Raleigh panel rejects plan for ads on parking decks

RALEIGH -- The walls of downtowns city-owned parking decks will remain unadorned by commercial displays, a City Council committee ruled last week.

The law and public safety panel rejected a plan to sell advertising space inside seven city decks, saying the concept was poorly devised and wouldnt generate enough money to justify the work.

The Downtown Raleigh Alliance had crafted the proposal at the request of the city and projected that it could generate about $25,000 each year to help close a budget gap in the downtown parking fund.

Committee members raised concerns about the potential for maintenance and vandalism. And they said the proposed displays, which would be pasted directly onto the walls using a stick-on material, could end up looking tacky. This seems like a lot of time and trouble for $25,000, said Councilwoman Mary-Ann Baldwin. If I thought we were going to make $100,000 or $200,000, Id say OK.

The money would go toward cleaning the decks and removing graffiti, bringing a new source of revenue to ease pressure on the general fund, which pays for parks, police and firefighters.

It is lamentable, but understandable, said David Diaz, head of the Downtown Raleigh Alliance, wrote in an email. Lamentable I think because the revenue would have been used to clean the garages which get a lot of use on the weekends. Understandable I think because the concerns expressed over the aesthetics of the advertising are important values in our community; the council was reflecting that value in its vote.

Councilman John Odom, who has criticized the citys signage rules as too restrictive, took a different tack this time. He said the proposal was structured to attract national companies instead of locally owned businesses. Im for the local, not any of the others, he said.

The citys parking fund faces a $2 million shortfall, and the problem is only going to get worse, according to city projections, as the deficit rises to $3.7 million and $4.6 million in each of the next two budget years. The city must transfer money from the general fund to plug the gap.

Raleigh officials blame the shortfall on the soft economy, saying decks built in anticipation of future development now suffer from spotty use. Our parking fund is pretty stressed right now, said assistant city manager Dan Howe. We have been working diligently to come up with creative, outside-the-box revenue sources. Every $25,000 really helps.

Dash said the city has no plans to bring back the proposal in a different format. He said advertising in city decks is now a dead deal.

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Raleigh panel rejects plan for ads on parking decks