Restaurant owner says new no‑parking signs on Third Street are harming business; city staff to follow up

Summary

A Downtown restaurant owner told commissioners that recent placement of no‑parking signs on Third Street removed customer parking and immediately hurt business; assistant city administrator said staff and CRA will meet the owner and explore options, including coordination with nearby church parking and CRA resources.

During public comment on Aug. 18, Nivia Jean Louis, owner of Fantasy Island restaurant at 323 North Sapodilla, told the commission that new “no parking anytime” signs installed by city engineering along Third Street removed customer parking directly in front of her business and had an immediate negative effect on reservations and patronage.

Jean Louis said party reservations were canceled and that walking distance to municipal lots or valet options did not make up for the loss of curb parking. Commissioners and staff asked for details and Assistant City Administrator Armando Fon and CRA staff said they would meet with the business owner to review the sign placement, enforcement and short‑term mitigations; commissioners noted prior CRA efforts to coordinate church lots for overflow parking but said liability and scheduling concerns can limit availability.

Commissioners and staff said they would investigate whether signs had been installed correctly and explore options to support the business, including event coordination, valet locations or other nearby public lots; a staff follow‑up was promised.