"One of the most important things to do in the short term would be to publicize the Bank of America parking lot," Willow Glen Business and Professional Association President and Willow Glen Bookstore owner Cathy Adkins said. Members of the association are alerting customers and fellow merchants about the spaces available to the public in the parking lot.

In March 2004, 75 of the parking lot's 115 parking spaces were opened to the public in an agreement between San Jose and Bank of America. The city currently pays for the maintenance and landscaping of the public parking spaces, but MBA Architects owner and Willow Glen Business and Professional Association Treasurer Marvin Bamburgh said the association will incrementally shoulder the cost over the next year or two.

Willow Glen Business and Professional Association Vice President and Siena Bistro co-owner Don Skipwith said he would like to see other businesses open up their parking lots to the public also.

"Bank of America was gracious enough to let that happen," he said. "I hope that example will be followed."

Adkins said that turning Lincoln Avenue into a parking district, or an area in which all parking spaces are open, could be an effective long-term solution to the issue. She added that this would be an ongoing project and would require the cooperation of business and property owners and their willingness to share parking lots.

In addition to creating a parking district, Skipwith said the association has also discussed the possibility of making Lincoln Avenue a two-lane road. But the problem with this solution, he said, is that Lincoln Avenue is a major artery, and removing lanes would increase traffic.

Bamburgh said the association has also considered the possibility of placing parking meters on Lincoln Avenue. Parking meters, he said, might increase the turnover of parked cars. But, according to Skipwith, a more effective long-term remedy could be the construction of a downtown parking structure.

"A parking garage would be a solution," he said. "It would change the dynamics of downtown. A parking garage would allow for a better environment and more businesses." He added that he believes that the high turnover of business can be attributed in part to a parking shortage.

But a downtown parking structure is only "a germ of an idea," according to Bamburgh, who called the construction of a parking garage "a question of time and energy."

In addition to time and energy, Adkins said the construction of a parking garage would require another scarce resource: money.

"Building a parking structure is a considerable capital investment," she said. "And it is not appropriate to look at it until other solutions, such as a parking district, are employed."

She's heard customers "threaten" or "claim" that if they don't find a place to park on the street or near the business they won't stop, but added that she only has "anecdotal evidence."

Yet the issue of adequate downtown parking is not at the top of everyone's list. Some Willow Glen residents believe traffic control should take priority over parking. Willow Glen resident Cory Billington said he believes Lincoln Avenue has a parking problem, but that traffic is an even bigger issue because it is a safety concern.

Billington suggested that transforming the section of Lincoln Avenue between Willow and Minnesota avenues into a pedestrian mall might relieve some of the street's traffic congestion. Although he said this measure may augment traffic near his home on Bird Avenue and Willow Street, he believes the increase would be worth it.

"Someone is going to get killed here," he said. "Downtown would be much more pleasant if there wasn't so much traffic."