Longview Farm Parking Study To Start in May

The Ad Hoc Committee decided Tuesday night that it will conduct an official study of the park's parking issue before it makes any decision on what should be done, if anything, to the current parking situation.

The committee was appointed by Mayor Jon Dalton and includes the following members:

• Former Town and Country Mayor and St. Louis County Councilman Skip Mange
• Chairman of Parks and Trails Alderwoman Lynn Wright 
• Alderman Fred Meyland-Smith
• Resident Henry Vogt who lives adjacent to the park
• Resident and police commission member Carolynne Huether 

Members are to study the parking situation at Longview Farm Park and make a recommendation to the Town and Country Board of Aldermen on whether the parking lot should be expanded and if so, how much more parking should be made available.

The committee has previously discussed options and then presented those options to residents who voiced their opinions at an April 14 public forum.

Tuesday night, the committee decided it will conduct an official parking study before making any recommendation to the board of aldermen on how to handle the parking situation. Mange, who leads the committee meetings, said the members need to determine if there is a parking problem prior to making any official recommendation.

"The only way to determine if there is a problem is to do some scientifically based count," Mange said. "The only way to do that accurately is by using this system. Right now, we really don't know. And then we can take that data and determine if we do something with it." 

The study will take place and cars at the park will be counted from mid-May through September. Town and Country Public Works Director Craig Wilde will compile the data to be reviewed periodically by the committee throughout the study.

This decision did not come without disagreement and debate.

Henry Vogt lives adjacent to the park and spoke out against conducting this study, referencing the recent public forum.

"The written and public comments were 'Leave the park alone.'  So I think we are not listening to what the hearing was for. This was the best gauge for what residents want," Vogt said to fellow committee members. "People told us they don't care. They want the park to remain how it was promised to them, a passive park."

"I don't think anybody is trying to change the park from a passive park," Wright said. She said most of the residents who spoke out against the change were people who live immediately around the park. 

"There are 10,000 other people in the city," Mange said. The committee has to take that into consideration when making a recommendation on the possible expansion. 

However, Vogt pointed out those residents have not expressed an interest in the project.

"Now we're concerned about all the residents who don't come to the meetings?" Vogt asked.

Despite his protests, committee members agreed to disagree and most supported the study.

"There seems to be a need for additional parking. I don't think the park should be prohibited, but I still think it should be passive.  I'm willing to spend the time to go through a study to determine if we have a parking problem," Fred Meyland-Smith said. However, he also cautioned against consistently using the term "passive," because it sounds exclusionary. 

"I take exception to people saying only Town and Country people should use this park. What does that mean?" Meyland-Smith asked. He said he doesn't want visiting family members unable to park at Longview because they don't live in Town and Country. "Given its sensitivity and critical nature, I think a comprehensive study is a good idea."

Lynn Wright supports moving forward with the parking study, but she said safety is the main reason she backs the study. 

"I think we need to establish whether there is a safety issue going on with children, too many cars and people parking illegally," Wright said. "I think it's unsafe to have two entrances and two exits. It would have a much better traffic flow pattern if we had one of each."

The committee ultimately decided it will move forward with the study and will notify the board of aldermen it is doing so. Members will review those results before making any recommendation. There is no consultant being used for the traffic study. Mange said the necessary equipment and computer software is being purchased by the Department of Public Works and will be used for this and future city traffic studies. The cost for the equipment and software is $7,025, which will be funded by the city's road fund.  

In an effort to reduce congestion at the park, the committee will recommend to the board that no children water-play structures or an amphitheater are ever added to the park and all future additions to the park must take safety, parking, water flow and greenspace into consideration.

The committee did not set a date for its next meeting. Members will wait for parking data information to determine a date.

READ PREVIOUS STORIES: