Parking in Five Points: Prepare to Pay to Park on Lumpkin

People wanting to park in front of the Henrietta Apartment Building on Lumpkin Street will have to frequent the two businesses in the building. At night, they will have to pay a $5 fee to park there.

That's according to a ruling issued Wednesday in Clarke County Superior Court by Judge Penn McWhorter in a case that pitted property owner Barry Stiles against Athens Clarke County, according to a story in the Athens Banner Herald. The judge said that a 1954 agreement between Stiles' late father and the local government demonstrated that the elder Stiles didn't give up rights to the 22 parking spaces.

Having dedicated spaces should be good news for officials with J. Christopher's, a breakfast and lunch restaurant which wants to occupy the space that housed the Five Points Deli and then the Local Jam.

The parking restrictions have spurred other Five Points businesses to place limits on their parking as well. Virtually all the businesses have followed suit, putting up signs or patrolling their parking lots.