Cedar Falls council approves demolition and temporary parking at former U.S. Bank site; directs staff on citations and permit proposals

The Cedar Falls City Council Committee of the Whole on May 19 approved demolition and temporary paving of the recently acquired U.S. Bank property, asked staff to develop a permanent surface-lot plan and directed staff to prepare proposals on raising parking citations and permit rates.

The committee voted to proceed with asbestos testing, abatement and putting a temporary paved lot in place this year; staff said demolition would likely follow major summer events with temporary parking available by September. Marcy, a city staff presenter, summarized the options for the council and said, “I’m not looking for any action on this. At this point. We’ll get to that in the second parking discussion.”

Why it matters: city staff and a consultant determined downtown parking occupancy frequently approaches consultant thresholds that signal a need for more supply. The committee’s decisions set in motion short-term actions to add vehicle capacity while preserving council input on a longer-term choice between a surface lot and a parking structure that would carry much larger capital costs.

What council decided and why - U.S. Bank site: The council approved moving forward with asbestos testing, demolition planning and temporary paving of the former U.S. Bank site, with a more finished surface-lot design to follow next year. Staff estimated a temporary conversion would add roughly 60–65 public spaces and said a surface lot was estimated at about $900,000. A multi-level parking structure was presented as an alternative, estimated to yield about 335 spaces at a total cost the presentation listed in a range described to council as roughly $14,000,000–$25,000,000 (about $40,000–$70,000 per space), figures staff attributed to the consultant’s estimate. - Citations and permits: The committee approved immediate implementation of an increased parking citation rate (per the staff proposal discussed) and asked staff to return with an incremental permit-rate plan plus a one-time (full) increase scenario for comparison. Staff had proposed raising monthly municipal lot permits to $70 and increasing basic citations from $10 to $25 with a $5 late fee if unpaid after 30 days; council directed staff to model incremental permit increases and to present the revenue and operational impacts of both incremental and one-step approaches. - Paid parking system: Council directed staff to return with a more detailed paid-parking proposal for council and public review rather than adopting a paid system immediately. The committee agreed to bring back a public presentation (no action expected at that meeting) in June to inform discussion; staff also will continue quarterly occupancy counts and add the temporary lot’s spaces to future counts.

Discussion highlights Council members and downtown business representatives emphasized balancing revenue needs with impacts on merchants and employees. Several councilors, including Ganfield and Cruz, favored waiting to see how the temporary lot changes demand before committing to a costly parking structure; others urged advancing a paid-parking proposal to address a projected operating deficit in the parking fund.

Business and community comments urged incremental implementation and stronger communication with downtown employers about where staff should park. A downtown business owner, Troy Davis, said rising operating costs make permit and citation increases difficult for small businesses and asked the council to consider mitigation for employees and service staff.

Implementation details and timeline Staff said demolition and temporary paving would be scheduled after large summer events (Sturgis and RAGBRAI) and envisioned temporary parking in use by September, with longer-term design work for a permanent lot to follow. Staff also told the committee that if permit and citation increases were not adopted, parking enforcement costs would start coming from the general fund.

What’s next - Staff will (a) begin asbestos testing and procurement steps for demo of the U.S. Bank building, (b) prepare costs and an implementation timeline for a temporary paved lot and a more finished permanent surface-lot design, and (c) provide detailed revenue models showing incremental permit increases and a one-step permit scenario along with the effect of higher citation fines.

Ending Council members said they want to protect downtown businesses while addressing the parking fund shortfall and recognized the U.S. Bank lot conversion as a near-term measure to expand supply. The committee scheduled a public presentation on paid-parking options for a June meeting for additional discussion and community feedback.