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Mayor: Dawson to sign LOI allowing city use of parking deck on weekdays
Summary
Homewood mayor said Dawson has agreed to provide a letter of intent that could let the city lease roughly 325 parking spaces Monday–Saturday for a nominal fee, with Sundays reserved for Dawson; lease terms and signage still to be worked out and the mayor said he will place a lease authorization item on the council agenda.
Homewood Mayor said Monday that Dawson has agreed to deliver a letter of intent that would allow the city to lease part of a downtown parking deck for public use on weekdays and Saturdays.
“Dawson has given has agreed to give me an LOI, a letter of intent that would lead to a lease, for the parking deck where the city could lease the parking deck for a nominal fee for, Monday through Saturday, starting at 7 in the morning,” the mayor said, adding that the arrangement would make the city an insurable interest and that “that’s about 325 spaces, that are available for us during those days.”
The mayor said Sundays would remain exclusively for Dawson and that the parties expect to work out signage and routine maintenance responsibilities before any lease is signed. He said he expected the LOI to arrive soon and that he would place an item on the council agenda to authorize execution of a lease once city and Dawson attorneys finish negotiating terms.
Council members asked for clarity about which levels of the deck would be included; the mayor said the second, third and fourth floors would be part of the proposed arrangement. He also said the city would carry insurance and would accept responsibility for cleaning and damage that occurred while the city had use of the deck.
No formal motion or vote was taken on the LOI at the meeting; the mayor said the item will return to the council agenda for authorization to sign the final lease when attorneys complete terms.
City staff and council members discussed signage and public outreach to ensure users know when spaces are public versus reserved for Dawson, and the mayor said both sides are open to mutually acceptable signage, including crediting Dawson where appropriate. The mayor also said the city would continue discussions about timing and whether the lease item should go through committee before final council action.
If the LOI converts to a lease, the mayor said the city would add the deck to its insurance coverage and manage weekly upkeep during the hours it controls the deck. No final lease was signed at the meeting, and the council did not vote on the proposal; the mayor said he will return with a lease authorization request once negotiations finish.
