Parking Reps Look for Input on Pricing, Permits for New Downtown Garage

By Alyssa Schnugg
News Editor
alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com

A rendering of the new downtown parking garage that will

With the construction of the downtown parking garage underway, the Downtown Advisory Parking Commission and representatives from Kimley-Horn Parking Consultants held a public meeting Friday to gain input on pricing and permits.

DPAC chairman Tom Sharpe said Kimley-Horn, which was hired last month to help make recommendations on parking issues, will be looking at a variety of aspects concerning the downtown parking system as a whole in two phases – the first being to tackle the development of parking permits, pricing and the kind of technology needed for the parking system.

Those who attended the meeting Friday from the public were mostly downtown business owners.

Brett Wood, with Kimley-Horn asked the group to answer several survey questions including whether they preferred monthly, quarterly or annual parking permits for the garage; whether they would be more likely to pay more for a guaranteed or convenient spot or pay less for a shared space or less convenient spot; and how they would likely pay for parking in the garage – using a credit card or to pay cash at the exit lane or at a meter or kiosk.

Several of the business owners said their biggest concerns were having affordable options to pay for their employees to park on the Square and for permits to be transferable.

“I may be in three vehicles in one day,” said Mark Huelse, Oxford aldermen and owner of Simply Southern. “It’s the same way with my employees. We will pay for parking but some of our employees work Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and others may work Thursday through Saturday.”

Tom James, owner of J Olive asked if the commission would ever consider removing the paid parking from around the Square once the garage is finished.

DPAC commissioners Kevin Frye said the reason metered parking was put in originally was because employees coming to work at 8 a.m. filled up the spaces on the Square, leaving few parking spaces open for customers.

“And it’s worked,” he said. “We don’t want to go backward.”

Some of the business owners expressed concern that if it becomes too costly to park on the Square, it will drive customers and employees away.

Sharpe said coming up with a “fair and equitable” price plan for the entire parking system was the first priority of DPAC and the parking consultants.

Work continues on the downtown parking garage Monday, Nov. 5, 2018.

One business owner brought up the safety of the parking garage and what security measures were being put into place.

Mayor Robyn Tannehill said the Oxford Police Department and hired security will have a presence in the garage.

“We’ve spent extra money on using lighter paint inside the garage to make it brighter,” she said. “We removed some walls so it will be more open and increased the lighting, and there will be security cameras.”

Several months ago, the Board of Aldermen approved a pricing plan for the garage that would have parking inside the garage at .50 cents an hour, with about 250 free parking spaces left around or close to the Square, with the now-free lots changed to .75 an hour parking.

“However, I’m not sure we got that right,” Tannehill said Friday. “So we are working with the consultants and looking at other possible scenarios, like reducing the number of free spots but making parking .25 cents an hour in the garage and outer lots.”

The downtown parking garage will cost $11.7 million and construction is expected to take a year. Once complete, it will be 141,800 square-feet and have four levels that will house 399 parking spaces.

The Downtown Parking Advisory Commission meets at 9 a.m. on the first Friday of the month at City Hall and all meetings are open to the public. For more information about the garage and to view the live construction webcam, visit http://www.oxfordms.net/downtown-parking-garage.