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Central Point agrees to zone change Frees up alley access for drive-through coffee business By Buffy Pollock CENTRAL POINT � Employees for a state liquor store and Abby�s Pizza, along with nearby residents soon will face $50 fines for parking in the alley next to Central Point Perk, a drive-through coffee stand. The alley will be zoned "commercial parking only" sometime next week. The change was approved by the City Council in response to complaints from Perk owner Barbara Brown. She said that delivery trucks were being forced to park in the alley next to her business and were blocking access to her drive-through business. Brown, along with co-owner Stephen Brown, filed a $344,000 lawsuit against Central Point in 1998. According to Jackson County court records, they alleged that city administrators provided inadequate information about the process of installing a drive-up window at the coffee shop at 841 E. Pine Street. The Browns claimed they were advised to obtain permits and that the drive-up lane and window would be approved. The complaint alleged that, after quitting her job and entering into a lease, Barbara Brown learned she would need to provide engineering drawings, install drains and traffic-control devices, plus make improvements to the parking lot, sidewalk and alley, none of which was mentioned during initial inquiries. Brown declined to comment on the suit last week but said problems with the city made costs expensive "just to run a business.�� "It�s all part of the lawsuit," she said. "They tell me one thing and do another." Code enforcement officer Ron Barnett said Brown had been assured the alley would be kept clear when her drive-through was put in, even though the ordinance permitted blocking of the alley for up to six hours a day. Barnett said that when delivery trucks made their stops at Abby�s or the liquor store and other vehicles were using available parking spaces, trucks were being forced to park in the right of way. Barnett added that some of the parked vehicles had resulted from his advising nearby residents to use the alley while construction took place on 10th Street. He said he would speak with them again and suggest parking on Pine, Eighth or Ninth streets and make sure the change was known before issuing citations. "We�ll warn people first," he said. "We�re not just going to start handing out tickets." Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.