MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland announced his own plan for dealing with the parking issue at the Memphis Zoo.
“I am announcing a plan that will permanently end parking on the usable portion of the Greensward, provide the Memphis Zoo with a sustainable source of parking for its patrons, and enable growth in this great park in the center of our city,” the mayor said in a post on Facebook.
Under the mayor’s plan the current configuration of parking at the Memphis Zoo will be redone creating 100 new spaces.
In addition, space will be utilized on North Parkway.
For safety and transport reasons, the mayor said he also wants to create a waiting area for buses, freeing up further space in the Prentiss Place lot.
An additional 100 spaces will be created after they construction of permanent parking on the southeast side of the Zoo’s main lot where a tree-lined swale currently is.
All of the trees that will be removed to make way for those spaces will be replaced and a structure will be built to hide the view of the cars from the Greensward.
The berm solution was proposed in this year’s parking study and is supported by the Overton Park Conservancy.
Both the Zoo and Overton Park Conservancy would share the costs of implementing the plane
A new lot in the General Services area was also included in the mayor’s plan.
On peak days this area will also be serviced by buses, making it easier for patrons to get to and from the attractions.
General Services’ departure from that area allows the opportunity not only to add parking but also for additional amenities and green space to be added to the park.
Both parties will be responsible for covering the costs of the new plan.
“There was no easy solution to this complicated issue,” said Strickland. “The proposal I am putting forth is the best possible result, given the constraints with which we are dealing.”
“In addition to the Zoo, my proposal provides a parking resource for Overton Park’s other amenities. It is a solution for the entire park,” he added.
The Memphis Zoo didn’t agree.
Following the announcement the Zoo released a statement saying the proposal was “disappointing” and would negatively impact the zoo and the other businesses in the area.
They said all the costs would fall them, and the proposal still didn’t account for the families who would still have to travel more than a mile through the park to the Zoo’s entrance.
“Not only has this been tried before, it was a failed experiment by the previous administration. During the six weeks in 2014 that a free shuttle ran between the Overton Square parking garage and the Zoo, just 89 people utilized it,” the zoo said.
The mayor’s plan still has to be approved by the City Council who is expected to take up the issue on July 19.
If approved work would begin in early 2017.