Residents welcome new restaurant, divided on parking

A 120-seat restaurant is being proposed for the former Cowford Traders location in the Shoppes of Avondale. The applicant is asking for an exception to provide zero parking spaces. Currently, city ordinances require restaurants with more than 100 seats to provide additional parking for clientele.

Do you think there are too many restaurants in Avondale for the amount of parking in its business district? Do the restaurants negatively affect other businesses or do they complement them? Are there any solutions you can suggest to solve the parking situation in Avondale?


Amanda Braden, AvondaleAmanda Braden, Avondale

I think another restaurant would be a fine addition. I see no problem with parking, but I live close enough to be able to walk here. The restaurants complement the businesses. A parking garage would not complement the area. I’m not sure what the solution is.


Ann Holt, Avondale Ann Holt, Avondale

Parking is everyone’s problem, and the business association needs to get involved to help solve the problem.


Billy Knox, AvondaleBilly Knox, Avondale

There’s plenty of parking and having the restaurants here is great for business. That’s how we discovered this area. We were looking for places to eat and discovered the other shops. I think having another restaurant would be great. Clearly there’s no space to build parking lots. We need to convince people to walk further, and there needs to be more biking.


Dave and Shannon Mead, AvondaleDave and Shannon Mead, Avondale

We could always use more restaurants, but we need more parking. What we need is a steakhouse down here. The restaurants complement the businesses. As far as additional parking goes, in order to add parking lots you would need to buy people’s houses and tear them down and (that’s not a good idea because) the beauty of Avondale is the houses.  Maybe it would be okay if you could build a small parking garage, one to fit no more than 100 cars. You would attract more people if you had more parking.


Jason Thomas, AvondaleJason Thomas, Avondale

Yes, there are too many restaurants. It’s not a good idea (for a new restaurant to come in), especially if it has 120 seats. I think it will have a negative impact on the other businesses because everybody else is vying for parking here. You can’t solve the parking problem, because you can’t tear down something to build up a garage. Maybe it would help if they did bike valet. I think they should encourage more bike traffic. That would certainly help to alleviate some parking issues.


Jean Howell, AvondaleJean Howell, Avondale

No, I don’t think there are too many restaurants. I think the parking will be fine. A lot of people walk to the shops and restaurants and that helps as well. I think the restaurants and the businesses complement each other. I don’t think there is a solution to the parking problem. You can’t tear down the houses, and I certainly wouldn’t want to see a parking garage built here.


Julie Morris, Murray HillJulie Morris, Murray Hill

There are not too many restaurants here. The problem is they didn’t plan ahead when all these spaces were originally developed. At that time there were lots of businesses and less restaurants. I think they can co-exist with each other if they can find a plan for parking. It’s a huge imposition on the neighborhood if a restaurant comes in without a parking plan. They should be required to bring some plan to the table. Maybe the businesses could get together and buy some adjacent lots and make a public parking area. If the businesses got together, perhaps they could absorb (the cost of) it, or they could get a (parking) lot further out and shuttle the people back and forth. That would be an amiable solution because they would all benefit from the increased traffic.


Marc Retzlaft, DowntownMarc Retzlaft, Downtown

There are never too many restaurants. Restaurants are a business like any other, and they complement the other businesses here. Businesses are here to do business, and I think the community can find a solution. We live in a market-based society, and the market will support what it can support. You shouldn’t be able to pick which businesses can come in then not allow others due to the parking. New businesses are necessary to the growth of the area. (As for parking), ultimately the responsibility rests on the individual patrons to not be jerks and park responsibly. There is too much giving up of personal responsibility in this world.


Rick Heagley, Confederate PointRick Heagley, Confederate Point

Yes, there are too many restaurants for the parking, but the restaurants help the businesses by bringing other people down here so they can eat and then they see what other shops are around here. They need to build a parking garage in Avondale, but I don’t know where they can strategically put one in this area.


By Marcia Hodgson
Resident Community News

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