up with city government since that time. I don’t ever recall hearing candidate Jordan or Mayor Jordan say either of those things. Can you refresh my memory by providing a citation to those comments other than your postings?
I recall Jordan fired or eliminated a chief of staff position because of that person’s promotion of paid parking on Dickson… I don’t recall the specifics, but I know that happened… can someone clarify that?
@Me – I recall Gary Dumas being let go around the time that he was working on a paid parking proposal, but I don’t remember it being because he was working on it.
(Note: The links to the Northwest Arkansas Times’ website in the above posts won’t work anymore. Their website has changed quite a bit since then.)
I believe it was in one of the debates and I think it was one held at Woodland. In fact, I remember reading an article that stated both candidates’ positions on paid parking, which Coody was working on running up to the election.
A google search for any news article related to that issue in the election turns up nothing.
It may have been as simple as a question from the audience, with both candidates giving their position that I remember.
The government channel has footage of that debate.
Renee and I certainly can’t afford to patronize the WAC. What a shame. They are holding Fayetteville hostage. Mayor Jordan please don’t fall for this strong-arm tactic.
I say send the current WAC wackies away and redevelop the arts center the way it was intended as a “partnership” with the community, the University, Fayetteville Public Schools and inclusive of local patrons that want something special, accessible and progressive. Something is askew if the WAC can’t make it on the outrageous price of tickets and the donations they report.
Is there a way to show the actual amount of revenue generated and or tax dollars generated by high brow folks heading to the WAC? I need to see what the return on investment is regarding this paid parking scheme. I bet local entertainment venues like Georges bring in more actual spending on Dickson Street than the WACkie high brows!Even though AMP is in the mall parking lot at least it offers pricing and parking so the average person can have access to entertainment.
Parking is a perceived problem not a real problem. If one is willing to walk a few blocks (or less) free/affordable parking is abundant. Methodist Church parking deck, Church of Christ Parking lot, the library and even Auto Zone on Lafayette for example. How about that giant UofA Deck on Duncan Street? Underwood most likely is enjoying the generated revenue from their parking deck. What we need is signage and way-finding so people know how convenient parking alternatives are. WAC is a bully and is a bigger problem than parking. Maybe an investment in mass transit alternatives would be more helpful than parking, parking, parking!
I do understand residential parking should be handled with permit restrictions so downtown residents have street parking. Most downtown residential units do not have off-street parking. I don’t necessarily think the city should manage private property parking. Private pay parking should be a function of supply and demand. Pay more if you need to park near the front door. Free parking on Dickson Street… well that’s just luck! We took out parking meters for a reason, right?