Design for River District parking lot advances; staff proposes tourism-capital funding option

City staff presented a schematic for a River District parking lot behind the Bank of Tuscaloosa that would provide 121 parking spaces plus three bus spaces intended to serve the amphitheater and Saban Center. Staff warned that the site is challenging — bridge abutments, columns and steep topography constrain layout — and noted ALDOT typically uses five-year lease agreements for property in that corridor, which could affect long-term management.

Design-level costs were discussed but not finalized: staff mentioned a per-space construction metric discussed in internal briefings (approximately $23,000 per space) and framed the current request as largely design funding with construction to follow. Staff said ALDOT generally does not encourage pay-parking on leased right-of-way and that tourism capital (lodging-tax) could be used as the primary funding source: staff proposed an internal loan to pay construction costs and to repay that loan with lodging-tax revenue.

Why it matters: downtown businesses and the amphitheater would gain event parking and employee parking capacity, while ALDOT lease terms and site constraints will affect design and long-term operations. Staff asked the committee to approve design and to consider a funding recommendation in coming sessions.

Next steps: if the council approves design and funding direction, staff said the project would need to be under construction by a January start date in the following year to meet scheduling goals; staff will return with a more detailed cost estimate and recommended funding ordinance.