\u00a0<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a two-story lot at First Street and Brown Avenue in Old Town. Folks call it \u201cThe Parking Corral.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been there a while \u2013 going on 23 years.<\/p>\n
City Hall is just a quarter mile away, so Scottsdale residents aiming to drop off their ballots might park here.<\/p>\n
Then again, maybe not: as the signs say, \u201cclosed for construction.\u201d<\/p>\n
That \u2013 even more than the punishing sun that shrinks business \u2013 has a few nearby restaurants steaming mad.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all hate it,\u201d grimaced Bailey Kurth, a Karsen\u2019s waitress, as sets a couple outdoor tables across First Street from the closed lot.<\/p>\n
Like others, she just doesn\u2019t get it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve lived in the area for 20 years and never not been able to find parking,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Her boss, Karsen\u2019s owner Jacob Finley, says the Parking Corral closure is crushing business at Karsen\u2019s and its neighboring restaurants.<\/p>\n
\u201cRehab (Burger Therapy) has been killed, we’ve been killed, the Mission\u2019s been killed,\u201d Finley said.<\/p>\n
He said Karsen\u2019s sales have been up every year for the last five \u2013 until June 29, when the lot closed for construction.<\/p>\n
His sales plunged 22% the first two weeks of July compared to last year, Finley said.<\/p>\n
Exact same story a block away at Rehab Burger Therapy, co-owner Denise Nelson confirms.<\/p>\n
Sales are down so much since June 29, \u201cThere\u2019s a good chance we\u2019re going to fail,\u201d a morose Nelson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt if continues this way, we will not be here next year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Does she see any long-term benefit of having a big new garage next door?<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we make it that long,\u201d she grimly answered.<\/p>\n
Brian Raab, owner of the nearby \u2013 and historic \u2013 Mission restaurant, was a vocal opponent of the garage.<\/p>\n
Ironically enough, he said at a meeting last fall he took over the then-failing Mission because construction of the Corral lot \u201ctook two-and-a-half years \u2013 and that put the original owner out of business.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the Sept. 18, 2025, meeting, Raab gave the thumbs down to two design options as \u201cugly and uglier.\u201d<\/p>\n
Post-\u2018Parkingate\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n After a year-and-a-half of debate highlighted by \u201cParkingate,\u201d construction on the bland-sounding \u201cBrown Avenue Parking Expansion\u201d project started at the end of June.<\/p>\n With the July 21 primary ticking down, some are getting their last kicks in on this political football.<\/p>\n A pro-parking Councilman Barry Graham says putting up the garage satisfies \u201cthe will of the people\u201d \u2013 the majority who voted for more Old Town parking in 2019.<\/p>\n Hogwash, shoots back Borowsky.<\/p>\n After taking office in January of 2025, she repeatedly fought against the garage. Her request for a delay and presentation of an alternate design by one of her campaign donors led to the \u201cParkingate\u201d saga: Graham and \u201cbloc\u201d council members Jan Dubauskas and Adam Kwasman told county detectives Borowsky may have violated campaign and procurement laws.<\/p>\n Though the Maricopa County Attorney\u2019s Office declined to pursue an investigation, ill feelings have been simmering since.<\/p>\n Seventeen months ago, Borowsky was the lone vote against the $12.4 million parking garage contract with Chasse Building Team.<\/p>\n Now, suggesting costs have been skyrocketing, she scoffs at the Old Town garage as a \u201cwaste of $30 million in taxpayer dollars.\u201d The mayor says Graham and a City Council majority made a \u201cnonsensical decision \u2026 expected to create the next big economic setback for Historic Old Town businesses.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve already heard from one notable business owner who is losing $1,000 per day since construction started, with another iconic restaurateur who may close their doors for good.\u201d<\/p>\n The horsewoman Borowsky took a final boot to Graham, calling the garage \u201ca handsome repayment for Mr. Graham\u2019s few backers from his 2022 campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n Graham did not respond to the insinuation.<\/p>\n Bob Pejman, an Old Town gallery owner who has been a garage booster for years, wildly disagrees with the mayor.<\/p>\n \u201cThe claim that the Old Town parking garage will harm local businesses is contrary to both the facts and common sense,\u201d Pejman said.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery council vote approving the project passed by at least a 5-2 margin, with the final July 1 vote passing 6-1, the mayor casting the lone dissenting vote.