Fayetteville Buys New Police Parking Lot

On Tuesday, the Fayetteville City Council voted to purchase a new parking lot about a block south of the square at Rock and Block streets.
The lot will be reserved for police and other city vehicles, and by keeping those vehicles from parking on the streets, officials say the public will have access to parking spots they weren't allowed to use before.
City officials said theyve heard a handful of complaints from people who haven't been able to find a place to park near the new district court building on Rock Street.
Parking and Telecom Manager Sharon Crosson, said, People who come to the court usually have to walk two to three blocks to get the courts.
That's because most available parking spots have been taken up by law enforcement vehicles.
When the courts building was under construction, it was built on a site where a police car parking lot housed marked and unmarked police cars, Fayetteville Chief of Staff Don Marr said.
Now those vehicles will be able to park in this new lot, which the council voted to purchase Tuesday for $342,000.
These revenues are in a dedicated off street parking fund that can only be used for parking improvements, Marr said.
Officials said that works out to be cheaper than leasing spots in the lots, which the city had previously been doing.
In 15 years we still wouldn't own in and spend the same amount of money that we spent tonight, Crosson said.
Officers parked in the lot will be close enough to the station to use their in-vehicle computers to communicate with the station electronically.
That lot is close enough to the station to where they can easily upload that information, Crosson said.
Officials said the lot is basically ready for use. They may end up restriping the ground, or putting up a fence around the perimeter before it is opened. Officials also said the new lot could be a location for a parking deck in the future.