(Okoboji)– Parking on Lakeshore Drive was back up for discussion at Tuesday’s Okoboji city council meeting.
The council voted in February to limit parking only on the landward side of the street on portions of Lakeshore Drive. The council took the action siting concern over congestion. Dan Delperdang, representing Butch Parks who owns Okoboji Boats and the O’Farrell Sisters Restaurant, was at Tuesday’s meeting requesting the council reconsider the action, saying the parking ban would create hardships for customers of the two businesses. The council originally was scheduled to consider a resolution that would create a no parking zone on one side of Lakeshore Drive 200 feet from the intersection with Highway 71 to Julia Street. Another no parking zone would be on both sides of Lakeshore Drive for 130 feet through the hairpin curve just west of Okoboji Boats. After considerable discussion, the council decided to compromise on the matter. They directed City Attorney Mike Chosen to draw up an ordinane creating a no parking zone from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. by O’Farrell Sisters.
The flap continues over parking at Okoboji Boats. Chosen says because the operation is a night club, there must be one off-street parking space for every 50 square feet of patron use, along with one parking space for each employee. Parks maintains Okoboji Boats is not a night club, saying it’s a marina. The council indicated Tuesday it would give another two weeks to see if some sort of agreement could be reached. If not, the council hinted at the possibility of seeking a court injunction against Okoboji Boats for allegedly violating the city’s parking ordinance.
A disagreement over a dock issue at Okoboji Boats continues. The city was scheduled to have a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge last Thursday (April 7th) to challenge a dock permit granted by the D-N-R. But the city was informed that morning a revised permit had been granted to Okoboji Boats, stating a dock system had been moved to be in compliance with DNR regulations. Chosen said he hadn’t been notified of the new permit which had been granted on March 31st. None-the-less, the council Tuesday indicated it would continue to pursue the matter in court. Chosen said he’ll attempt to get the hearing re-scheduled. Parks says the city is being discriminatory in pursuing the matter. The city differs.
In other business, a new strip mall is coming to Okoboji. The city council approved a recommendation from the city’s Design Review Committee for Brooks Park Mall. It will house a restaurant, retail shops and business offices. The mall will be constructed just south of the new Northwest Federal Savings Bank.
