Parking and Access in Overton Park

These are wonderful times to visit Overton Park.  The Levitt Shell Free Music Concert Series brings high-quality entertainment to the park, the Memphis Zoo attracts visitors from all across the country, the Brooks Museum of Art and Memphis College of Art showcase world-class artistic talent, the Links at Overton Park is teaching new generations to love golf, and Overton Park Conservancy is making sure the park is cleaner and more vibrant than ever. The Memphis Flyer took note of the park’s renaissance in last week’s issue.

With the park’s popularity, however, comes occasional difficulty with access.  During busy days at the Zoo or highly-attended concerts at the Shell, cars entering the park can quickly exceed the number of available spaces on internal park roads.  Until a permanent, long-term solution to the parking capacity issue is put in place, parking will spill out onto the neighboring streets.  Here are a few things to remember about parking in the park and in the neighborhoods surrounding the park:

• Cars should park in legal spaces only.  Memphis Police Department has the authority to ticket and tow vehicles parked in fire lanes and no-parking zones.  On some streets, parking is only legal on one side to preserve emergency vehicles’ access to the neighborhoods and to the park.
• Be considerate of neighborhood residents.  Do not block access to driveways or impede residents’ ability to enter and leave their homes.
• Consider alternatives to arriving by car.  If you are able to walk or bike to the park during peak times, it relieves some of the congestion.  A new bike/ped access point to the park is being added at East Parkway and Sam Cooper Blvd. later this year, making it possible to access the park via the Shelby Farms Greenline.

All park entities, including Overton Park Conservancy, the Memphis Zoo, the Levitt Shell, Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis College of Art, and the Links at Overton Park, are working together to find a solution to the parking issue.  The Conservancy has hired a consultant to analyze parking and traffic flow in the park and surrounding neighborhoods, with the goal of obtaining short-term and long-term recommendations.  We will communicate the results of this study when it is completed.

We are all thrilled that so many people are enjoying the rich array of what Overton Park has to offer.  We hope that by working together, we can arrive at productive solutions that respect the park, its users, and its neighbors.  We ask for your patience and cooperation as we explore those potential solutions, and we appreciate your continued support!