WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Wichita’s mayor says the implementation date of Jan. 1 for paid parking in downtown, Old Town, and Delano has been paused.
City council members, business owners, and community members met at a town hall on Monday to discuss their expectations for the policy.
The town hall conversation was somewhat heated. Nortons Brewing Company organizers tell KSN that their goal with this meeting was to facilitate a more solution-minded discussion.
“What we’ve done is put a complete pause. And getting feedback,” said Wichita Mayor Lily Wu.
People and business owners are still not happy with the proposed switch to paid parking, which led to Monday’s discussion.
“I think that we need parking for our customers to come and eat with us,” said Natasha Gandhi-Rue, chef and co-owner of The Kitchen . “If we don’t have places for them to park, to come to our locations, that is going to be a huge hindrance.”
“We want to find some solutions that don’t put the burden on the people that patronize these businesses downtown or are employed by these businesses,” said Nico Leitner-Goddard, a brewer at Nortons Brewing Company .