At the Sept 2nd Council Meeting, the City leaders gave the go ahead to draft a Request For Qualifications to begin selecting an “owners representative” to deliver a parking structure on Mill Street.
Background
City Manager Heidi Nelson reported to the Council that the City of Wayzata is proposing to construct a parking structure to better serve the downtown public amenities and business district. She also indicated The City recently updated its downtown parking study in an effort to better understand parking demand in the downtown district. Manger Nelson sought feedback on weather a study was warranted in determining the location of a proposed parking structure, as well as other how to oversee construction of any new parking facility.
Location, location, location…
The Council deliberated on the location of the proposed parking structure, and also weighed whether or not a consultant could provide a better study on the topic. The majority of Council Members expressed support for Mill Street which has been eyed as a ramp site for decades.
Council member Tom Tanner indicated, “The only really logical place, and has been… is obviously on the west end of Mill Street. That’s pretty much a given as the site we should go after.”
“The parking problem we have is obvious. I think Mill Street is the most logical place to put a parking ramp.” stated Mayor Willcox.
Widsten & Height
Council member Jack Amdal expressed concern on behalf of the Widsten Townhomes that would overlook the new structure, “I’m sure the residents to the north would be concerned with how tall it is and so forth. Maybe the ramp on Mill Street to make it work needs to be too big, and all the stakeholders don’t like a big ramp, so I think we should be thinking about other sites in town and other alternative locations.”
Long term planning
Council Member Bridget Anderson expressed her concern that selecting Mill Street would limit the possibility of looking at alternative site locations, “I think we need to look not at just the 6 or 700 block of Lake, but the whole of Wayzata and find a balance needed to make an informed decision for the best long-term interests.”
Comrehensive Approach
Council Member Andrew Mullin expressed his desire for the City, “My hope is that we will take a holistic approach to parking for our downtown that could include a public private partnership on this site and also find ways to add more parking to existing locations of Marquee Plaza and the Folkstone project.”
City Manager Nelson indicated she would present more info to the Council on September 16, 2014 Council Meeting based on the feedback and vote.
