The Commons restaurants, Greenville officials wrestle with Unity Park parking perceptions

The Commons at downtown Greenville’s Unity Park has a parking perception problem.

It has become a common sight to see cars circle the parking lot outside the food hall on Welborn Street, driving down each row in search of an open space. Meanwhile, ample parking will be available at several other lots surrounding the 60-acre park west of downtown Greenville.

Food and beverage vendors at The Commons say the perception of limited parking, among other factors, has contributed to a recent decline in diners. Ed Buffington, co-owner of The Community Tap, said the taproom’s location within the food hall at 147 Welborn St. has the lowest sales out of the company’s three locations in Greenville County.

“That’s where we’re at, which is frustrating for me because I genuinely believe we have some of the best food and beverage in Greenville under these two roofs, and Greenville’s not showing up,” Buffington said. “Part of it is largely based on the perception that there isn’t any parking, and there are times there isn’t any parking.”

Automatic Taco, another original tenant of The Commons, has also seen an impact from what it believes is a perception that parking is an issue at Unity Park. Owner Nick Thomas said while parking can be difficult at times, it’s not as bad as it seems if you understand how to navigate it.

“I opened a second location recently, and a lot of people are going there, and they’re like, ‘I’m so glad you’re there. We cannot deal with the headache of going to The Commons,’ and it’s just a general response from everybody,” Thomas said.

Parking predicament

Will Young, director of parks, recreation and tourism for the city of Greenville, said parking has been an ongoing conversation since the completion of Unity Park in 2022, three years after The Commons opened its doors. There are currently six parking lots spread out around the park, providing a total of 729 free parking spaces.

Unity Park’s largest parking lot, containing 308 paved spaces, is located next to The Commons off Welborn Street. Other parking lots are located on Meadow Street, Hudson Street and Mayberry Street. Four main user groups utilize the parking at Unity Park:

People visiting the park
People using the Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail
Customers coming to The Commons
Employees working at The Commons

More than 20 food, retail and business tenants are located within The Commons, which is majority-owned by Aston Properties. Managing Director Barnes Connell said in a statement that Aston is committed to making The Commons a welcoming destination for the Greenville community and providing a positive guest experience from the moment of arrival.

“We know parking is a key part of that experience, and we continue to work closely with the city of Greenville to ensure guests have access to convenient, accessible parking,” Connell said in the statement.

City staff have been closely monitoring the parking situation at Unity Park, completing twice-daily counts of each parking lot over the past several months. Bill Foster, the city’s parking administrator, said people driving to Unity Park often choose to park in the Welborn Street lot in front of The Commons for convenience.

“I think it’s inherent that people look for that convenience,” Foster said. “They always look as close as you can, and that’s what we all look for, and we understand that. But it doesn’t mean that there’s not parking available.”

Restaurant tenants rely on a consistent turnover of available parking spaces to ensure customers have a place to park. However, park and trail users, as well as employees working at The Commons, can occupy parking spaces at Unity Park for several hours.

According to the city, the Welborn Street lot will typically be busier in the morning and early afternoon. In comparison, visitors will find more available spaces in the other parking lots surrounding Unity Park. Foster said there should be more availability in the Welborn Street lot during the day now that summer is winding down.

The city installed a two-hour parking limit on one row within the Welborn Street lot to provide a short-term parking option for customers visiting The Commons. Foster said parking staff would be willing to add more two-hour parking if the city’s parks, recreation and tourism department feels it would be best for The Commons.

Employees who work at The Commons are encouraged to park in the overflow lots on Meadow Street to keep the Welborn Street lot open for customers. Similarly, visitors who plan to stay at Unity Park or go on the Swamp Rabbit Trail for several hours are asked to use the other five parking lots.

“If you’re coming to the park to enjoy the features of the park, maybe you park in the gravel lots or in the side lots,” Young said. “If you’re coming to the restaurants, go to the main lot. If you can’t find it, there’s plenty of other options. It really just depends on the experience you’re trying to get from the park.”

City staff are working on new wayfinding signage to help visitors find available parking at Unity Park. More information about parking at Unity Park can be found online at greenvillesc.gov/getting-here-parking.

Quotes

“Now that the perception is out there that there’s no parking, that’s our reality.” — Ed Buffington, co-owner of The Community Tap

“There is plenty of parking. It might not look that way if you come to the main lot but there is plenty of parking in the adjacent (lots).” — Will Young, director of parks, recreation and tourism for the city of Greenville

“I used to work at a university and we kind of said the same thing. We really didn’t have a parking problem. We had a convenience problem.” — Bill Foster, parking administrator for the city of Greenville

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Parking numbers

Welborn Street Lot: 308 spaces (including reserved and accessible parking spaces)
Meadow Street Lot 1: 117 spaces
Meadow Street Lot 2: 33 spaces
Hudson Street Lot: 93 spaces
Mayberry Street Lot 1: 96 spaces
Mayberry Street Lot 2: 82 spaces

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Dinnertime diners

The food and beverage vendors at The Commons are asking for more people to come back for dinner. Nick Thomas, owner of Automatic Taco, explained that there is often plenty of parking in the late afternoons for customers after park users leave Unity Park.

“This parking lot will be empty and we’ll be sitting here twiddling our thumbs,” said Ed Buffington, co-owner of The Community Tap.

The shared space at The Commons is open: