For years the city charged ahead to bring more businesses to East Atlantic Avenue. But now it is trying to balance downtown growth with the image of a neighborhood village by the sea. East Atlantic Avenue has become a downtown center where people shop, eat, browse through art galleries and sip wine at sidewalk cafes. The owners of a Holiday Inn near the beach have transformed the hotel into a more upscale Marriott, with expensive renovations that include the city's first downtown convention center. But as they watch their city's fast-paced evolution, city commissioners are finding some new challenges.
Parking spots are few.
To deal with the parking problem and limit development at the same time, the city has increased the fees charged to developers who do not provide adequate parking on their sites. Sidewalks are cluttered with tables, chairs and A-frame signs from new outdoor cafes and other businesses. The city has begun imposing restrictions. Some residents complain that the city has overlooked issues such as paving streets while focusing more attention on businesses and developers. The city has begun looking at ways to speed up street paving.