A panel’s recommendation to build a new parking garage behind Oxford City Hall drew opposition from a local property owner at last night’s Oxford Board of Aldermen meeting.
David Hill, owner of a condominium located at the proposed garage site, urged Oxford Board of Aldermen members to consider an alternative site during Tuesday’s meeting.
“You have an alternative to affecting the condominium owners,” Hill said. “The alternative that you have is, in my opinion, good governance because it is getting more parking in another place for a whole lot less money.”
The Downtown Parking Advisory Commission’s recommendation to construct the new garage behind City Hall calls for the city to take control of the space occupied by two condominiums, an action that Hill opposes.
If the city demolishes the two condominiums, it can build a $7.2 million garage with 479 parking spots.
The city also has the option to build a garage on this piece of land behind city hall without demolishing the condominiums. In this case it would build a $6.1 million garage that offers 341 parking spots.
The city has another prospective location on which it could build a garage. According to Tom Sharpe, chairman of the parking commission, this location would put the garage behind the Oxford-University Club. That facility would cost the city $6.7 million for 537 spaces or $7.9 million for 718 spaces.
“We looked at the advantages and disadvantages of both sites,” Sharpe said. “The cost per parking space is less behind the Oxford-University Club.”
But that location also has serious problems, according to Sharpe.
“There are significant problems with access to and egress from that site,” he said. “We were concerned with the traffic flow.”
Sharpe also said the board has the option of adding a pedestrian walkway from the proposed garage behind city hall to the Square.
“The cost estimate for that is an additional $800,000,” Sharpe said. “So the cost would be roughly $8 million for a parking garage that size. That does not include the cost of acquiring the land to expand out.”
Hill argued that the second site would still be a better option for the city.
“The first alternative (to the city hall location) is a site behind the (Oxford-University Club),” Hill said. “It gives you 537 spaces for $6.7 million. You don’t need to go any bigger than that because it is more parking than you will get behind city hall with the alternative of taking my property.”
Hill said that with the addition of the walkway, attorney fees and the cost of the property to be purchased, the city would spend closer to $10 million on the project.
“If you can get a parking garage that satisfies your needs for $6.7 million, then why would you spend our money to get less parking for $3 million more?” Hill asked the board.
Mayor Pat Patterson emphasized that the discussion was not over.
“No final decision or recommendation has been made as to whether we do or do not acquire that land,” Patterson said.
