Council to consider $100,000 design contract for Fifth & Forest parking-lot overhaul to support downtown investment

City staff asked the council to authorize an engineering design contract of up to $100,000 to redesign and reconstruct the Fifth and Forest parking lot, an under-maintained municipal lot adjacent to several privately owned downtown buildings.

Staff said the lot has decades of deferred maintenance, a failing stormwater system and a complicated ownership pattern that has impeded coordinated repairs. "Because of this, there's been no kind of ownership and no clarity about who's doing what, and so nothing happens," a staff presenter said, noting a knocked‑down light pole had remained marked by a cone for years.

Engineers told the council a full reconstruction could add roughly 20% more public parking—raising city-controlled spaces from about 35 to around 50—while also addressing stormwater, adding consistent surface and pedestrian access, and improving safety at the Fifth‑and‑Forest intersection. Staff estimated full construction costs in the $750,000 to $1,000,000 range and said urban renewal has funds earmarked for parking improvements.

Several property owners near the lot told staff they are willing to cost‑share a reconstruction and that coordinated maintenance and easement arrangements would be necessary. Councilors agreed the design contract could proceed as a consent-item action and asked staff to return with a final design, cost allocation options and potential maintenance agreements with adjacent property owners.