\u201d<\/p>\n Pejman argues the Civic Center expansion and new restaurants in the area demand more parking.<\/p>\n \u201cWe also lost the use of the 100 spot HonorHealth parking lot,\u201d Pejman added.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cCars aren’t disappearing anytime soon, and providing more parking makes it easier for residents and visitors to shop, dine, and support Old Town businesses.<\/p>\n Garage opinions, indeed, are flying around Old Town like bullets in a Wild West shootout.<\/p>\n A brief history<\/strong><\/p>\n With 67% in favor, voters approved a $319 million 2019 bond package for dozens of projects.<\/p>\n The 2019 bond package earmarked roughly $20 million for “Old Town parking.\u201d<\/p>\n After a very-different City Council in 2024 battled over locations, a consensus was reached for two garages: at the Parking Corral and 1 mile north in the Entertainment District.<\/p>\n After a February 2025 vote, a design contract was awarded to Chasse Construction.<\/p>\n The total budget, according to the city\u2019s website for the garage; $20.9 million.<\/p>\n Two additional levels of parking will be added with 185 parking stalls.<\/p>\n Community outreach meetings and other feedback resulted in the top level being set back from Brown Avenue, with shaded sidewalks.<\/p>\n Public art currently on-site will be preserved, and a new installation will face Second Street.<\/p>\n New parking stalls will be available in the spring of 2027. Work will continue to finish elements of the garage though the summer of 2027.<\/p>\n The farmer\u2019s market that set up shop on Saturdays at the Parking Corral is closed for the summer. When it comes back in the fall, it will have a new location adjacent to City Hall.<\/p>\n During construction, streets are open to traffic, but there will be \u201csidewalk surfing.\u201d<\/p>\n The Brown Avenue and First and Second street sidewalks adjacent to the garage are closed during construction.<\/p>\n Completion date?<\/p>\n Summer of 2027, according to the city.<\/p>\n \u201cI was expecting two years,\u201d Karsen\u2019s owner Finley said.<\/p>\n If the usual construction delays happen and it takes that long, \u201cI’ll be surprised if I\u2019m still open,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Looking in the direction of City Hall, he sneered.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis city council didn’t give two (expletives) about us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Pointing to the updated price tag in a city circular, Finley insisted, \u201cFor $21 million, they could have bought land and built a new garage.\u201d<\/p>\n But, he added, he doesn\u2019t blame Borowsky: \u201cI think she fought hard and understood what businesses would be going through.\u201d<\/p>\n Shaking his head as his gaze falls on the closed-off Parking Corral across the street, Finley said the multi-story garage will wreck the views.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll miss the sunsets,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The restaurant owner hopes he can weather the construction storm without the sun setting on Karsen\u2019s.<\/p>\n About that other one \u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n On July 2, by a unanimous \u201cconsent agenda\u201d vote, City Council awarded Willmeng Construction a $12.9 million \u201cdesign build manager\u201d contract for the Northeast Quadrant Parking Structure.<\/p>\n According to the project website, \u201ctotal project cost is estimated at $15.2 million.\u201d<\/p>\n This garage replaces an existing city lot at 7375 E. Stetson Drive, north of Sixth Avenue, east of Wells Fargo Avenue and west of Civic Center Plaza.\u00a0<\/p>\n The four-story garage will have 218 spaces.<\/p>\n On its construction schedule, Willmeng lists \u201csubstantial completion\u201d as June 25, 2027.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u00a0 There\u2019s a two-story lot at First Street and Brown Avenue in Old Town. Folks call it \u201cThe…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":944123,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5131],"tags":[5229,5643,1587,166900,171390,380171,5310,13239,39012,43184,1589,7600,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":["post-944122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-phoenix","tag-america","tag-arizona","tag-az","tag-barry-graham","tag-bob-pejman","tag-borowsky","tag-city-council","tag-city-hall","tag-garage","tag-old-town","tag-phoenix","tag-scottsdale","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116943134800309868","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/944122","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=944122"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/944122\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/944123"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=944122"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=944122"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=944122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}