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Developer and restaurant reach staging, parking and delivery compromises for downtown construction
Summary
The Surnau Group agreed to operational changes and mitigation measures with Tallulah restaurant to reduce construction impacts, including paying for two nearby parking spaces for deliveries, offering use of a 35‑space lot for valet, altering lane closures and scheduling trash pickup.
City staff and the Surnau Group reported on Oct. 6 that the developer and Tallulah restaurant reached a set of operational mitigations to reduce construction impacts during a downtown project.
Staff said the project site is tightly constrained and requires temporary lane closures and a crane swing that will affect a northbound lane on Bates between the alley and Maple during daytime work. Surnau Group agreed the northbound lane would be reopened after 4 p.m. each day. To address delivery and customer access concerns for Tallulah, Surnau Group agreed to pay for two public parking spaces a block south on Bates to be used for deliveries during construction, and the developer offered free evening/weekend use of a 35‑space lot at 550 West Merrill to support a valet arrangement; Surnau and Tallulah agreed to split some valet costs. The developer also agreed not to use spaces immediately adjacent to Tallulah for construction vehicles and to coordinate construction activity to avoid blocking deliveries.
Surnau Group further offered design graphics for the construction screen wall to make the staging area visually less intrusive. Tallulah agreed to adjust its trash pickup time so haulers come before 7 a.m., avoiding conflicts during daytime lane closures. Staff said these measures were negotiated following the construction staging agreement the commission previously approved.
Commissioners discussed whether the city should resume charging for temporary use of on‑street spaces during construction, noting the city historically charged for such use but had not done so for many years. City staff said the fee schedule provides for charging for space use and that the commission could adopt a policy to charge going forward; staff offered to return with a recommendation and related fee amounts.
Why it matters: The negotiated mitigations aim to preserve business operations and pedestrian/traffic access in constrained downtown blocks during construction while allowing necessary staging for the development.
Next steps: Staff will bring a proposed policy on charging for temporary use of parking spaces to a future agenda for commission consideration.
