Recap of February 2 parking meeting
A capacity crowd attended last night’s public meeting with the consulting team working to identify parking and traffic solutions in Overton Park. Representatives from Looney Ricks Kiss, Alta Planning + Design, and Kimley-Horn presented a review of the issues facing the park, case studies from other urban parks and zoos, and the preliminary results of an online survey that has been taken by over 1,500 people as of today. The team then shared a draft list of principles that could guide the development of solutions, all of which arose from their interviews with the park’s institutions.
The team stressed that they are not advocates for any particular park institution or group, but rather advocates for the park. As a land-locked urban park with multiple popular attractions, Overton Park is not unique in being “loved to death,” as LRK’s Steve Auterman termed it. Each of the consultants has years of experience in developing ways to get people into, around, and out of thriving public spaces, and they are bringing those skills to their analysis of Overton Park.
Below you’ll find the team’s presentation in its entirety, including a series of photos Steve took during a bike ride through the park this past Saturday. But first, here are the next steps:
- If you haven’t taken the online survey to share your thoughts on the park, it will be open for one more week. Please take a few moments to fill it out.
- Mark your calendars for Thursday, February 18, when the consultants will present some design concepts at a second public meeting. That gathering is currently scheduled to be at the Brooks Museum auditorium, but because the crowd was well over capacity last night, we are working on finding a larger venue. We’ll announce alternate arrangements as soon as they’re confirmed.
- Please consider helping Overton Park Conservancy defray the costs of this planning process by making a contribution here. Along with the mediation process requested by the City of Memphis and legal fees to be incurred for the declaratory judgment lawsuit, the Conservancy is raising 100% of the funds for the consulting team.
The Presentation
To view the presentation, mouse over the window below and click the arrow icon in the lower-right corner to go full-screen.
