LITTLE ROCK — A downtown nightclub manager reached an agreement Friday with North Little Rock Mayor Patrick Hays for the city to buy a portion of the club's parking for public use.
Hays signed an agreement with Checkmate Club managing partner Bob J. McAdams for the city to pay $42,670 for a 3,000 square-foot strip of alleyway off Fourth Street between Main and Poplar streets belonging to the club, 122 E. Fourth St.
The price includes a $40,000 appraisal value commissioned last week by the city and dismissal of a $2,317 judgment for the city in small claims court on a Checkmate Club bill from the North Little Rock Electric Department that McAdams was appealing.
The agreement follows the North Little Rock City Council's approval Monday to condemn the alley property, though aldermen left open the possibility of an offer.
A number of vehicles had been towed in recent weeks from parking spaces in the alley, prompting complaints to the city from downtown workers and several patrons of new businesses and city-sponsored activities.
The city took immediate possession under the agreement, which still requires the City Council's approval.
The alley parking is separated by a concrete divider from a larger parking lot belonging to the club. A few of the club's other spaces are perpendicular to the alley that remains off-limits, City Attorney Jason Carter said.
"The strip we're condemning removes access to one of his parking areas," Carter said. "We need to delineate what is public parking and what is not."
Hays has said he believed McAdams hadn't adequately warned drivers they were parking on private property. Some business owners and managers accused McAdams of entrapping parkers to tow them off, which McAdams has denied.
McAdams didn't return phone messages left Friday.
"To me, Mr. McAdams is obviously entitled to do with his property what he did do," Hays said. "My major disagreement was with the notice issue.
"And it brought to light what I considered to be an opportunity. We're looking at adding 12-15 parking spots that will now be available to the public."
The alley has nine parking spaces that the Checkmate owned, but the agreement extends to an unmarked area that can be converted to up to six more spaces, Hays said.
With several restaurants having moved into downtown North Little Rock and plans for a residential upswing, the city's downtown is experiencing a new problem: a lack of street parking.
To avoid downtown employees or construction workers from abusing public parking, Hays said he wants the Council to consider time limitations on the alley spaces. Placing stricter limits on Main Street's two-hour parking spaces - not enforced now by the city - is also possible.
"I'm happy to say our downtown is indeed evolving, so we're going to be very sensitive to what we're trying to do to provide reasonable parking," he said. "We won't be interested in those spots being for employees or people who come down in the morning and leave their vehicles there all day."
Arkansas, Pages 19 on 10/27/2007