Many business owners, residents and city employees packed a meeting in downtown Grand Rapids to address the city's parking situation.
The problem is, there's too many people wanting to park and not many spaces to go around.
"Parking is very personal issue because it means different things to different people," Grand Rapids parking manager Josh Naramore said.
Such as for Mike Ryan, who works downtown.
"So, I need to figure out some sort of way to get to work in the next couple of weeks," Ryan said.
Ryan has a spot in one of the parking lots that will be closing this summer.
"So mine is next on the list to get chopped," Ryan said.
But Naramore said after removing lots four and five this summer between Oakes and Cherry streets, they will be adding 450 spaces. Plus, an additional 900 spots will be created after a new multi-purpose infrastructure is built.
"There's not the silver bullet approach associated with it, which is where we're trying to do a bunch of things which is first of all providing for increased capacity," Naramore said.
Naramore said the downtown parking system wasn't originally designed with the current growth we're seeing in Grand Rapids.
"As a result of we've been so successful with attracting businesses and Grand Rapids has really been able to bare through -- where the rest of the state has suffered and some of the rest of the Midwest, Grand Rapids kind of weathered that storm and has come out still growing to a great degree," Naramore said.
So the city will continue to build to accommodate the growing downtown area.
"We want to drive the transition and not be disrupted by it," Naramore said. "The current supply cannot meet the short-term demand and the expected transition in the future."
Through installing and implementing the latest technology, staying ahead of the growth, and of course, patience, Naramore says he's confident there will be more parking options for everyone living, working and visiting downtown Grand Rapids.