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Letter to the editor

City's changing character plays out in parking

Beach Boulevard spaces were enough for a store. Then a fancy restaurant moved in.

By NICK JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
Published August 22, 2007

What started out as a spat over a couple of parking spots in downtown Gulfport quickly grew into a more philosophical debate over the future social climate of the town.

Now the City Council is addressing the issue as a matter of fair access for businesses and their customers.

The City Council was scheduled to meet Tuesday to approve a resolution that would provide for two parking spaces with a 15-minute limit on each block of Beach Boulevard between 28th Avenue S and Essex Avenue.

The resolution is the result of an argument that started when LaFogata, a fancy Brazilian steak house, opened on a strip of road that wasn't designed to accommodate the large crowds that a hip new restaurant can draw.

Until recently the unregulated public parking that lines each side of Beach Boulevard was more than enough for customers of neighboring businesses like TLC Food Mart.

But when LaFogata patrons started monopolizing the parking spaces every weekend, Taso Papargiriou who runs the convenience store, said enough is enough.

"People, when they come, they want to see an open spot so they can come in and do their shopping," Papargiriou said. "I mean you have a 200-person restaurant, they all come in at once, and that's it - they shut you down."

Papargiriou said he has been losing thousands of dollars every weekend when his customers are unable to find a parking spot near his store.

He started a petition to try and reclaim some of the parking spaces and managed to collect more than 500 signatures, primarily from his customers.

Many of them seemed to think it was more a matter of principle than parking - a fancy restaurant where a couple could easily run up a bill exceeding $100 blocking access to a store that locals rely on for everyday needs.

It came to symbolize the growing pains the community is experiencing as eclectic art galleries and local shops characteristic of Gulfport's waterfront district give way to more upscale restaurants and businesses that cater to tourists.

Charles Brasse, a regular customer at the TLC Food Mart who never has been to LaFogata, signed the petition.

"I wanted to help my friend with his store; I mean these people are ruthless," Brasse said, adding that LaFogata's owner was out of touch with the community.

LaFogata owner Hans Gery Klenke originally planned to valet park his customers at the nearby Gulfport library, but many of his patrons were happy to park in the spaces along the boulevard.

Mayor Michael Yakes said the new limited parking spaces would help quell the argument and help provide fair access for businesses with similar needs along Beach Boulevard.

"If you really look at it in a fair light, convenience is what that store is about, and people really look at it like a drive-through," Yakes said. "We need to cooperate, that's the bottom line. Let's be fair with what we've got."

He and the council decided that any new short-term parking limits should benefit the entire district, not just one business, so the resolution provides for two per block throughout the area.

The resolution had not been approved at press time, and Klenke could not be reached for comment.

Nick Johnson can be reached at nickjohnson@sptimes.com or 893-8361.

[Last modified August 21, 2007, 20:21:00]