Denton City Council implements study for changes in downtown parking

by Krystle Cantu of North Texas Daily

The Council also implemented a 60-day, extendable interim ordinance that will force new development of more than 10 living units to provide and meet normal parking requirements.

Photo by Alex Scott

City Council leaders are considering changes that would force many developers to start providing parking when they build or redevelop downtown Denton.

Denton City Council leaders are considering changes that would force developers to start providing parking when they build and develop downtown.

Though a decision has not been made, the Council has implemented a study to decide what requirements will be needed for parking changes.

“We have allowed development downtown without any requirements for parking because, basically over the last 20 years, we were just trying to build up downtown,” said Jim Engelbrecht, a City Council member.

The Council also implemented a 60-day, extendable interim ordinance that will force new development of more than 10 living units to provide and meet normal parking requirements.

They have mostly accomplished that mission, at least with the Square downtown, Engelbrecht said. It may be time for extra requirements with parking, he said.

“If you go down there at anytime during the day, you will find that parking spaces are filled,” he said. “It’s becoming apparent that we’re going to have to have requirements now for parking and for additional development, particularly as it moves further off of the Square.”

Engelbrecht believes that if nothing is done, it may lead to potential for more activity and only a limited amount of parking. In turn, it will become a detriment to the area.

“You don’t want to wind up with a situation where all of a sudden you have a lot of folks showing up and no place to park,” he said. “We are on the cusp of that problem.”

The Council implemented the 60-day ordinance to have a temporary solution in place while the study is being conducted. Afterward, the information will be reviewed and the necessary changes will be made.

“The concern is with the possibility of a major developer coming in and perhaps putting up an apartment or a townhouse complex that could have 100 to 300 units in it without providing any parking,” said Bob Moses, co-owner of both Beth Marie’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream & Soda Fountain and Elements Of Design.

His businesses are combined in a building on the downtown Square. He looks at the possibility of someday putting the second floor back on his building.

“It used to be two stories,” he said. “I might even like to go to three stories and have those top floors become loft apartments,” he said.

However, he does see a concern with development overcrowding open space, without adequate adjustments.

“A developer can come and do anything they want to in there without having to consider where people are going to park at all,” he said. “That’s a valid concern.”

Moses is pleased that the city is deciding to implement some improvement, but he thinks it will be a while before Denton residents see any of the changes.

“Your hands are really tied when you have property right on the Square because there is virtually no place to go to either buy parking or create more parking,” he said. “I personally think it’ll be more like six months to even a year before their recommendations will be really reviewed and implemented by the city, but this is a good stop gap.”

Megan Lockhart, a printmaking senior, said that parking on the Square is already limited, so any additional parking would be beneficial, especially with new development.

“I think that anything that supplies extra parking in Denton is a good thing,” she said. “The Square is full as it is. As long as they don’t take away from any of the green space and use the in-between alleys to put in some parking, I think that could be beneficial.”