Another Patron of F.C. Business Gets Towed
Editor,
When does a dispute between property owners become a problem for other citizens?
I was towed last week from the lot behind Dogwood Tavern while I was inside having dinner. Apparently my car was parked in a lot that is “shared” by the owners of Dogwood Tavern and the owner of Town & Country Realtors.
This situation is not advantageous to anyone, besides possibly the owners of Pete’s Towing. Unknown to most customers, the parking lot behind Dogwood Tavern is actually co-owned by more than one business; if you are parking there to do business at Dogwood Tavern, CVS, or Hunan Cafe, you need to park in a spot that is designated on the ground as such. For all concerned future patrons of any of these establishments, there is an ambiguous sign posted that says towing is enforced 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. However, this sign is posted along a row of parking spots that are available for customers of all four of the aforementioned establishments, depending on where along the row you park. So, for the inexperienced parkers, you need to figure out where the parking for Dogwood Tavern ends and the parking for Town & Country begins.
From what I was told by a Dogwood Tavern employee, this is a dispute that has been going on for a while, so I’m not the only customer that has been towed. When I complained, I was told that the landlord has been informed of this dispute, but done nothing. Please note that Pete’s Towing is only too happy to exploit this ambiguity for profit. But the owners of Dogwood Tavern owe it to their customers to (1) settle this dispute so cars can be safely parked when spending money at Dogwood; and (2) until they resolve their spat with their neighbors at Town & Country, they should do a better job of posting signs inside and outside of their restaurant so customers are fairly warned of this predatory practice.
Tony Scardino
Falls Church
Letters to the Editor may be submitted to letters@fcnp.com or via our online form here. Letters should be limited to 350 words and may be edited for content, clarity and length. To view the FCNP’s letter and submission policy, please click here.
