There's been a lot of talk at meetings around the Grove about the lack of parking. I know I've always said that there is plenty of parking, you just have to use the off street garages, but there is no room in the garages either!
The Mayfair garage is packed on weekdays with cars from the ad agencies that have proliferated there. The garage used to be empty, you could get lost in the cavernous place, but now it's full of the agency peoples' cars.
The Oak Street Garage is the same, the Sun Health people are hogging all the spaces. There is usually a guy there on weekdays with a sign that says the lot is full, usually by 10 am.
I'm not sure about CocoWalk, but the Coconut Grove Bank lot, which was another great place to park is now off limits for parking because they are doing construction there. I do see many cars there in the day, but I think that's from all the bank workers who used to park closer to the building and now they are taking up the spaces that were there for the public during the day.
So while weekends, the lots are all empty, it's not the case during the week.
I'm not sure what they will come up with at the meetings because it's not that easy to build garages. There is the new one going in near Regatta Park, but that probably will take a couple of years and even so, it is not near the Center Grove where office workers would use the garages.
As for metered street parking, that is very hard to find, they are taking spaces away little by little for things like the crosswalks on Commodore Plaza and taking spaces away to give to restaurant seating and the CitiBikes and what's left is usually all taken fast during the day.
Regarding the Regatta Park area, there are a lot of complaints of parking being taken away from the docks behind the park. But then others are complaining about parking being put in where park space should be. So there's a juggling act going on over there.
For years there has been a "fee" collected from everyone operating businesses in the Grove (except hotels) I think called Coconut Grove Parking Improvement Fund Fee for the purpose of building public parking garages, it is not surprising that it has been used to do advertising and funding of festivals and activity unrelated to parking shortage in the Grove. Someone independent should investigate to find out how mush money has been collected, how much spent on special people and WHERE the parking spaces are? It should be in the millions, hopefully?
ReplyDeletePeople drive too much. Hop on a bike. Your doctors will agree.
ReplyDeleteThe lower level of the Mayfair garage has tons of spots. Also, Sun Health has either moved to the third floor of the Mayfair office building or opened a smaller satellite office.
ReplyDeleteThe Mayfair garage (the one you enter from Grand across from the Improv) always has spaces during the week. The only time I have ever seen it full was during the Arts Festival.
ReplyDeleteCS
Coconut Grove Playhouse Parking Lot has spaces...
ReplyDeleteSay what? 1st the word is no one comes to the Grove. Then the word is there are no parking spaces, but the garages are full. If this were true that would translate into people driving into the Grove - - - - just to park. Not to eat, shop or enjoy all that the Grove has to offer. Or it could mean that the Grove provides one hell of a lot of jobs and the employees are using up all the spaces. Or it could mean that a lot of people come to the Grove, disappear and their cars are stolen and shipped to Cuba. Or it could all mean absolutely nothing!?
ReplyDeleteI go to the Grove several times a week and park in the Mayfair or Oak street garage weekdays between 10am and 2:30pm. Only once have I been turned away and that was when the Oak street garage was being cleaned.
ReplyDelete