Royal Blue official calls it successful; neighbor disagrees

City leaders say they are continuing to monitor a pilot program that transformed two parking spaces into additional patio space at a local grocery chain.

In November, Royal Blue Grocery opened the additional 500 square feet of patio space that was created in part from the transformed parking spaces. Royal Blue Grocery co-owner George Scariano said the patio has been popular with customers.

"It is a great area for our customers to come and either relax or have a quick lunch," he said.

City staff will review the pilot program near the end of the year. If it is deemed successful, other businesses could follow suit.

Businesses turning parking spaces into patio space could have a positive impact along Congress Avenue, Scariano said. But he said the businesses that participate should be selective, since having additional patio space would not make sense for every business along the street.

"The big-city feel of the transformation of Austin, if we can do it right and have some charm and something that has real street appeal, to me is part of downtown Austin converting in a good way," he said.

Royal Blue paid more than $20,000 in construction costs to create the patio. The grocery chain during the pilot program is paying $100 per month per parking space to the city, which is less than the usual cost a business has to pay for taking up parking spaces.

A worthwhile investment

If city staff decide the program is unsuccessful, Royal Blue will have to pay to turn the patio back into parking spaces and lose its investment. Scariano said Royal Blue was not deterred by the possibility of the pilot program not being extended after a year.

"It was worth making a significant investment, not just because we felt confident that we would be able to extend it just beyond the pilot program, but we wanted to do it right as the example of how something like this could be done," he said. "We wanted it to be something that was permanent and impressive for our standards and that people would walk by and see and say, 'Yes, that should be done.'"

The pilot program has its critics, however. Bill Koen of Joe Koen & Son Jewelers, Royal Blue's neighbor, said the lack of parking spaces hurts his business.

"I can't stand it, my customers have no place to park," Koen said. "It has exacerbated the problem. Every one of my customers who walks in complains about how they couldn't park."

Net parking gain

Despite the loss of the two parking spots, the project has actually resulted in a net gain of parking spots for the block, Scariano said. A Capital Metro airport shuttle stop was transformed into additional parking spots on Seventh Street, and several 15-minute parking spots became metered parking spots on Sixth Street.

"The general take has been that this is at least as worthwhile as a couple of parking spots and could hopefully spur some rejuvenation of Congress Avenue for the pedestrian experience being improved," Scariano said in January. "My hope is that when the pilot period is over, which is a year from now, that the positive effect would be felt from our store north to the capitol."