Fentons Scooping, Er, Scoping Out Lafayette's Park Theatre for New Ice Cream Parlor

A push to bring Fentons Creamery to Lafayette’s Park Theatre could freeze because there’s not enough parking nearby.

At its , the Lafayette City Council will discuss meeting with developers to brainstorm fixes to the problem. That would mean finding about 50 additional parking spaces, said Steve Falk, Lafayette city manager.

When the Park Theatre and other Plaza Way properties were first constructed, parking was not an issue – but now, years down the road, there's a shortage of spaces.

City rules have made it nearly impossible to find a solution, wrote Greg Woehrle, developer and owner of the theatre, in a letter to Lafayette. And though he’s tried to purchase lots for parking over the past six years, his efforts have failed.

If the issue is not resolved, the famous Oakland restaurant will start looking for other locations, Woehrle wrote.

Previously, Lafayette beat out other cities – Orinda, Walnut Creek, Alamo and Danville – in the battle over Fentons.

There are several solutions for parking that could be on the table, Falk said.

Woehrle suggested lifting current parking rules, saying it seems the “only choice” that could seal the deal with Fentons.

Falk said that Lafayette could create a historic district for Plaza Way properties, which would lower the parking requirements in the area.

Other options would look into using other parking lots – one at the corner of First Street and Golden Gate Way, and a city-owned lot on Moraga Road.

A timeshare agreement with the Lafayette Library and Learning Center, where Fentons could use the parking lot during the evening, may also be up for discussion.