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A downtown Youngstown restaurant discontinues serving lunch
YOUNGSTOWN
A lack of parking spaces near Roberto’s Italian Ristorante forced the downtown business to eliminate weekday lunch service, its owner says.
“There are people working downtown, but you’re not getting people from the suburbs or from other parts of the city coming to eat because there’s not much parking,” said Robert Faraglia, Roberto’s owner. “No one has an issue paying for parking. The issue is there isn’t enough parking spots downtown. We can’t get more people down here because of a lack of parking.”
The last day for lunch at Roberto’s was Friday.
There aren’t a lot of spaces in front of restaurants on West Federal Street, and the ones available are usually filled during lunchtime, Mayor John A. McNally acknowledged.
However, he strongly disputes that there is an inadequate amount of parking downtown.
“I understand the concerns of parking near the bars and restaurants, but there are plenty of parking spots downtown,” McNally said. “Sometimes you have to walk.”
There’s a pay parking lot on the corner of West Boardman and South Phelps streets, a block away from Roberto’s, he said. Across the street from that lot is a parking deck.
Also, there is a parking lot on West Commerce Street behind a number of restaurants and bars on West Federal, McNally said.
Lunch customers who park at meters have to keep an eye on their spots while eating at Roberto’s, Faraglia said. The restaurant at 103 W. Federal St. opened three years ago and will continue to serve dinner seven days a week.
“We have people running outside continuously putting money in the meters because they don’t want to get a ticket,” he said. “Who can enjoy a lunch like that?”
Police are quick to write parking tickets to cars when meters expire, Faraglia said.
McNally didn’t dispute that but said downtown business owners have complained about cars parked too long in spots.
“If we don’t monitor it, then downtown employees will park there and that would be a bigger problem,” McNally said.
With the growth of downtown, the need for parking spaces has increased, said Al Aldi, owner of Downtown Circle Convenience & Deli at 116 W. Federal St.
“Eventually, it’s going to grow a lot more,” he said. “Apartment buildings are opening, a hotel is coming and other businesses will open. The parking issues has to be resolved. If not, it’s going to affect the businesses and the growth of downtown. It’s already a problem, and it will become a bigger problem.”
Faraglia and Aldi said they had hoped the city would allow downtown customers to use a 20-space parking lot being constructed on West Federal Street at the site of the former Kress Building, close to both of their businesses.
The city is building the lot to provide parking for those paying their water and sewer bills at nearby city hall. The city is using water and wastewater funds for the project.
McNally previously said the lot would be open to the public on weekdays after 5 p.m. and on weekends.
He said Friday that it’s a possibility that the city would allow people to park in that lot for a fee between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Another parking lot opened late last year on West Federal and Hazel streets at the former Paramount Theatre location. The city signed a 20-year lease with the Youngstown Central Area Community Improvement Corp. to operate the lot. The CIC has an agreement with Strollo Architects to use all of the spots in that lot. Strollo is turning a vacant building, also on West Federal and Hazel, into its new headquarters and apartments.
Dan Martini, co-owner and chef at Martini Brothers, 110 W. Federal St., said, “Parking isn’t a factor for us. There’s a decent amount of parking downtown. I don’t get many calls or comments from people who say they couldn’t find a spot. Most of our customers work downtown.”
But Martini said the city needs to install signs directing people not familiar with downtown to parking lots.
The city is considering wayfinding signs for downtown. If that moves forward, signs for parking lots are part of the plan, city officials say.