Apartment Residents Avert Parking Lot

More than 100 residents of an apartment complex have succeeded in blocking construction of a parking lot next to their property.

Owners of the Plaza Lafayette shopping center at 13031 Newport Ave. had sought to expand the center’s parking lot into a nearby 15,700-square-foot parcel of abandoned railroad property. The shopping center recently added a popular microbrewery that has generated parking problems at the complex.

But residents of the Woodcrest Apartments next to the vacant land vehemently protested the plan, saying the parking lot would create problems with noise, traffic and loitering.

After the residents protested to the City Council, members agreed to halt the plan.

Mayor Tracy Wills Worley said she was swayed by a proposal from apartment owners Nancy and G.R. Ramage, who said they would negotiate with the railroad company to purchase the land and convert it into a park for tenants.

“We had to give them the chance to buy it,” Worley said. “I don’t think the parking lot was a bad idea, but any time we can support open space, we will.”

However, she said, a parking lot still could be built on the property if a park deal cannot be reached.

Nevertheless, tenants and staff at Woodcrest said they were extremely pleased with the recent victory.

“We’re very excited about winning,” manager Terry Jones said. “Everyone came together for a common goal.”

The vote last week was the second such setback for the owners of Plaza Lafayette, who were denied another parking lot expansion plan by the council in October.