The city of Lula soon will have more parking options downtown.
At a Special Called Meeting on Monday, Oct. 4, Lula City Council members approved the purchase of a piece of property at the corner of Athens Street and Ga. Highway 51 with the intention of adding downtown parking and possibly other amenities.
The asking price for the property was $116,000, but the mayor and council members were able to negotiate a purchase price of $46,000 with AmeriGas Propane, LLC.
"It had been previously used as a propane transfer yard and they stored propane tanks for home use there," said Mayor Jim Grier in a phone interview with AccessWDUN. "And, back prior to the mid-60s it was the location of the Southern Railway Lula Depot."
Grier said the extra parking will certainly help downtown businesses, but it will also benefit the Community Center Depot facility.
"Since we renovated that, it's been utilized in a number of different ways for parties and other types of events and parking is always a challenge," Grier said.
Money for the purchase will come from SPLOST funds, according to a statement from the city. Officials have 60 days to complete an inspection of the property prior to closing on the purchase. Once that happens, then the city will begin work on improvements to the property.
