Is there a parking problem in downtown Waxahachie? The data says no

City data shows that downtown Waxahachie does not have a parking problem, but rather a walking problem.

“The city could build 10 parking garages, but the parking in front of the stores is never going to increase beyond what it is now,” Anita Simpson, downtown development director, said. “We just have to get out of that mindset that I have to be in front of the store.”

While one might be willing to park near the back of Walmart’s parking lot and walk around the store, they are unwilling to walk the same amount of distance in downtown.

Simpson superimposed the footprint of the Walmart in Waxahachie over a map of downtown and found that walking from the Dove’s Nest to the Rogers Hotel is about the same as walking from the auto parts section to cleaning supplies. By parking in the middle of the lot at the front of Walmart and walking to the electronics section, you have walked about the same distance from the College Street Pub to the Pocket Park. Additionally, it’s about the same distance from the parking garage to Happy’s store on the corner of South Rogers and Main streets as it is from the garden section to frozen foods.

“Distance doesn’t matter,” Simpson said. “It’s the fact that you’re not in front of the store that you want to go into.”

There are 1,048 free spaces available 24/7 through on-street spaces, public surface lots and the parking garage – more than Walmart’s required amount of 1,025, according to Simpson. That number does not include the private spaces available for customers of specific businesses or the additional spaces available nights and weekends.

“If there’s a store downtown that you want to go into, it’s worth walking to,” Simpson said.

When Simpson first started with the city 16 years ago, there was downtown parking available most of the time. Most of downtown sat vacant, and only about four restaurants could be found.

“We had a lot of downtown parking because there was no reason for anybody to come downtown,” she said.

Today, there are more than 15 restaurants in downtown and many boutiques, antique stores and more. A more vibrant downtown always brings parking concerns, Simpson said.

“You can’t have one without the other,” she said. “They go hand-in-hand.”

Simpson said the city recognizes that some people cannot walk long distances, and there are handicap spaces located on the northside of the historic Ellis County Courthouse and on the first level of the parking garage.

The three-level parking garage, located at 205 E. Jefferson St., was built to allow for an additional fourth level, but informal parking studies from 2016 and 2021 have shown that need is not there yet.

The 2021 parking study shows photos of the parking garage, specifically the third level, during 3 p.m. Thursday, 10 a.m. Tuesday and lunchtime on a Friday, which Simpson said is one of the busiest times for downtown. In every photo, more than half of the spaces are empty on the third level, with additional spots open on other levels as well.

“Until there’s evidence showing that all of our available parking is taken, there’s no reason to invest in more,” Simpson said. “It’s not a good use of taxpayer money to continue to build an inventory that we don’t need.”

The city has looked at additional spaces to build a second parking garage, Simpson said.

“The city does have some things that they can look to in the future, when there is a need for it,” she said. “It’s not something they’re ignoring or brushing off. From the data we have right now, it’s not a necessary expense.”

Originally published February 27, 2023 - https://www.waxahachiesun.com/business/is-there-a-parking-problem-in-downtown-waxahachie-the-data-says-no/article_8aae8b14-b726-11ed-bc2a-4bcde779220b.html