Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks Parking topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Magna CRA weighs Mantle Park parking maintenance, Empress Theater lease
Summary
Board discussed whether to rescind a nominal lease that obliges the Empress Theater to maintain Mantle Park parking and landscaping after the theater said it cannot afford upkeep; members noted roughly $100,000 invested and agreed to postpone a final decision pending clarification of maintenance responsibility.
Chair Eric Barney summarized the situation at Mantle Park: the Empress Theater holds a nominal ($1) lease that requires the theater to maintain the park’s parking lot and landscaping, but the theater has not enforced its parking rights or maintained landscaping after improvements were installed. "The Empress Theater has a lease for Mantle Park, and the lease was basically a dollar," Barney said.
Board members raised two competing concerns: some argued the CRA should transfer the park to the Empress to reduce CRA maintenance obligations; others argued that because the CRA has invested about $100,000 in park improvements, the agency should continue stewardship so the park does not fall into disrepair or appear neglected. One board member summarized that "if we put $100,000 into a park, I think we need to maintain it," and urged addressing weeds and shrubs along the wall.
Members noted confusion over which agency is currently performing maintenance; staff said a contractor has been working on the site and that the county RDA had maintenance arrangements during the transfer of properties, but the CRA now technically owns the park. Board discussion also touched on public parking use and the theater's enforcement of its parking rights, with members reporting patrons at a nearby bar using the lot.
The board did not take final action and agreed to defer the item to a future meeting after staff confirms which contractor or agency holds maintenance responsibility and to let staff provide clearer options for rescinding, retaining, or transferring the lease and associated maintenance obligations.
