Parking issues plague Glenwood South in Raleigh
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- One of the hottest spots in Raleigh is dealing with growing pains.
Glenwood South is home to Mellow Mushroom, Mo Joe's Burgers, a guitar shop, and the new Raleigh Beer Garden. What it doesn't have though, is enough parking for patrons.
People are getting towed regularly, and it's turned into a battle for spots.
CLICK HERE FOR PARKING OPTIONS AROUND GLENWOOD SOUTH
Restaurants like Mellow Mushroom have even added signs that warn visitors against parking in their lot without coming into their establishment.
"One day I came out and saw people parking and just walking down the street," said Mellow Mushroom general manager Steve Gardner. "[Our] restaurant would not even be close to full, and the parking lot was near capacity."
Gardner said they've towed over a dozen cars since their sign went up. They even towed seven cars in one night.
"When they walk by the signs, the eight signs they have to walk by...we have to do what we have to do," Gardner explained. "If they go to Mellow Mushroom, not a problem. If they go to the Mellow Mushroom and go down the street, not a problem. But if they get out and go down the street, across the street..."
Since the Raleigh Beer Garden opened up across the street, business on Glenwood South is up 20-30 percent.
"When the Beer Garden was going to open up, we thought, 'They don't have any parking, so what are we going to do?'" Gardner said.
Mellow Mushroom isn't alone. 'No Parking' and towing signs are up at several nearby businesses.
The folks at Raleigh Beer Garden say when any developer has a project, they must submit a parking plan (or lack of one) to the city. The city then has to approve it.
There's no parking lot for the Beer Garden, but the city approved it.
"I think there needs to be some sort of other parking solutions figured out for this area," Gardner shared. "We all want it to grow like it is, but we want to have a place to park."
