Vienna’s Public Parking Efforts Hit Speed Bump

One year ago, there was excitement over a Vienna Town Council’s plan to purchase one floor of a four-story commercial building on Church Street and use it as a public parking garage.

But yesterday (Monday), the Town of Vienna announced that the agreement — which would have made it easier to park in the town’s central business district — had been dissolved.

“Recently, during the project study period, Mill Street Development One notified the Town that its original proposal was not economically feasible and proposed changes to the project, including removing the retail component, reducing the number of public parking spaces, and changing the building’s architectural features,” town staff said in a press release. “The town and Mill Street Development One remain in discussions regarding an alternative parking layout and revised purchase price, but no new substantive proposal has been presented or formalized.”

The initial plan had involved paying $4.6 million to the developer for the 45,000 square-foot second floor of the building.

Plans called for parking to initially be free, but with the option to later charge for parking if needed. According to the press release, town staff are still looking for alternative public parking solutions.

“I was contacted two months ago about the status of the contract and components about the agreement,” Town Manager Mercury Payton at Monday’s Town Council meeting. “The contract is no longer in place. The terms that were agreed upon, the developer wanted to alter a number of those components and the alterations were not in line with what the town is satisfied with.”

“The town remains committed to public parking, whether with this developer or any other developer. We are currently in discussions with entities about that,” Payton added. “The Town remains committed to providing additional public parking in our commercial core in order to make the area a more convenient and accessible destination.”