Downtown Jonesboro business owners are raising concerns about a lack of available parking, which they say is affecting their sales and driving away customers. Despite posted two-hour parking limits throughout the area, vehicles are often parked in the same spots for hours, and sometimes overnight.
Carolyn Shirley, an employee at the restaurant Chef’s In, described the problem as a daily frustration for both staff and patrons. “It’s terrible. People come out there and they’ll park and stay all day long. And then our customers can’t park because they don’t have a place to park,” Shirley explained.
Lance Sullinger, owner of Chef’s In, echoed her concerns, emphasizing that the lack of available parking has a direct impact on his business. “Our biggest customers, you know, customers will come through and they say we’d eat with y’all a lot more often. But we can’t find any parking downtown. And so, I mean, it really impacts a small business,” Sullinger said, adding that the issue amounts to missed revenue opportunities.
The business owners are not calling for changes to city regulations but for better enforcement of existing ones. Downtown streets like Main and Union already have posted two-hour parking limits. “There’s already signs posted out here. There’s just no enforcement of it,” Sullinger added. “If they would just enforce what’s in place, that’d help everybody downtown out a lot.”
The city of Jonesboro has taken steps in recent years to address overall downtown traffic conditions, but parking enforcement appears to remain a critical issue for local businesses. In a statement, the mayor’s office highlighted several initiatives aimed at improving downtown accessibility, such as lowering speed limits, adding speed tables and crosswalks, and implementing a one-lane pilot program on Main Street.
The city also maintains several public parking lots and pointed to additional private parking options in the area. The mayor’s office encouraged residents to offer input on city improvements by participating in the "Plan Jonesboro Master Growth Plan” or attending public feedback sessions.
Business owners hope increased awareness of parking time limits will encourage compliance. "A parking space is not meant to be an all-day or overnight spot," Shirley noted. Until then, enforcing the two-hour limits remains their priority.