FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) -- Free parking will now be available in select lots near the Fayetteville Square.
The East Center Street lots behind the historic Washington County Courthouse will have 63 free parking spaces.
"I think personally free parking is great and if I have to walk a little bit more I don't mind it at all because being a college student I'm always trying to save money," college student Shelby Nelson said.
Tazonino Anderson works on the square and said he usually walks to work because parking can be such a hassle.
"It's pretty annoying to have to like leave the shop, especially if you are working by yourself and you have to leave the shop to go put more money in the meter and then come back," Anderson said. "It's a lot of work, it's a hassle. So this is definitely a good thing for us."
City of Fayetteville parking manager Justin Clay said they estimate that someone who parks in one of the metered apces every weekday from eight to five spends at least $300 a year on parking.
"The city is in the middle of a transportation and mobility study of which parking is a component and so these efforts and strategies reflect some of those initial findings and likely recommendations that are going to come out of that," Clay said.
Clay said the estimated time to walk from the free parking lots to the center of the square is a total of seven minutes.
As of now there are no specific plans for changes to parking in the Dickson Street area, but Clay said they will be looking into implementing similar strategies and recommendations from the parking study where appropriate.