The Austin City Council passed a controversial pilot program March 22 that would allow Royal Blue Grocery, 609 Congress Ave., to use two public parking spaces to build a patio.

The one-year pilot program was initiated by the city and discussed in greater detail March 20 at a City Council work session.

According to Robert Spillar, City of Austin Transportation Department director, while the two spots on Congress Avenue in front of Royal Blue Grocery would be used for the program, a former Capital Metro airport shuttle stop located around the corner on Seventh Street will be converted into three additional parking spots.

Spillar also explained the standard fees for similar licensure agreements, which would total about $8,800, would be waived as Royal Blue Grocery has agreed to pay for the cost of patio construction.

Councilwoman Kathie Tovo inquired about the reasoning for waiver of the standard fees. Spillar said that while the sidewalks have been leased for patio space, parking spots have never been used for this purpose, making the pilot of value to the city.

Furthermore, he said the fee was set low enough so that a business owner would want to give this a try at the risk of having to take out the deck a year from now if pilot is deemed unsuccessful.

Councilman Chris Riley, the initiative's sponsor, said Royal Blue's owners quoted the construction costs of building a curb-level deck with accompanying landscaping to be about $20,000. Riley also said the owners estimated that about 90 percent of their business is walkup.

Meanwhile, business owners on the same block expressed concern about the loss of those parking spaces, including Bill Koen of Joe Koen & Son Jewelers, located next door to Royal Blue.

Koen said his business has been at that location for 40 years, and as a key stakeholder, he was not consulted by anyone from the city about the pilot program.

"Parking and lack thereof has been the single biggest issue to maintaining a viable business downtown since the 1980s," Koen said. "Although it will be a benefit to Royal Blue Grocery, it will be a determent to my business and the rest of the businesses on the block."

Koen added, "For all of the Austinites that have it in their mind that downtown parking is already horrible, this will only keep them further away."

In response to the concerns of neighboring businesses, Mayor Lee Leffingwell said the city will focus on the issue of parking throughout the course of the pilot program.

Council passed a second item allowing for a long-term program for other businesses should this one-year program prove successful.