FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It's been years in the making, and soon the city of Fayetteville will open a new parking garage on Dickson Street, around the same time the entertainment district's largest parking lot closes to make way for a park.
"Parking is a major issue for our community. As our region continues to grow, and our community continues to grow, we're looking at all kinds of ways to address that," says Steve Clark, the President & CEO of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce.
Soon visitors to the Dickson Street entertainment district will notice major changes as they park their cars. Fencing and signs surround the parking lot at Dickson and West, warning drivers of its upcoming closure.
A newly constructed parking deck across Dickson will replace those spaces. As it opens, updated parking policies and rates will take effect.
Clark says these changes are necessary to ensure a smooth transition throughout construction.
He adds, "It is to pay the cost of the buildings that we're building, and the costs for the improvements in the streets. For example, when you build a parking deck, you're also building sidewalks, changing water lines, changing street signals, and all the electricity. So there's a whole infrastructure that's rather significant. And that's to dig up yesterday's infrastructure to replace with tomorrow's."
According to the city, the changes will include two hours of free deck parking between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. and increased rates in core on-street areas and parking decks to be consistent with current demand.
For example, street parking around Dickson will increase from a dollar an hour on weekend evenings to $1.50.
As this lot closes, it makes way for the next phase of the Cultural Arts Corridor project to begin, a plan that includes a green space, a civic plaza, and a hotel.
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