The city of Cape Coral is moving forward with plans to add hundreds of public parking spaces downtown as it prepares to remove street parking along Cape Coral Parkway for a road-widening project.
One of the lots that will be under construction is located on Vincennes Street. It is one of five locations the city is looking to convert into public parking, in total adding 300 spaces for drivers navigating the increasingly busy downtown area.
Residents said the new parking lot cannot come soon enough. Michael Bryant, a frequent visitor in downtown Cape Coral, said parking is relatively easy now during the off-season, but that changes quickly during peak times.
“Yeah, that’s pretty amazing. There’s one spot left right there. So yeah, it’s low season,” Bryant said. “It’d be chaos. Chaos trying to find a parking spot through here,” he added, describing the difficulties during busier months.
With the upcoming removal of street parking along Cape Coral Parkway, many business owners are relieved to hear about the city's plans to replace it with larger public lots .
Steven Bubba DeMuro, who owns Annie’s Restaurant in downtown Cape Coral. He said the situation will be tested during major holidays.
“So parking will be a real test on Fourth of July weekend,” DeMuro said.
DeMuro has operated downtown for seven years and has seen the area’s growth firsthand. He said that while more parking is always welcome, the current situation is manageable for now.
“You could always use more parking. But from my standpoint, it’s not that bad,” DeMuro said. “If I go down in Cape, a lot of times I’ll just park here and walk. I’m from North Jersey — like, you just leave your car double-parked and you walk.”
Cape Coral’s parking expansion includes five total locations, two of which are paid garages: The Cove on 47th and Bimini Square on Cape Coral Parkway.
These garages will operate on a tiered pricing system.
Between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., the first hour is free, then parking costs roughly $3 per hour.
From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., the first two hours are free, followed by a roughly $4 per hour rate.
“I’d rather pay for parking than get a ticket personally,” DeMuro said.
Despite the inconvenience of change, DeMuro believes the area is heading in a positive direction.
“I think it’s good for the area,” he said. “The Bimini Basin project looks cool. The Cove’s really nice. So definitely a lot of growth, but I think it’s good. It’s only positive.”
The city expects The Cove garage to open this summer. The empty lot on Vincennes Street could be available for public use as early as this fall.
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