Compromising on parking in Overton Park
This morning, representatives from the City of Memphis, Overton Park Conservancy, the Memphis Zoo, and Citizens to Preserve Overton Park met to discuss overflow parking on the Greensward over the next several weeks. The City’s CAO, George Little, reaffirmed Mayor Wharton’s commitment to ending Greensward parking by the end of 2014, and to supporting the pilot program of a free shuttle from the Overton Square garage to Overton Park over the next five weekends.
After a discussion, the parties all agreed to a reasonable compromise. The Memphis Zoo will be allowed to use the Greensward this weekend in a limited capacity, as Memorial Day weekend has historically been its highest-attended weekend of the year. For the remaining four weekends of the shuttle trial, the Zoo will not park cars on the Greensward, and all parties will assist in promoting the shuttle service to their constituents.
Overton Park Conservancy has developed an operations plan for the shuttle and will share it with all our park partners. Volunteers will be on hand in the park this weekend to direct visitors to available street parking and to the Overton Square garage.
We have been heartened to see the passionate advocacy surrounding Overton Park since the Conservancy’s inception, but especially over the last several weeks. This discussion is happening because we are lucky enough to have engaged citizens who care deeply about the park and our cultural institutions.
We’d like to thank everyone who has come forward to generously sponsor the shuttle service: Citizens to Preserve Overton Park & the Get Off Our Lawn coalition, Orion Federal Credit Union, Huey’s, Premier Transportation, the Sierra Club – Chickasaw Group, Susan Jennings, and Madeleine Landrum-Noe & Jen Harrison.
And finally, we’re grateful to Mayor Wharton for his resolute commitment to a healthy city with connected neighborhoods and access to green space in the urban core. We will continue working with Mayor Wharton and the City, along with all of our partner institutions in the park and with our devoted visitors to enrich the park and plan for its future.
