The historic Haymount neighborhood has become a hot spot to visit in America’s Can Do City, but parking can be notoriously tricky, even prompting a Fayetteville City Council ordinance in May requiring private parking lots to put up signs warning about towing.
For those who want to enjoy the heart of Haymount without losing their car, here’s CityView’s guide to free parking in the busiest areas of the district:
Where anyone can park
According to a CityView survey of 20 businesses in the core of Haymount on Hay Street, Broadfoot Avenue and Fort Bragg Road, visitors can access free parking in the following lots, regardless of where they plan to go:
- Miller’s Brew, 1401 Morganton Road. Owner Kim Molnar told CityView anyone is welcome to park in the lot after 5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, after 3 p.m. Saturday and all day Sunday.
- Highland Presbyterian Church, 111 Highland Ave. Visitors should note the church hosts services at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Sundays.
- The lot between Fleet Feet at 1221 Hay St. and Latitude 35 Bar & Grill at 1217 Hay St.
- Westdale Vintage, 1225 Fort Bragg Road. Owner Michelle Clark said when her shop opens in September, she plans to have two spaces in front of the store open to anyone.
- Street parking on Fort Bragg Road.
- The parking lot attached to Haymount Truck Stop, 100 Broadfoot Ave.
Haymount Truck Stop staff told CityView its patrons have also parked at the post office at 106 Oakridge Ave. and on the street in neighborhoods on Broadfoot and Highland avenues without issue.
Why is there so little parking?
The city’s unified development ordinance lays out minimum parking standards for all types of buildings, with standards varying depending on square footage and the building’s purpose.
According to those standards, the minimum requirements for some of the business categories found in the Haymount district are:
- One parking spot for every 300 square feet at a post office, financial services office, business services office, sales office or personal services establishment
- One parking spot for every 250 square feet at a medical clinic or pharmacy
- One parking spot for every 125 square feet, including outdoor areas, at restaurants with less than 100 seats
- One parking spot for every four seats at restaurants with 100 or more seats
- One parking spot for every 200 square feet at a “specialty eating establishment”
- One parking spot for every four seats at a theater
- Two parking spaces for each food truck spot for food truck courts with six or fewer food truck vending pads
- Six spaces for the first three food truck spots and three spaces for each additional spot for food truck courts with four to 12 food truck spots
Those requirements mean that most Haymount businesses aren’t required to have more than a couple of spots. City of Fayetteville spokesperson Brian Rick told CityView the city has not recently received complaints about lack of parking in the district but has received complaints about pedestrian safety and walkability in Haymount. The city hopes to remedy that through its pedestrian plan, Rick said.
The city doesn’t currently plan to operate a city-owned lot in the Haymount area, he said.
Councilwoman Lynne Bissette Greene, who represents the Haymount district on the Fayetteville City Council, wrote on Facebook in January that she’d met with several business owners in Haymount about parking and towing problems.
“The parking has become very contentious,” Greene wrote. “The lack of a ‘cap’ on predatory towing fees is a state issue, but I have already begun some conversations with our delegation. It will not be a quick process, but this needs to be addressed!”
Greene could not be reached for comment for this article.
Most Haymount businesses only allow their patrons to park in their lots — but if you’re unsure, check for signs. City ordinances require private lots to post signs at least 24 inches by 24 inches in size with the name and number of the towing and storage company that would tow your car. Violators of that law could be charged with a misdemeanor, the ordinance states.
Know of a parking spot we missed? Reach out to reporter Lexi Solomon at lsolomon@cityviewnc.com or 910-423-6500.
This story was made possible by contributions to CityView News Fund, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization committed to an informed democracy.
