Turns out Winston-Salem’s downtown stadium project already has parking issues. I can’t help but see the irony, considering the fact that the project was pitc hed to taxpayers as part of the utopian vision where everyone can walk to do just about anything. Note the comparison to Greensboro’s First Horizon Park, which has practically no onsite parking but still contnues to rack up huge attendance figures.
The Journal editorializes in yesterday’s edition:
Such walking isn’t bad at all when it’s through vibrant areas, ones with restaurants or fast-food stands. In Winston-Salem, those who park on Spruce Street would find several good restaurants at the start of their walk, near the intersection with Fourth Street.
But much of the area closer to the ballpark on the western side of downtown isn’t vibrant yet; achieving that vibrancy is one big reason for putting the ballpark there.
I’d say pretty much all of the area on the western side of downtown isn’t vibrant yet. Nor is the area around First Horizon Park. So parking will be an issue at Winston-Salem’s new stadium for quite some time, the way I see it.
