Macon Magazine

88 maconmagazine.com | April/May 2025 "My ideal vision for downtown is that we can accommodate the needs of different people and create systems that work for everyone" ABOVE Peth stands in front of the Mulberry Street parking deck, managed by ParkMacon. A multistory mural of a great blue heron was painted by The Obanoth on the side. ABOVE RIGHT Plans for the D.T. Walton parking deck and lofts, now under construction. "It makes the work feel even more impactful than it otherwise would," she says. "I was interested in working as a city planner and working in urban development because the built environment shapes so much about our quality of life. It shapes who can access what– how easy it is to access resources like school, healthy food, and healthcare." Contributing toward the dignity, safety, and well- being of residents in Macon is Peth's driving force, especially in her work. "I see the built environment as the most effective way to improve people's quality of life. I think it's really powerful." M E T E R I N G O U T G R O W T H Since parking is a large portion of the new D.T. Walton development, Peth and the UDA will oversee a good amount of the day-to-day inner workings once the project is completed and in use. Like most cities, parking in Macon requires payment. Peth says that historically, the reason that paid parking was brought back into downtown was to increase the turnover rates. "If you think about people who are downtown the most frequently and for the longest amounts of time at once, it's going to be residents, employees, and business owners," she says. Since those groups of people were holding spots for most of the day, there were less spaces for downtown visitors, consumers, and stakeholders. "When downtown really started to pick up momentum and develop, it became apparent that the lack of turnover was hindering downtown's growth." There are approximately 1,200 on-street parking spaces in Downtown Macon, but there are about 6,000-8,000 people downtown at any given time, according to the UDA. Without forcing turnover through metered time, there would be no way to allocate that scarce resource. If visitors can't find a space easily because residents and employees take up all of the parking, they won't be able to conduct errands, go for a night out, or complete business downtown. "Our parking program is so important is because it balances everyone's needs," noted Peth. "Unfortunately, if everyone did exactly what was most convenient for them all the time, it would be very detrimental to the health of downtown." Peth explained that without the meters, residents might be parked in the same spot for 48 hours, or a business owner for up to 12 hours. The current system tries to incentivize those with long-term parking needs to choose off-street options and monthly permits, and the D.T. Walton project will provide a brand-new parking deck with more of those spaces. Now that turnover rates are higher, people who are visiting restaurants or shopping downtown have a place to park. But where does all that money go? Whether the money comes from direct change or credit card payments at the meter or on the ParkMobile app, the proceeds go directly back into improving safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and those who use alternative modes of transportation. Even when parking citations are paid, those funds also go back into improving downtown. While turnover rates are high, locals and visitors alike still notice a lack of parking, but the D.T. Walton

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