Local

Residential street blocked weekly by restaurant party-goers

ATLANTA — Neighbors say parties at a local business are causing major traffic and safety concerns.

People living along Amsterdam Avenue said crowds from Sunday parties at Loca Luna restaurant make it hard to get out of their homes and cause disturbances in the community.

Neighbor Abby Martin told Channel 2's Amy Napier Viteri it's safety she's concerned about.

Martin said so many cars are jammed onto Amsterdam Avenue in Atlanta, that there have been times that emergency vehicles could not get through.

Neighbors sent us photos from April of an ambulance stuck in the gridlock.

"It's not just a theoretical problem. It's actually happened," Martin said.

Officers frequently barricade the dead end street to control the flow of traffic.

For Earl Duffy, owner of Amsterdam Cafe on Amsterdam Walk, it's bad for business.

"Sunday's my biggest day of the week," Duffy told Viteri. He said often times he is forced to shut down early, missing out on business, since it's too much of a hassle for customers to get to his restaurant. It is a horrific financial impact."

In early May, Loca Luna's owner Eric Kline told Channel 2 Action News he has proposed several options to address concerns.

"With that being said we've got to make sure that everybody's willing to work together to find solutions," Kline said.

Kline told Viteri off camera Sunday that neighbors rejected all his suggestions, which included banning motorcycles from the property and making parking along Amsterdam Avenue by permit only.