Bentonville studies parking need

Apartment dwellers save by using city’s nearby free lot

BENTONVILLE — Downtown parking needs to be considered as the Bentonville area continues to grow, city officials and planning commissioners said.

Planning commissioners recently discussed parking at Thrive, an apartment complex on the corner of Southwest Fourth and Southwest A streets.

Thrive met the city’s parking standards for its zoning — one parking space for each residential unit — when it was built. But commissioners said they didn’t know during the planning process that Thrive was going to charge for on-site parking, and they questioned how acceptable it was for residents to use other free lots instead.

There are four types of parking available at Thrive, and rates can range from $20 to $70 a month, according to Eve Rosin, a representative of Thrive.

Some residents have chosen not to pay for a parking permit and use free spaces nearby, most notably the city’s parking lot at the Community Development Building.

Most of the time there is not a space problem, but the city parking lot is typically full with Thrive residents’ vehicles on nights and weekends, said Troy Galloway, the city’s community and economic development director.

The Thrive situation is an example of how parking will have to be discussed as downtown grows, commissioners said.

There is a lot of available free parking downtown now, Galloway said.

“Now, it may not be exactly where you want it to be,” he said. “In some cases, you have to be willing to park a block away and walk to your destination.”

There are about 1,800 public parking spaces in a three-block area around the downtown square, according to the city’s Geographic Information System.

The city owns several surface parking lots. The top deck at 21c Museum Hotel also is available to the public. The parking deck at the new Midtown Center will also be available to the public on nights and weekends when it opens.

“I’m very concerned about the amount of times a parking lot has no vehicles in it,” commissioner Scott Eccleston said.

Bentonville is a small town that’s turning into a bigger city. Walking a few blocks from a parking lot to a destination is common in urban areas, Eccleston said. Street parking is something the city should consider moving forward, he said.

Various city plans, such as the SE Downtown Area Plan, identify “walkability” as a key component to growth.

Bentonville is already conducive to walking and biking, resident Julie Fackler said Friday after parking in the public lot behind City Hall downtown.

“Honestly, I’ve never really had a problem parking,” she said. “And I love that there’s no cost.”

Fackler lives about a mile from the downtown square and often walks to work at Shindig Paperie at 120 S. Main St. when the weather is nice.

Commissioners also want to use Thrive as an example of a development that draws people who want to live a more urban lifestyle. The apartment complex’s Sustainable Community Program encourages walking and biking to work. Participants can earn a point for every walking or biking trip to or from Thrive. An unspecified reward is given to those who reach 50 points, according to the program’s website.

Downtown Bentonville met the location and living experience criteria when parent company ERC was looking to build Thrive, Rosin said.

“The ability to bike or walk to festivals, cultural institutions, local restaurants/businesses and the farmers market is a top priority,” she wrote in an email.

Chicago-based urban planner Houseal Lavigne Associates is creating a comprehensive plan for the city that will include parking.

There will have to be less of a premium on on-site parking and more of a premium on income-generating properties as downtown development continues, Galloway said. Parking lots don’t generate revenue, he said, adding that the city needs buildings that house people, commerce and retail to help generate revenue to pay for capital improvements.

“We really want to find that sweet spot,” Galloway said. “We don’t want too much parking, but we want enough parking made available so people are comfortable knowing that they can come to our downtown, find a place to park and go to the places they want to go.”

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