By Stephenie Steitzer
The Cincinnati Enquirer

NEWPORT - Beverly Simon says she just can't carry her groceries, dry cleaning and briefcase five blocks.

She'd rather park right in front of her house on Fifth Street, but that is impossible on Friday and Saturday nights.

"I pay the taxes, I bought the home," Simon said. "I have to get an OK to paint the front of my house, but I can't park."

Simon and other Fifth Street residents now have to compete for precious few parking spaces with people going to the Hofbrauhaus and Newport on the Levee.

The city recently started a residential parking sticker program on Third and Fourth streets, but officials say there are no plans to go up to Fifth Street and beyond.

City Commissioner Jan Knepshield said he realizes parking is still a problem because people would rather walk 10 blocks than pay the $2 to $5, depending on the time and day of the week, to park in the levee garage.

"We've got people parking on Seventh and Eighth to walk to save a buck on parking," he said.

On a recent Friday night, the garage and the private lot across the street from the levee were both full. That left valet parking at the levee and Hofbrauhaus, and a neighborhood hunt for free spots.

Since the levee opened, the city has struggled with the parking issue. People used to pay for parking at the garage on an hourly basis when they left, but it caused too much congestion. Now, people pay at the entrance.

Knepshield said the city is continuing to examine the issue as the riverfront develops.

"We're going through a growing process and we've got to find ways to deal with it," he said. "And that's what we're doing now."

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E-mail ssteitzer@enquirer.com