HOT SPRINGS — It is hard to find a place to park in downtown Hot Springs these days. That’s a good thing, said Mike Pettey, owner of The Ohio Club. When he bought Arkansas’ oldest bar seven years ago, he said he had his employees park in front of the club to make it seem like there were people downtown.
Parking has become such an issue that city officials have been looking for solutions. And when word came that grant money was available, they jumped at the opportunity to help alleviate the downtown parking problem. The city’s grant proposal calls for roughly two-thirds of the cost of the $3 million project to be provided by the Department of Commerce. The West Central Arkansas Planning and Development District submitted the grant application on behalf of the city.
Concrete barriers between the sidewalk and the street, patio space for restaurants, an extra level on the Exchange Street parking deck, easier access to the parking deck, and electronic parking management systems for parking meters and the parking deck, as well as the elimination of some street parking, are all tentatively on the agenda. If the proposal is approved, public forums will take place to provide input on the plan from city residents.
“We had been talking about all these things,” City Engineer Gary Carnahan said. “Actually, they had been talked about for quite a while, some of these things. It was actually pretty easy for us to go, ‘You know what? Now’s the time to take a shot.’”
If the grant is approved, sidewalk cafe seating may start popping up in the city. Pettey said he has asked about seating people outside, and he thinks it would be good for business.
“There are a couple of places that set their tables out on the sidewalk,” Pettey said. “I had never considered it because I didn’t know how I could do it because I’m serving alcohol. We don’t even know exactly how to do it, but at least 90 percent of it will have to be contained by a wrought-iron fence, for my purpose, anyway.
“I get asked and have been asked for years, ‘Why can’t I have a beer out on the sidewalk?’ Well, this will answer that question. They’ll be able to have a burger and a beer out on the sidewalk.”
After approval of the plan, there will still be hurdles to jump through, and making sure the public is on board with the plan is important to Pettey, he said.
One point of contention is eliminating the parallel parking spots downtown. About two spots per restaurant will be eliminated to reroute the sidewalk into that space and allow for patio space directly in front of the eateries. Pettey said some business owners who don’t serve food and are not close to the parking deck are concerned about the loss of parking spaces.
“I’ve got friends downtown with souvenir shops, and they’ve got a concern. We’re talking about on my side of the street, taking out like 10 parking spots,” Pettey said.
“And that’s noticeable for some people who have customers who need to park close. Not that they’re handicapped, but there’s some folks who can’t get out and walk seven blocks. But this is what I would consider the first phase of just breathing some new air into downtown,” Pettey said.
“I’m thinking it would take at least a year or more to get it all built,” Carnahan said. “The sidewalk dining can happen pretty quickly, but adding a deck onto the parking plaza would be more complicated.”
Carnahan said city officials were excited to hear that the grant money is available, and Lance Spicer, city clerk and assistant city manager, worked closely with The West Central Arkansas Planning and Development District to get to this stage in the process.
“We’re hopeful that we’ll get some good news,” Carnahan said.