DALLAS - Troy Parker thought he hit the jackpot when he found a parking spot on Allen Street in Dallas' Uptown neighborhood, but he soon noticed the new signs posted on the popular strip.
"5 p.m. to 2 a.m. - We are right in that window, aren't we?" Parker said. "I will be looking for [the signs.]"
One said of the 2300 block of Allen made the switch last December after homeowners on the street took their concerns to the city. The section is now zoned residential parking - permit required, from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m, every day of the week.
A group of homeowners signed a petition to make the change. The city approved it after it did a survey on the street. Several streets in the neighborhood including Boll and Thomas have similar parking restrictions.
"Definitely on weekend nights, parking out here was hit or miss," said homeowner, Betsi Mettendorf. "You may get lucky. Somebody would leave and you get a spot, but for the most, pretty non-existent."
Mettendorf, who has lived in the area for several years, told News 8 the boom in business and residents has exacerbated the parking problem. Her friends and relatives were forced to park at least three blocks away in some instances.
"We do want people to come here and to park, but we live here and we need our parking too," she said.
The change has some customers wondering where they will park if they don't use valet or taxi services.
"If you can't get a parking spot, you are not going to go to these businesses obviously, and it's going to be an issue for these local business owners," said Shawn Kassoff, who was meeting friends at a nearby establishment.
The owner of the Thomas Avenue Beverage Company and other bar/restaurant owners are fighting back against the change, taking their own gripes to the city about the parking issue.
"It's disappointing. This is a retail street," said TABC owner, Russell Hayward. "I'm here because it is a retail street, and in this part of town this is the only parking we have. The residents here who want their parking are also my customers, so I'm stuck in the middle with this. So we are trying to find some kind of resolution with the city that works for everybody."
E-mail mdiaz@wfaa.com
