Stakeholder Coalition Announces Comprehensive Review of Current, Future Parking Needs in Fayetteville’s Dickson Street Area

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (Sept. 14) - A broad coalition representing tourism, businesses, developers, Walton Arts Center and the University of Arkansas have commissioned a comprehensive review of parking in and around Fayetteville’s Dickson Street and Block Avenue.

“Construction of the new deck is underway to replace parking that will be lost in the West Avenue lot for the development of the Upper Ramble,” said Peter B, Lane, president and CEO of Walton Arts Center. “That just maintains the status quo. There are already plans for additional development in this area, and those do not address additional parking needs. We believe a comprehensive assessment will help everyone understand parking supply and demand so that informed decisions can be made for the area’s future growth.”

The area included in the Dickson-Block Parking Review is bordered on the north by West Lafayette Street, south by West Meadow Street, west by North University and Arkansas avenues and on the east by St. Charles and Block avenues.

“We have more students than ever at the University of Arkansas, continued business growth and development around Dickson Street and Block Avenue and the Upper

Ramble – these are great things that we all support,” said Matt Trantham, senior associate athletic director at the University of Arkansas. “But if we don’t responsibly assess and plan for the parking needs that come with this development, we are doing a disservice to existing businesses, institutions and to their students, customers and patrons.”

The quantitative study will be conducted by Kimley Horn, a planning and design consulting firm based out of Raleigh, NC, with experience conducting similar studies around the country. The study will assess existing parking supply and demand, and estimate future parking demand for three to five years based on proposed and approved projects. It will also recommend if additional parking is needed, how many spaces, how it should be managed and potential locations.

Kimley Horn will be on site for three weekends: September 22-24 during the run of Pretty Woman: The Musical at Walton Arts Center, September 29-October 1 during a Razorback football home game, and October 7-8 during a non-event weekend to collect data on existing parking utilization.

The qualitative portion of the review includes interviews with stakeholders, and peer reviews of cities with similar size and amenities to identify best practices by Kimley Horm. Additionally, surveys of current and past customers and patrons will be conducted by coalition members to gather details about perceptions of and experiences when parking in the area.

“Getting this comprehensive picture of the parking now, projected parking needs for the future and best practices from cities of similar size and amenities really arms us with the information we need to thoughtfully develop this area to its fullest potential,” said Bill Waite, owner of Dickson Street Liquor.

The entire review will take three to four months to complete, however if easy parking solutions are identified at any time during the review, they could be shared and implemented as needed.

The coalition includes Justin Clay, City of Fayetteville Parking; Carl Collier, Dickson Street Improvement District; Brian Crowne, George’s Majestic Lounge; Jordan Garner, Ivy35Ventures; Devin Howland, City of Fayetteville Economic Vitality; Todd Martin, South x Northwest Hospitality; Rachel Pendergraft, Drake Farms Development; Bob Pless, Walton Arts Center; Molly Rawn, Experience Fayetteville; Gary Smith and Matt Trantham, University of Arkansas; and Bill Waite, Dickson Street Liquor.

Support for Walton Arts Center is provided, in part, by the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Walton Arts Center is Arkansas’ premier performing arts presenter operating three theaters and the Arkansas Music Pavilion. Walton Arts Center brings entertainers and artists from around the world to Northwest Arkansas. Each year more than 250,000 people from Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma and beyond attend more than 300 public events at Walton Arts Center venues. On average 35,000 students and teachers participate annually in arts learning programs at Walton Arts Center, and 300 volunteers donate their time each year to its operations. As a non-profit organization, Walton Arts Center enjoys the generous support of public sector funding, corporate sponsorship and private donors, allowing audience members to enjoy world-class performances at a great price. To learn more about Walton Arts Center, visit www.waltonartscenter.org.

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