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Mason has eked out a few more on-street parking spaces, but the city and businesses are still bottlenecked on larger revitalization issues.

After some measuring and compromises, 15 on-street downtown parking spaces could be striped in next week after the final coat of asphalt is laid.

But some city council members are angered by comments that blame the city for the lack of parking on the south side of Main Street.

Council member Todd Wurzbacher said the Downtown Mason Association and the Northeast Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce promised, when the downtown project was voted on, to work with business owners to close the driveways so sight lines wouldn't be an issue.

The majority of council also denied a land swap deal, largely because some members said they can't give away taxpayers' land.

"Giving away a piece of property is not something we would ever normally do," Wurzbacher said. "But I was willing to do that, as a friend of the chamber, to make sure we continue to build a strong relationship with them. My sense is, over the past six or eight months, the chamber hasn't been as interested in maintaining that relationship as I have."

Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4525 or dcallahan@coxohio.com.