Controversy surrounds plan turning parking spots into patios

by MORGAN CHESKY / KVUE News and photojournalist ROBERT MCMURREY

kvue.com

Posted on March 28, 2012 at 6:28 PM

Updated today at 6:41 PM

AUSTIN -- In downtown Austin, everyone's always heading somewhere. For Trisha Raglin, it was a show she was alreadyfive minutes late to.

"I like the parking meters now," smiled Raglin. "They're much easier to use." Not as easy is finding a place to park. The spot Raglin was lucky to find on Congress won't be around much longer. It's one of the two parking places in a pilot program with the City of Austin and Royal Blue Grocery.

"As the downtown area becomes more and more dense, parking is going to really dry up," said Royal Blue co-owner Craig Staley.The reality droveStaley to the City with a plan -- turn parking in front of the grocery into patio dining.

San Franciscois on the front edge ofthe idea. Decks and plants transform the space, making more room for patrons.

"We've got to find some other ways to get people in and out of the downtown area," explained Staley. "That's bikes, and it's walking, and it's mass transit, and all those other options." Advocates say by converting parking spots into patio space, it would bring much more foot traffic into downtown, but that's not the traffic local businesses are worried about.

"I just have to sit and watch them take my two parking places away," said Bill Koen.

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Controversy surrounds plan turning parking spots into patios