Santa Fe Railyard: Paid parking draws protest
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Railyard tenants riled as Finance Committee OKs plan
4/21/2008 - 1/1/70
Artist Penny Baker doesn't want to have to fight for a parking space on the Santa Fe Railyard.She imagines it's going to be a pain to sprint out of the Santa Fe Clay studio with her hands covered in slip, dash to her car and move it every two hours to avoid a parking ticket.
But that's one scenario that could play out when the city officially opens its paid parking on the Railyard late this summer.
Baker is among those who have urged the city to rethink its plans to charge for every space on the publicly owned property. The clay studio she and other artists use is one of the longtime tenants of the area adjacent to the tracks.
On Monday night, the city Finance Committee approved a plan for parking fees on both surface lots and in a new underground parking garage at the Railyard.
The plan represents a compromise between charges the city staff recommended and free parking many users have asked for, but many Railyard tenants say it does not go far enough to encourage the kind of community participation the Railyard was billed as offering.
"They are going to put me out of business with this," said Avra Leodas, who owns Santa Fe Clay.
Leodas and Baker were part of a group of angry Railyard tenants who encircled the parking director in the hallway outside the committee meeting to grill him about the details of the fee structure.
Leodas said she already is losing students who say they are willing to take classes at the community college instead because of the anticipated increase in the cost of parking downtown. Before construction started at the Railyard, parking was free in the dirt lot next to the studio. Now, she'll also have to purchase permits for her six employees, she said.
However, growers and consumers who regularly participate in the Santa Fe Farmers Market and who have been vocal about their desires might finally be satisfied with the arrangement, according to indications from market director George Gundrey.
The plan, subject to final approval by the City Council, would establish parking in all Railyard spots from 7 a.m. to noon Saturdays for one dollar - the peak time for the market.
Frequent Railyard users, such as Baker at the clay studio, will also be able to apply to purchase monthly passes for certain hours for $10 per month. Other parking rates will be higher than standard downtown spots, costing $1.80 per hour in metered spots and $1.20 per hour in the garage.
Gundrey said Monday that he's made arrangements for about half the market vendors to park at a private lot on Garfield Street and that most other vendors will be able to park in stalls at the market building, creating a minimal impact on parking for customers.
"We bring 5,000 to 7,000 people to the Railyard on a Saturday morning, and most of other tenants will benefit profusely from that," he said.
While Gundrey left the meeting satisfied, others are vowing to lobby city councilors for a different plan.
El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe will also be negatively affected by paid parking, said Thomas Romero, president of the cultural organization's board of directors.
Romero told Gundrey he would be back to fight the deal at its hearing before the full City Council. He said the scheme approved Monday gave unfair preferential treatment to the farmers market. For example, he said, the arrangement will mean hassle for volunteers for programs at El Museo, such as Youth With Promise, which teaches at-risk kids how to play the guitar.
"This is absolute ludicrousy," Romero said. "The city could (provide free parking), and it would probably benefit everyone, but they are just looking at how many chits are in the meters. They are just looking at the bottom line. ... It was supposed to be a community type thing."
The city bought the Railyard property in 1995 and began its redevelopment in 2002. City land has been leased to private developers as well as nonprofits in attempt to balance money-making with community space.
City Parking Division Director Bill Hon said it's his job to consider the fiscal impact of the parking fee structures and their aim to repay debt incurred by the city to build the Railyard infrastructure. If parking was free on Saturdays, it would suck about $800,000 from reserve funds each year, he estimated.
Hon had proposed a flat fee of $2 for all-day parking each weekend day, an idea the Finance Committee rejected after reviewing the accepted proposal from Gundrey. The full City Council is expected to discuss the parking fee structure at its meeting April 30, he said.
Contact Julie Ann Grimm at 986-3017 or jgrimm@sfnewmexican.com.
