Council OKs mixed-use parking spots

Eight-block area south of Wilson Park affected

FAYETTEVILLE — The Wilson Park neighborhood will have its own parking district.

The City Council on Tuesday voted 8-0 to adjust parking designations in an eightblock area south of Wilson Park. The move will allow residents in the neighborhood to park for free with a permit while members of the public will be able to pay to park in certain spots.

The discussion of parking in the neighborhood began in August, when council member Mark Kinion proposed making the entire area residential-only. Kinion lives in the neighborhood.

Neighbors asked Kinion to propose the measure because of overflow parking from the Pi Beta Phi and Kappa Delta sorority houses at the corner of Wilson Avenue and Maple Street. Specifically, Monday night gatherings at the houses and other events bring extra cars pushing neighbors out of the spaces near their homes, neighbors said. Many of the homes in the neighborhood lack adequate driveways or garages or off-street parking.

Council members held multiple public meetings to iron out the details to create a Wilson Park South neighborhood parking district with different prices and hours from the rest of downtown’s parking district.

Parking Manager Justin Clay said there are about 155 on-street spaces in the neighborhood. Under the adopted measure, about 75 will be residential-only, with about 85 as mixed-use. Mixed-use means spaces where the public pays to park and residential permit holders park for free.

The council agreed to start with an hourly price of $1 per hour from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily and $1.50 from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily for the mixeduse spaces. The ordinance includes parameters for city staff to adjust prices if necessary based on use.

Members of the nearby sorority houses will be able to get a residential permit for spaces in the rest of downtown’s entertainment district, excluding the Wilson Park neighborhood.

Two residents spoke early in the discussion Tuesday to suggest details on the parameters written in the ordinance, but otherwise expressed support for it.

Council member Matthew Petty praised city staff, council members and neighbors for working together to come up with a proposal just about everyone could agree on.

“That kind of consensus is actually unusual in our normal proceedings,” Petty said. “I don’t think we would’ve had such a reliable or obvious consensus if we hadn’t been working with the group of neighbors that we did get to work with.”

In other business, the council voted 8-0 to table adopting the city’s $187.5 million budget until Dec. 3. The proposed budget for next year is about $19 million more than this year’s budget.

The primary difference is about $16 million more in capital projects from the water and sewer fund, Chief Financial Officer Paul Becker said. Employee raises the council approved in spring also account for the greater number, he said.

The city’s general fund will operate on a projected deficit of about $1.2 million. City administrators anticipated dipping into reserve for the next few years until salestax revenue growth catches up with a new pay plan for police and firefighters.

Council member Sarah Marsh asked to table approving the budget to work with the city’s resident-led arts council on the details of creating an arts and culture coordinator position. That panel meets at 5:30 p.m. today at City Hall.

The city’s reliance on sales-tax revenue, especially in light of the deficit, is all the more reason to create the position, Marsh said.

“I think that speaks to the importance of going above and beyond building a pretty arts plaza and actually building an arts and culture ecosystem that supports and grows our creative economy,” she said.

The council also decided to close Center Street at the downtown square during the Farmers’ Market. The move means the four streets surrounding the square will close to cars while the market is open. Cars will still be able to turn north onto East Avenue from Center Street.

Chuck Rutherford, Farmers’ Market board president, said the board and market membership agreed on the proposal. The change will go into effect during next year’s market beginning in spring.

“I don’t think we would’ve had such a reliable or obvious consensus if we hadn’t been working with the group of neighbors that we did get to work with.” — Matthew Petty, Fayetteville City Council member