Quote:
Originally Posted by combusean
You could email CED and ask them what's up with that lot.
But what's the problem with parking on a nearby vacant lot if it corrects the false presumption that there's no parking in that area?
Parking lots look better than vacant lots anyways.
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I already know what's up with the lot - Rainey and co. have been bitching about parking for years, and joined Baron in lobbying the City to allow the city-owned properties along 2nd Street to be used as construction staging short-term, and 'district parking' long term. Thus, my first beef which is creating an RFP with the sole purpose of awarding a specific bid the contract.
Paving the entirety of downtown isn't the solution to misguided perceptions. Eventually, these lots will fill and the cries will start again. As I mentioned in my email to the city, it would be wiser to invest in a PR/marketing campaign, signage, and real-time parking app given the proven data that a surplus exists. The concept of 'district parking' is also so suburban -- what's wrong with parking on McKinley, stumbling upon Cobra Arcade, and heading over to First Friday after? The obsession with building parking immediately adjacent to destinations hurts downtown as a whole.
These lots are also large piece of land that currently divide Roosevelt from Hance Park and with the City's fetish for RFPs, you'd think that trying to encourage development to connect the two would be a bigger priority. With the area south of Roosevelt near build-out because of the PBC, it wouldn't be all that surprising to see interest move north if possible.
It's also just annoying that the Roosevelt Row crew has once again yelled loud enough to get their way in spite of the impact their wishes have on the area's built environment. Just like they were ill-informed on the benefits of parallel parking, they are ignorant to the parking inventory downtown. They were also vocal opponents of the more-than-satisfactory plan to turn this land into live/work and senior housing because it would ruin the vibe' of the neighborhood, yet asphalt will really activate the scene? And, just next to the east lot is the dilapidated Knipe House, planned as a brewery in the plans noted above, but will now sit behind a fence for the forseeable future.