A simple request for more parking spaces has residents of a Lynchburg neighborhood split along racial lines. The new Sassy's restaurant got its extra parking today, but some neighbors fear crime and violence will soon follow. Steve Smallshaw reports. Not so with Sassy's Restaurant and Lounge, now occupying the old Trailways bus station on Fifth Street. To accommodate bigger crowds, Sassy's asked the city to rezone this parking lot behind the restaurant, making all 87 spaces available to its customers.
Opponents say race has nothing to do with it.
But the zoning board voted unanimously to grant the parking variance, and to give Sassy's a chance to prove itself. In about four weeks, Sassy's will petition the ABC board for a liquor license, a move that almost certainly will meet with even more local opposition. State Attorney General Jim Gilmore has already vowed to oversee an intense investigation. Today he made another promise. Gilmore said his office would help rebuild state churches lost to hate crimes.