Business owners on Riverside Ave. express frustration over parking situation

SPOKANE, Wash. — It has been more than two weeks since the city of Spokane began its 6-month construction project on Riverside Avenue downtown. The project is spread out into three phases, giving much-needed upgrades to this part of the city.

“Customers… they don’t know how to get here,” said Douglas McCoy, co-owner at House of Pop.

McCoy says when many of his customers drive to hair appointments, parking is a big deal.

“My front desk has been awesome trying to guide them in but they don’t know where to go park. All the crosswalks are blocked off, so nobody can cross the street,” he said.

McCoy says he’s seen a 20-percent drop in sales in the past two weeks.

A local print company on the other side of the street is also struggling with parking.

“We have parking spots for customers. We own the lot, but they think they can’t get in here because of Riverside. They park on the streets or they park further away,” says Leon Davis, owner of Standard Printworks.

Another business owner, Jim Lucas at the High Nooner, says this issue is not just for customers, but also for employees.

“I think the biggest frustration is parking. Not only for my employees and delivery driver but also for the customers trying to seek us out,” Lucas said.

Lucas says his sales are stable because of his customers who want to support local restaurants more than ever.

“I just cut through the parking lot to try to get here we are a big fan of all these restaurants trying to support them during the process,” said Jennifer Westra, a customer at the High Nooner.

READ: City of Spokane begins construction project on Riverside Avenue

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