FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) – With all of the construction in Downtown Florence, it’s often hard to find a parking place.
City leaders say you may have to wait a bit longer for relief but the wait will be worth it.
Scaffolds, fences and orange cones can be seen throughout streets on Downtown Florence.
“It’s tough to find parking spaces,” mentioned business owner Laurie Crouse.
“Everywhere you turn there’s construction,” said barbershop owner Cedric Brigman.
Downtown Development Manager Ray Reich says the total of all projects underway in Downtown Florence is close to one hundred million dollars.
And while those projects are all underway, people are struggling to find a place to park
“Once we get the one parking garage completed, we get a second garage completed then all of a sudden we’ll have plenty of parking,” said Reich
Cedric Brigman is the owner of Swole’s Barbershop. He’s been in the same building for twelve years now and this is the first time he’s experienced so much work being done to the downtown area.
“Right now it’s hard for my clients to get in here and even for us to find parking, but other than that we know we have to make other sacrifices,” Brigman said.
A sacrifice city officials say is well worth the wait.
“This is the sacrifice we’re all making to have a much better downtown,” added Reich.
And for now businesses owners like Laurie Crouse, walking a longer distance to your car is the only option.
“You have to come through Central Methodist to get to us,” she said.
That’s because her business sits next door to the FMU Health Sciences Complex that will be completed in June of 2016.
“There’s not a lot that we can do right now, it’s some growing pains that we will have to take care of for it to be even better down here,” explained Crouse.
Reich says the good news is that the parking garage will open nearly four hundred parking spaces and will be finished in the summer of 2016.
“We ask people to be patient. We know that sometimes you have to drive half a block to find a parking space, but during all of this construction you might have to walk a block but there is parking,” Reich said.
City leaders say they’re considering a shuttle that would take people to and from their cars.
