Bluffton business owner seeks parking solution for Old Town
As Old Town Bluffton and The Promenade have grown, parking has become more of a problem, especially during the area's peak, spring season, one business owner says.
Bluffton resident and Garden Gate Nursery owner Margie Fox said that, with only a few parking spaces in front of her business at 2 State of Mind St., Suite 101, she has lost business because of a lack of parking.
She said that last spring, she had no transactions between noon and 3 p.m. for days.
"And that is not typical," she said. "That's my peak time. During season, I can have 20 transactions."
She said her busiest months are March through June.
"That's my Christmas," Fox said. "That's my bread and butter. If my customers can't get in and out, then I'm in trouble. And that's my greatest fear."
There are parking spaces near Fox's nursery, but they are usually taken by restaurant employees by 10:30 a.m., she said, and even the spaces directly in front of her building are often in use for three hours at a time by people who go to lunch and then go shopping.
"It's not the busy season so it's not so bad right now, but when things get busy again in the spring, by 10 a.m., this end of the lot is full," she said. "And the cars sit there all day long."
Bluffton town manager Marc Orlando sent a letter to Promenade business owners in January, asking that they and their employees park at First Baptist Bluffton at 1300 May River Road, which is across the street from The Promenade.
Promenade developer Bill Herbkersman and the church reached an agreement in 2005 to share parking spaces so anyone going to The Promenade could park in the church's lot and vice versa.
"At times, we needed parking, and at times, they needed parking," church Senior Pastor Mark DeVaney said.
He said people don't often use the church lot, except for when the Farmers Market is open, each Thursday. He estimates there are about 110 spaces at the church, not including spaces on the street.
"We believe in Bluffton, so we're trying to help the best we can," DeVaney said. "... To me, it's fun to see downtown Bluffton growing like it is."
In addition to using church parking lots, suggestions to the town for improvements have included adding 171 on-street spaces and establishing a shuttle service for peak times and special events.
In his letter, Orlando also reminded Promenade business owners about public parking spaces in the following areas: May River Road from Pin Oak Street to Bluffton Road; Bluffton Road from May River Road to Bluffton Village; Goethe Road from May River Road to Dr. Mellichamp Drive; and at the Oyster Factory Park.
The town's Planning Commission unanimously approved an amendment in January that would require new businesses to provide at least two off-street parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of floor space, and new restaurants four per 1,000 square feet. Current regulations require only one space per 1,000 square feet for all developments.
Councilman Fred Hamilton said the council has not voted on that yet.
Hamilton agrees that parking is a problem in Old Town; however, he doesn't think it's the taxpayers' financial responsibility to solve it.
"I can't stress it enough that I don't think that it's our problem to fix alone," he said. "So we have to bring some of the business owners to the table and kind of guide them at how they can assist in solving this problem."
Town Councilman Ted Huffman, whose restaurant Bluffton BBQ is in The Promenade, said he has never been busier.
While many people complain about the lack of parking in the area, Huffman said it's not a priority yet, but eventually, the community will have to figure out a solution.
"Everybody involved has their heart in it," Huffman said. "Everybody involved understands the growth we've got going on is a good thing."
Follow Amy Coyne Bredeson at twitter.com/IPBG_Amy.
Related content:
- Garden Gate Nursery
- Parking Pains: How to fix Old Town's parking problem , Jan. 29, 2015
- Bluffton moves forward on requiring more Old Town parking , Jan. 28, 2015
This story was originally published February 22, 2015 at 6:03 PM.