Mayor: Dawson has signed LOI to lease three floors of parking deck to city

Homewood’s mayor told the Finance Committee on June 16 that Dawson has provided a letter of intent that would let the city lease roughly 325 parking spaces on the parking deck on weekdays and Saturdays starting at 7 a.m., with evenings currently planned to run at least until 9 p.m. The mayor said Sundays would remain for Dawson’s exclusive use.

The mayor said the LOI would lead to a lease; under the proposed arrangement the city would carry insurance on the leased portion of the deck, accept responsibility for cleaning and any damage during the hours it controls, and coordinate signage showing when spaces are public and when they revert to Dawson. “Dawson has agreed to give me an LOI that would lead to a lease,” the mayor said. “We would carry the deck on our insurance…any damage that was caused, during the time that the city's got it, would be our responsibility.”

Why it matters: the arrangement would expand downtown parking availability without the city building new spaces, and it forms part of a longer-running effort to reach a parking agreement with Dawson, the mayor said. He told the committee he expected a signed LOI to be delivered soon and that, after attorneys finalize lease terms, he would put an item on the council agenda seeking authorization to execute the lease.

Committee members asked about timing and signage. The mayor said the lease might go through committee referral depending on how quickly terms are drafted. Council members and staff discussed signage plans to make public versus Dawson-controlled hours clear and suggested a publicity effort to notify drivers when the arrangement starts. The mayor said he and City staff would work with Dawson on the final language and signage.

No formal committee vote on the LOI was taken on June 16; the mayor said he would return to the council with a proposed lease authorization once attorneys complete terms.