The Norwalk City Council and the Norwalk Community Facilities Financing Authority on a joint vote approved an amended and restated parking agreement that clarifies parking rights at the Civic Center garage and supports the planned mixed-use Walk project.

Alex Hamilton, city staff presenting the item, summarized that the 1995 ground lease and subsequent subleases governing the Civic Center multilevel parking structure require updating so the city, the NCFFA, the theater developer and AMC and Prime Store (developer of The Walk) have clear responsibilities as the Walk project moves to lease-up.

Key provisions described in the staff report include a possible transfer of operation and maintenance (O&M) of the parking structure to Prime Store (with costs to be set by a later management agreement), and language allowing a maximum of 500 exclusive theater parking spaces during theater hours if a future parking study justifies that allocation. Hamilton said that exclusive theater parking would pause if the theater ceased operations for 90 consecutive days and would resume if operations restart.

Under the agreement the city would have access to 250 nonexclusive parking spaces during specified weekday hours (6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday–Thursday and 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday) to support city business needs. Hamilton said the amendment is necessary now so Prime Store can demonstrate parking commitments to prospective commercial tenants as it begins lease-up for the project, which envisions up to approximately 100,000 square feet of commercial space, up to 350 residential units and a new seven-level parking structure behind City Hall.

The staff report recommended that the council and NCFFA find the agreement categorically exempt from CEQA under Class 1 (existing facilities) and the common-sense exemption, and that the city manager be authorized to execute the amended agreement and related documents in a form approved by the city attorney, subject to available budget.

On roll call, agency and council members recorded ayes from Rick Ramirez, Margarita El Rios, Anna Valencia, Vice Mayor Jennifer Perez and Mayor Tony Ayala; the joint resolutions (Resolution No. 25-50 and NCFFA Resolution NCFFA-24) were adopted.