Helen Burns Sharp of the citizen group Accountability for Taxpayer Money told members of the Chattanooga Downtown Redevelopment Corporation (CDRC) that the board members need to continue to keep an idea on the situation with a city parking lot on King Street.
City staff told members of the CDRC that work on the lot is about 90 percent complete.
Ms. Sharp told the group, "Thanks for the opportunity to address you today.I’d like to share some thoughts on the King Street Parking lot, which you own. It is on the agenda as an “update” later on the agenda.
"I show up at your meetings from time-to-time. There is a common theme to my comments. Whether the topic is public parking spaces at Renaissance Park earmarked for an apartment developer, or the PILOT for the Walnut Commons apartment complex, or the King Street lot, ATM’s concerns are about government transparency and a level playing field for public and private interests.
"In a recent op-ed piece, I wrote that “private developers and their attorneys are good at advocating for their financial interests. But who is doing the work for local government to look out for the public interest in negotiations?... Public-private partnerships are great, provided we have a strong public sector willing to ask questions of the strong private players.”
"You need to be part of the strong public sector.
"Today I am here to talk about the King Street parking lot, whose recent history is kind of bizarre.
? The City Council declared the lot “surplus,” even though it was heavily used by city employees. (2016)
? The CDRC went through a “competitive” RFP process to sell the lot, even though city staff had said they had been working closely with the private developers who were constructing and renovating property to the south.
? The CDRC was prepared to sell the property in 2017 to the neighboring private developers at a price that was less than what the City had paid for the property in 2007.
? While the developers later agreed to pay a higher amount based on an appraisal, they rescinded their offer and the RFP was withdrawn, with no explanation given to the board.
? City staff in 2018 informed the CDRC that the parking lot was causing flooding in the adjacent warehouse building owned by the developers. The board authorized spending up to $480,000 in public funds to pave the parking lot, even though the drainage issue likely existed when the private developers bought their property in 2014.
"Let’s talk about the present and the future.The parking lot is now paved. It is better for city employees who park there during the work week and it will be available after hours and on weekends as a paid parking lot for the adjacent buildings to the south and for the St. John’s building across the street. Good.
"Parking should remain free for city employees. Mechanisms need to be put in place to make the parking during the work week available only to city staff (and perhaps for overflow parking at city/county DRC building). The warehouse building adjacent to the south may convert to retail and office on the ground floor and upper story apartments. The owners may approach the CDRC about parking.
"What ATM respectfully asks you to do on King Street in the future is to make sure you have the information you need to determine that whatever agreements you enter into now or later are fair to the city employees and fair to taxpayers."