Dougherty Arts Center
The Problem Is the Backyard's Back Yard
RECEIVED Mon., April 16, 2007
Dear Editor,
The ZZ Top show on Saturday night showed once again what's wrong with the Backyard – the Backyard's back yard.
Parking for this event was ridiculous, one hour to get to a spot "over the river and through the woods" after you snake through a wide-open parking lot of big-box retailers like Best Buy, Office Depot, etc.
The owners of this mall at Bee Cave right behind the Backyard make it painfully obvious that they do not wish to help the Backyard with parking overflow. As one parking-lot attendant put it, “They are more interested in dealing with tow-truck operators to tow away concertgoers than setting up paid parking on their lots." They have an opportunity to take some of that traffic into the Backyard and charge a fee and use sectioned-off lots so as not to disrupt the parking for regular customers. This can be worked out with the Backyard, which has the right to coexist just for simply being there long before this mall ruined the view behind them. The Backyard was there before this entity just mowed down trees and put this mall up in the name of tax revenue. I look at this property as an eyesore in the Hill Country along with the other mall going up across the street. I will try my best never to shop at these establishments and urge all others who saw their arrogance regarding parking firsthand the other night to do the same.
The ZZ Top show on Saturday night showed once again what's wrong with the Backyard – the Backyard's back yard.
Parking for this event was ridiculous, one hour to get to a spot "over the river and through the woods" after you snake through a wide-open parking lot of big-box retailers like Best Buy, Office Depot, etc.
The owners of this mall at Bee Cave right behind the Backyard make it painfully obvious that they do not wish to help the Backyard with parking overflow. As one parking-lot attendant put it, “They are more interested in dealing with tow-truck operators to tow away concertgoers than setting up paid parking on their lots." They have an opportunity to take some of that traffic into the Backyard and charge a fee and use sectioned-off lots so as not to disrupt the parking for regular customers. This can be worked out with the Backyard, which has the right to coexist just for simply being there long before this mall ruined the view behind them. The Backyard was there before this entity just mowed down trees and put this mall up in the name of tax revenue. I look at this property as an eyesore in the Hill Country along with the other mall going up across the street. I will try my best never to shop at these establishments and urge all others who saw their arrogance regarding parking firsthand the other night to do the same.
Steven Murdoch
