Parking Ramp On The Bagnell Dam Strip? Lake Ozark Mayor Says It's The Future

LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. — While the Lake acts as the main attraction for visitors, the historic Bagnell Dam Strip draws crowds for events and entertainment. One issue though: the parking is abysmal.

On Monday, March 11, Lake Ozark Mayor Dennis Newberry took to Facebook and asked if there would be support for public parking on the Strip.

Read his post below.

Shared Parking Solutions for the Bagnell Dam Strip are the future.

Too much demand for parking at Lake Ozark’s iconic business district has stifled existing business potential, limited expansion and prevented new business growth.

On a single undeveloped parcel just West of #Bagnelldam, a public-private partnership could increase public parking on the #bagnelldamstrip by 300 parking spaces equivalent to 30% of all existing parking.

As the City of Lake Ozark continues to encourage redevelopment we must consider the right mix of retail, office and residential uses that maximize the parking potential along the Strip. Public Parking is consequential to tourism, it should be easily accessed and plentiful.

The “Port Bagnell” building shown reflects a new building design by #Midwestcoast that would host retail, office and residential uses with a creative and simple shared parking design. Engineered to provide ingress on and off of Bagnell Dam Blvd. as well as a secondary entrance onto Valley Rd. This unique design provides a parameter circulation ramp for multiple levels of below grade parking.

The #cityoflakeozark will continue to promote smart Economic Development opportunities that strengthen existing businesses and promote new investment. Removing hurdles and providing solutions for our community and those that love to recreate at #lakeoftheozarks.

There were 184 comments on the post by Wednesday, March 13.

Most were in support of public parking, saying it was a needed upgrade for the area. George Tucker - who owns Neon Taco, Malted Monkey, Tucker's Shuckers, and a new entertainment complex on the Strip - said "Let's get goin!"

While the idea seems great, a few concerns arise from the post. It's not clear who would pay for such an undertaking, and whether or not the parking would even be free.

"The post was to get public sentiment," said Newberry. "This building is a building I had designed with the possibility of adding public parking if the city chose to participate."

As of right now, Newberry says public parking on Bagnell Dam is simply a concept. There is nothing in motion, though he continues to discuss with developers about opportunities for development on the Strip, including his property.

"I would carefully navigate the conflict of interest, but no talks to date are happening," Newberry said.