What would downtown Knoxville be without free parking on nights and weekends? We debate it

The possibility of downtown Knoxville losing free parking is alarming. But, for now, you can take a deep breath.

We're still awaiting the results of a city-initiated study taking a comprehensive look at what downtown parking should look like in the future. That includes everything from reevaluating event parking policies to considering new parking technology.

But certainly, those conducting the study will look at whether keeping free parking on nights and weekends is a viable option moving forward, as cities across the country regularly charge people to park in public garages.

This specific parking issue has captivated Knoxville, especially local employers, after a survey from some business owners asking about the pros and cons of free parking made the rounds on social media Feb. 29.

The survey − which resulted in "several thousand" responses as of March 6, according to its organizer − surfaced some stress and concern that the city's study could do away with free parking (even though the recent survey was community driven).

On this week's episode of "The Scruffy Stuff," an award-winning Knox News podcast covering the hottest downtown topics, journalists Ryan Wilusz and Brianna Paciorka discuss what paid parking could look like in downtown Knoxville and what must be considered if and when the city decides to flip the switch.

Read the condensed conversation or listen to the episode in its entirety through the podcast player below.

Want to keep up with "The Scruffy Stuff"? Episodes of the award-winning podcast come out each Tuesday and are free on Apple, Spotify and other streaming platforms.

Cities beyond Knoxville have paid parking. Would it work here?

Ryan: Now that downtown has grown, we can talk about whether (free parking) is something that should continue. So, let's imagine that world: no free parking on nights and weekends. Brianna, what does that world look like to you?

Brianna: I am not originally from Knoxville, and one of the first things that I noticed when I moved here was the fact that there's so much free parking downtown and how I just couldn't believe that that was a thing because I moved here from a city that did charge for parking. So, it would be really strange ... and it would be kind of sad to see it go.

But also at the same time, for someone like me who has lived in other places where you had to pay for parking downtown, it would just kind of be like, "OK, now we're just doing what everyone else does."

Ryan: And for people like me − people who go downtown often − would paying for parking keep me from going out and supporting local businesses on a Friday or Saturday night? No. Would it discourage me if I wanted to go downtown to get a quick bite to eat? Maybe I want to grab some to-go food and maybe just pop in a shop real quick. I don't think I would want to pay for parking for something that's just going to take me a brief amount of time.

A night out, you build it into your costs. It's not a big deal. A quick one-stop, two-stop trip downtown, I could see a world where people wouldn't want to pay for that, especially when there are so many neighborhoods (with free parking) that are so close to downtown.

Could validated and tiered parking work in downtown Knoxville?

Brianna: A lot of cities do, in some parking garages, validate parking. You go to a restaurant or you go to a shop and you spend money, and you can get your parking validated for an hour or two hours where you don't have to pay for it.

Ryan: Obviously, there has to be a plan put together if this were to ever happen. Perhaps, part of that plan is tiered parking. Certainly, paying to park at Market Square Garage is more valuable than paying to park at Dwight Kessel. You're in the center of the action.

Don't come to downtown Knoxville often? There's plenty of parking

Ryan: There are a lot of people who already complain about parking in downtown Knoxville, saying it's hard to get down here, whatever. Those are the people who are only coming downtown for a show. Those are the people that aren't used to making downtown a destination throughout their everyday life.

In that case, if you're going out and you're spending money and you're only coming down once in a blue moon, I don't think it would make that big of a difference for those people either who are already complaining about parking to pay $5. If you're coming downtown and spending a lot of money, that's just kind of a drop in the bucket.

Brianna: If you just saw me roll my eyes so hard right now − there's parking available. You might just have to walk an extra five minutes. Downtown is not very large. It's maybe a mile across the whole downtown. You can walk if you're able-bodied.

Ryan: I think a big part of what needs to happen one way or another, especially with the Old City stadium coming soon, is just making sure the city and stakeholders are educating their patrons about where to park and how to park. Because you don't see much of that. You really have to seek that out on your own.

You're almost guaranteed a parking spot, but education is key

Ryan: I want to talk about Sevier Avenue because I mentioned that if you had to pay for parking downtown, maybe you would go to Sevier Avenue instead if you just want a single thing. But there is one thing about downtown parking that's better than Sevier Avenue, and that is you are guaranteed a spot.

Yes, Sevier Avenue, you don't have to pay to park, but it's hard to find a spot to park. But I have noticed that businesses over there have done a really good job any time that they suspect it's going to be a busy night posting maps on their social media pages and highlighting where you can park, where you can't park. There needs to be more of that.

How would downtown Knoxville businesses cope with paid parking?

Ryan: If you open a business in downtown, you understand that it's going to come with its barriers. And so, foot traffic is certainly a part of people's decision to open up in a downtown. That foot traffic is growing. Foot traffic is now something that is actually being tracked by Visit Knoxville using AI. And more people are living downtown. But the business owners area also concerned about their employees.

Brianna: I think for your general office worker, I would assume that most of those people probably already pay for monthly parking. But yeah, if I was going to work as a server at a restaurant or something, I probably would be a little bit more hesitant to work at a restaurant.

But then also think about it: For home football games, a lot of these garages charge a lot of money to park on those Saturdays. You're talking about $25 or more at some of them. So, it's not a new idea that you might have to pay for parking on Saturdays when you work downtown on game days. I would wonder what businesses do on those days.

Ryan: I agree with you. I think maybe State Street Garage is free during those UT games. But again, thinking about State Street Garage, that is a solution in my head. That's what I did whenever I was going to a football game and I didn't want to pay to park. I found the place where I didn't have to pay to park.

And certainly, it's not like once this is to happen − or if it ever happens − that it would be something where you can't even get close to downtown (without having to pay). There will always be options. It just depends how much you're willing to educate yourself and how much you're willing to sacrifice a little bit of comfort.

Ryan Wilusz is a downtown growth and development reporter. Phone 865-317-5138. Email ryan.wilusz@knoxnews.com. Instagram @knoxscruff. 

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Downtown Knoxville free parking rules up for debate