COUNCIL VOTES NO IMMEDIATE REQUIREMENTS FOR PARKING IN NEW DISTRICT

  

During their meeting Thursday, the City Council voted unanimously to adopt an option that has no immediate requirements for parking on non-residential properties in the new neighborhood business district south of Downtown, bringing back the previously tabled.

The Council had two options given by Director of Development Services, Erik Smith. The first would allow the Council to put the fee on pause until a later date, and enact it when they had obtained property on which to create the satellite parking area. Smith discussed the different options the Council could use to approach Option A during the last meeting.

The second option, “Option B,” would allow for no onsite requirements whatsoever for non-residential lots, and according to Smith, was “more lenient than what exists anywhere else today” within the City zoning areas.

After listening to Smith present the options, the Council voted unanimously to adopt "Option B."

Smith introduced a number of options along with Option B that would allow the City to invest in parking later down the line should parking become an issue at some point, including a public improvement district, or “P.I.D.,” or a tax increment reinvestment zone, or “T.E.R.Z.,” and lastly, a chapter 380 agreement.

The chapter 380 agreement, according to Smith, allowed the most flexibility. When explaining the differences in the P.I.D. and T.E.R.Z to Council member Charlie Kemp, Smith established that T.E.R.Z.’s can be expanded down the line, and have some ability to be worked with as well.

Mayor Tate Milton asked about what would happen if the area “may not generate the income to pay off” the parking area.

Smith replied the difference would fall to the City, at which point the general fund would subsidize.