Wichita’s mayor says the implementation date of Jan. 1 for paid parking in downtown, Old Town, and Delano has been paused. City council members, business owners, and community members met at a town hall on Monday to discuss their expectations for the policy. The town hall conversation was somewhat heated. Nortons Brewing Company organizers tell KSN that their goal with this meeting was to facilitate a more solution-minded discussion. “What we’ve done is put a complete pause. And getting feedback,” said Wichita Mayor Lily Wu. People and business owners are still not happy with the proposed switch to paid parking, which led to Monday’s discussion. “I think that we need parking for our customers to come and eat with us,” said Natasha Gandhi-Rue, chef and co-owner of The Kitchen. “If we don’t have places for them to park, to come to our locations, that is going to be a huge hindrance.” “We want to find some solutions that don’t put the burden on the people that patronize these businesses downtown or are employed by these businesses,” said Nico Leitner-Goddard, a brewer at Nortons Brewing Company. Mayor Wu says that she understands concerns, and the city council has halted movement on the proposed parking change. “We heard some, even, innovative ideas from some of these community members of how parking can be paid, but in a more innovative way,” said Mayor Wu. City council members say innovation is necessary, and the money still needs to come from somewhere Now, the conversation has shifted to finding solutions to the deficit while still keeping affected citizens and businesses happy. “I think that a solution is the next step. We want to be a big part of that step. This is our way of making our voices heard in terms of coming to a solution,” said Leitner-Goddard. The Wichita City Council members who attended this town hall say they hope to continue the conversation on paid parking. Some of the proposed ideas include allowing businesses to validate parking or offering a parking day pass. The next information meeting will be held on Wednesday from 10-11 a.m. at Envision, 610 N. Main. The public will not be able to ask questions during this meeting.
Source: KSN-TV
