KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- It's no secret that parking in the Crossroads Art District can be a challenge on First Fridays or when Kauffman Performing Arts Center has a show. Now, one business owner has put forward a possible solution.
At a meeting Monday morning, the Parking and Transportation committee gave a temporary loading dock permit for valet use along 20th Street.
The permit covers a stretch of road near Manny's, the restaurant that will operate the valet.
The business is renting roughly 150 parking spaces from a lot behind Jack Stack in the nearby freight district to park the valeted vehicles.
The service will cost about $4 and will start running as soon as signs are posted. It'll run Thursday and Friday 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., then Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Valet could be a solution for people wishing to park along the 20th Street corridor or along Southwest Boulevard for a few hours during the area's busiest dining hours. Much of the parking there has been limited to three hours, so even a few hours of relief could make a sizeable difference for patrons in the area.
The parking situation in the Crossroads is something Chris Powell, owner of Missouri Acupuncture Services, knows all too well. He, along with several nearby business owners, mentioned they did not think the parking availability had kept up with development in the area.
"It's great to see the growth down here but the bad thing is parking is pretty finite. Not a lot of spaces. Lots of building going on. It's getting tougher. They take away spots on the road to park on... Not enough space and parking," said Powell.
They also run a yoga studio inside their business and only have eight parking spaces dedicated for their business.
Manny's said after their valet service has been running for about a month, they may work with other restaurants nearby like Lulu's Thai Noodle Shop.
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