Parking lot near water tower no longer reserved for Hotel Maytag tenants

Two parking lots were set aside for tenants of Hotel Maytag Apartments, but the one located near the water tower in downtown Newton, and is more than 1,000 feet away from the building, has not seen sufficient use. The city council on Jan. 6 voted in favor of removing the lot from Hotel Maytag’s parking space lease.

However, the northeast parking lot at 123 N. Third Ave. E. remains unchanged in the agreement and still allows spaces for apartment tenants to regularly park their vehicles. The parking lot is located directly south of the Fareway grocery store, and the designated area for tenants is the eastern half of the lot.

According to the city documents included in the Newton City Council agenda, the agreement for use of off-street, city-owned parking spaces was established back in 2018. The purpose of these parking spaces was to support the residential use of the historical building, which was being rehabilitated.

The amended parking space lease is between the City of Newton and Hotel Maytag Investors, LLC. The term of the lease is for 50 years unless terminated earlier. Hotel Maytag Investors rents the parking lot — now not including the lot at 215 S. Second Ave. W. — for $1 per year from the city.

Hotel Maytag Investors is responsible for all costs of complying with Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act and other regulations affecting the lot.

Mike Hansen, the former mayor of Newton and the new facility manager of Hotel Maytag, told council members the water tower parking lot is not needed any longer. When officials first began working with the developer for Hotel Maytag, parking was one of the issues that was of great concern.

Iowa Finance Authority, the group that provided the loan to the city (and, in turn, to the developer) to help rehabilitate Hotel Maytag, was one such entity that brought up parking as a potential problem. Hansen said the development group was also concerned about enough parking spots for tenants.

Especially those with multiple vehicles. But Hansen said he is not finding that to be the case. There also seems to be adequate parking when there are events in the ballroom. Hansen asked council members to relinquish the water tower parking lot back to the City of Newton.