February 2022 Downtown Advisory Board

CITY OF HENDERSONVILLE FEBRUARY 2022 DOWNTOWN ADVISORY BOARD Downtown Program Office | 125 Fifth Avenue West, Suite 200 | Hendersonville NC 28792 Tuesday, February 08, 2022 – 4:00 PM MINUTES 1. CALL TO ORDER In Attendance: Caroline Gunther, Matthew Hickman, John Ryan, Jerry Fitzgerald, Walt Slagel, Julie Buckman, Patsy DuPre, Carole Sitzer, Chris Cormier joined approximately 30 minutes into the meeting.. Absent: Becky Ayers, Shaqwala Wilkes 2. PUBLIC COMMENT Caroline Gunther noted public comment for agenda items should be per agenda item for this meeting. Fred Nace spoke for public comment because he will not be present for all meeting. Would like to speak to 3 items - 1, sidewalk mural expansion, is in support of the project. Only had one complaint from the past sidewalk mural project in that it did not connect all the way to Main Street. 2 - Downtown event policy - make sure we don't inadvertently incentivize cutting off blocks, thinks Downtown Advisory Board needs to have a function in place to put restrictions for events. 3 - parking meter/permit fee, agree that meters are necessary, agrees that parking should be more expensive on street than in garage. Believes 30 minutes is insufficient and 1 hour free should be in place. 3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Patsy DuPre made a motion to approve the agenda. John Ryan seconded. A roll call vote was taken: John Ryan, Matthew Hickman, Julie Buckman, Patsy DuPre, Mark Pavao, Carole Sitzer, Walt Slagel, Jerry Fitzgerald, Caroline Gunther voted to approve. 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. January 2022 Downtown Advisory Board Minutes Jerry Fitzgerald made a motion to approve the minutes. Carole Sitzer seconded. A roll call vote was taken: John Ryan, Matthew Hickman, Julie Buckman, Patsy DuPre, Mark Pavao, Carole Sitzer, Walt Slagel, Jerry Fitzgerald, Caroline Gunther voted to approve. 5. OLD BUSINESS 1. 7th Avenue Visioning - Jamie Carpenter, Downtown Manager FEBRUARY 2022 DOWNTOWN ADVISORY BOARD – February 08, 2022 Page | 1  Jamie spoke to remind everyone of where we were last year on the 7th Avenue branding/visioning process. Reached back out to consultants and will present to council in March to do interviews in April. 6. NEW BUSINESS 1. Sidewalk Mural Expansion Elizabeth Queen, artist who worked on the Bee Line sidewalk mural presented. Community Character team reviewed project and made recommendations for a smaller scale of paint. Patsy made the motion to approve the sidewalk mural expansion by putting footprints of various animals on the sidewalks to connect the two sidewalks. Carole Sitzer seconded. John Ryan, Matthew Hickman, Julie Buckman, Patsy DuPre, Mark Pavao, Carole Sitzer, Walt Slagel, Jerry Fitzgerald, Caroline Gunther voted to approve. 2. Downtown Event Policy and Fee Updates Jamie Carpenter presented the downtown fee updates as reviewed by the city's special events committee. A review of different level of services for events was given. Question for board - avenues open or closed? There was discussion on if avenues being open for smaller events should be incentivized. Discussion on safety, and keeping one or two avenues open during larger events to aid traffic flow. 3. Parking Meter & Permit Fee Discussion Jamie Carpenter presented on the history of the parking and where we are now and included an overview of the Walker parking analysis. Walker Consultants were on the call. Parking discussion - 1. Do we need a downtown employee permit? What rate is feasible? Do we need different rates for different business types? 24/7 reserve rate recommendation. Patsy DuPre - yes something that will help businesses. Gradual increase seems unnecessary. Jerry - yes, need downtown employee permit. Rate for employees need to consider seasonal expenses, perhaps a variable employee permit rate. Max out at $30, $1 per day to come downtown and work. Should be a standard rate across the board for employees. Mark - yes, need employee rate. Also agrees with Jerry on $30. No different types for different businesses, causes problems. Get rid of 24/7 reserve spaces. John - pricing depending on time of day employees park. give incentive for employer to subsidize the employee's parking. FEBRUARY 2022 DOWNTOWN ADVISORY BOARD – February 08, 2022 Page | 2  Chris - Asked how many people we have working downtown who would need parking at a given time. Jerry and Mark estimate during busy time it could be at least 200-400 downtown employees. Public comment - Michele Sparks noted that one employee lot wouldn't work well because it would not help serve both sides of the street, still far for folks at south end to walk. Fred Nace spoke regarding the downtown employee parking, should not specify on type of business. 24/7 spots for residents are important. Residents who purchased spots purchased their property and need a reserved spot. Jerry and Caroline expressed an interest in 24/7 reserved spots for downtown residents only. Lew - 24/7 reserved spots create issues with enforcement. Unreserved spaces mean the spaces can be used more effectively. 2. Parking hourly rates. Economic Vitality team suggested that Mani Street is a higher premium than decks and surface lots. Discussion is "What is our premium parking?" Mark - Main Street would be premium, garage would be second, and surface lots would be third. At least 1/2 hour free on Main Street, or a $0.25 per 15 minutes. Patsy - street parking would be premium, but not sure if parking in garage or on street should be different. Geoff (walker) - 30 minutes free helps account for the time it takes to get parked and tickets. Geoff noted that the data we receive from the garage and meters will be tremendous in helping determine rates and times. 7. OTHER BUSINESS 8. ADJOURNMENT The City of Hendersonville is committed to providing accessible facilities, programs and services for all people in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Should you need assistance or an accommodation for this meeting please contact the City Clerk no later than 24 hours prior to the meeting at 697-3005. FEBRUARY 2022 DOWNTOWN ADVISORY BOARD – February 08, 2022 Page | 3