The City of Tomball has identified three potential lots in the city’s downtown section as possible locations for a proposed parking expansion and is now working towards acquiring the land.

The three lots are located at the corner of Commerce and Walnut, along North Elm and on Market Street behind the Harris County Tax Office. An initial analysis of the sites shows they could hold parking spaces for up to 59 cars. However, City Engineer Mark McClure said that number is a rough estimate and could vary once more detailed engineering is completed.

City Manager George Shackelford said the city is also considering a few other potential locations, as well.

The city is also looking to utilize property that it owns south of the Depot for additional parking, but McClure explained that should the city move forward with a plan for that site, walkways and street improvements would need to be completed at an additional cost of an estimated $240,000.

Two of the three lots, those located on Market and Commerce Streets, are owned by Rodney Hutson, who, according to the Harris County Appraisal District, owns more than 20 parcels of land in and around the downtown Tomball area. Hutson approached the Tomball City Council last summer and suggested the city consider several of his lots for the proposed parking lot expansion.

The site located along Elm Street is owned by the city and would therefore not incur any land acquisition costs.

In a recent interview with the Tribune, Hutson said he was willing to have discussions with the city about the city either purchasing or leasing his properties for parking. However, up until at least Monday of last week, the city had not had any formal discussions with Hutson.

Hutson wrote a letter to the city and council in which he proposed long-term leases for the sites, but the city has been moving forward with the project with the intent to purchase the land. However, last week council instructed city staff to finally discuss his proposal.

“We can’t reasonably make a decision until someone has a conversation with Dr. Hutson,” council member Preston Dodson said.

Council member David Quinn also asked city staff to consider other locations than the ones originally proposed to council.

The City has budgeted $555,000 for a capital improvements project that includes acquiring land for and constructing downtown parking spaces.

The city’s engineering department estimated that land acquisition and construction costs for the three sites would total approximately $446,000.

The budgeting for parking spaces is the first formal action the city has taken in following the FM 2920 Access Management Plan and Livable Centers study.

In 2008, the city adopted the Access Management Study, which was conducted by the city, the Houston-Galveston Area Council, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), as well as several other local agencies. The study focuses on a 32-mile stretch of highway generally between I-45 and US 290.

The study proposes that in order to improve mobility and cut down on the number of accidents in the downtown corridor, the on-street parking on Main Street be removed, a “raised median with pedestrian refuge” be constructed and “channelized left turn lanes at selected locations” be provided.

In addition, in recent years TxDOT has discussed a proposal that would eliminate the on-street parking and include a turn lane along Main Street. Council members Derek Townsend and Dodson were weary of a city-initiated plan that included the removal of the on-street parking.

Townsend is concerned businesses along Main Street could take a financial hit, particularly on Wednesdays and Thursdays when the city’s municipal court is in session and the parking lots around city hall are often congested.

However, McClure assured council that any plan that called for the removal of parking spaces was initiated by TxDOT and not the city.

“We’re not proposing removing the parking,” McClure said.

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