CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Valet parking downtown got the greenlight from Clarksville’s City Council, which passed a new ordinance setting some ground rules on Tuesday.
Mayor Joe Pitts told the council that no specific business has expressed interest in offering valet service, but the new ordinance would apply a structure for companies interested in offering it as downtown grows.
The council voted unanimously to approve it.
While the new rules affect businesses throughout Clarksville, Pitts noted it was primarily directed toward downtown.
“We just felt like there needed to be some structure for a private individual or private company to offer that service anywhere in the city but especially downtown,” Pitts said.
A new source of revenue
The ordinance imposes a series of fees on businesses who wish to add valet service, largely related to the use of public street-side parking.
Businesses will have to pay a $50 permit processing fee, then pay a minimum of $3 per day for each valet parking and/or loading space used for that purpose.
On days when valet is not being offered, businesses will be required to pay standard meter fees for any time the space is not accessible to the public, to a maximum of $15 per day.
With nine restaurants in Clarksville’s downtown district, those fees could add a significant amount of revenue for the city.