East Naples growth presents parking hassle

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EAST NAPLES, Fla. Food trucks, a microbrewery and more new businesses are headed to the Bayshore area — but so too could a parking nightmare.

Not enough parking exists to handle the expected increase in traffic, according to a study commissioned by the Bayshore/Gateway Redevelopment Agency. Trebilcock Consulting Solutions, which prepared the report, recommends on-street parking.

But that solution would mean Bayshore would go from two lanes on both sides to just one — an idea business owners aren’t excited about.

“If you’re going to promote business that involves people getting out of their cars and doing something, like eating and whatever, that’s definitely, there’s a parking issue,” said Marc Deising, co-owner of Electric Motion Golf Carts on 3945 Bayshore Drive.

Those concerns aren’t falling on deaf ears in the county manager’s office. Executive Manager of Corporate Business Operations Tim Durham acknowledges parking will be a problem.

“It’s just good to know that there is the need so as we move forward (we can) try to plan for it,” Durham said.

Possible solutions being batted around include buying vacant lots and turning them into parking areas, leasing private parking lots lots from business owners and turning them into public parking lots, and a shuttle that would ferry shop-goers from an area with better parking.

No timetable exists for coming up with a workable solution, even as new businesses are poised to open within months. But, it’s a problem that Deising’s son and business partner, Marc, admits is a positive sign of economic growth.

“It’s exciting, it really is,” he said.

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