Parking can be extremely hard to find during peak hours at the Perkins Palms mixed-use development, and its owners have bought a vacant tract of land adjacent to the development to help address the problem.
In a deal that closed Wednesday, Perkins Palms Parking LLC purchased a 1.36-acre tract from Investar Bank for $700,000. The land is behind the Investar branch that is situated in front of Perkins Palms, which is located on Perkins between Essen Lane and Kenilworth Parkway. F. Randall Garrett, attorney for the Perkins Palms owners, says it’s not clear yet exactly how many parking spaces will be created on the land, as the project is still in the planning phase.
As for a timeline on development of the parking lot, Garrett says, “As fast as they can get it built, because it is a problem for the area,” adding, “I’ve heard estimates of three to four months.”
With the addition of The Rum House in front of Perkins Palms in recent years, parking has increasingly become tight in the area. Investar limits its lot to customers, meaning those looking for parking to shop or dine at Perkins Palms or The Rum House are not able to use it. It’s not uncommon to see a tow truck trolling the lot during busy evening hours or a police cruiser sitting in it to ensure violators are towed.
While the new lot will help ease the problem, it won’t come free.
“It’s going to be a paid parking situation, so anyone who wants to use it can use it,” Garrett says.
—Steve Sanoski
