PRESENTER: Presenter
Jordan Matney, Deputy City Manager
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SUBJECT: Title
Approval of the first reading of an ordinance to amend Section 126-381 of the Code of Ordinances of the City of New Braunfels to change paid parking on Fair Lane from weekends and holidays to have a daily fee May 1st- Labor Day, to add a charge of $20 per space paid parking to Cypress Bend Park May 1st- Labor Day, and to add Cypress Bend Park as a valid location for the Resident River Parking Pass.
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DEPARTMENT: City Administration
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COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: District 4 and District 5
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Fair Lane by River Acres Park has paid parking on weekends and holidays only from May 1- Labor Day. Residents are free at this location and have noted that the new program assisted them with having available parking spaces. To expand that benefit and be in line with other river paid parking locations, the recommended ordinance revision is to make the parking fee a daily $20 fee for non-residents from May 1- Labor Day.
Cypress Bend is currently free for residents and non-residents to access. It has been growing in popularity and expense to manage. There is no revenue generation to the River Activities Fund currently at Cypress Bend Park. The recommended ordinance revision is to add $20 per space paid parking at all the striped parking spaces in the park, and to make this location a free parking location for residents with a valid Resident River Parking Pass.
ISSUE:
Residents want to visit our Guadalupe River parks and have a hard time finding available parking. Visitors coming to Cypress Bend Park do not contribute financially to the River Activities Fund, but cause expenses to the fund with port-a-johns, Park Ranger staff time, Police Department staff time, and trash and litter clean up contract costs.
STRATEGIC PLAN REFERENCE:
☐Economic Mobility ☐Enhanced Connectivity ☐Community Identity
☐Organizational Excellence ☐Community Well-Being ☒N/A
FISCAL IMPACT:
There will be an increase in revenue generation at Fair Lane, but we are not sure how much due to insufficient weekday attendance data to make this estimation. The cost to edit the signage at this location is under $1,000. Cypress Bend will have one-time costs for parking lot expansion and signage estimated at $60,000. Expenses for the signage and parking lot expansions will be funded by the River Activities Fund. Revenue generation at this location is estimated to generate $126,000-$143,000 annually. Revenue generated will be deposited into the River Activities Fund.
Recommendation
RECOMMENDATION:
On October 8, 2024, the River Advisory Committed made a unanimous recommendation and Parks and Recreation Advisory Board voted in favor 5-1 to approve expanding Fair Lane paid parking to be a daily fee, adding paid parking to Cypress Bend, and making the Resident River Parking Pass valid at Cypress Bend.
The River Advisory Committee made additional recommendations to expand the parking season to March 1st - September 30th and to consider a rate increase.
City staff recommends approval of the proposed ordinance change.