It's not a roadblock but a parking lot that's stalling progress on Coos Bay's effort to develop a tourist stop at Empire's Hollering Place, overlooking the bay.

The city planned to spend up to $54,000 for a parking lot, landscaping and pathways on the plot near the intersection of Newmark Avenue and Empire Boulevard. The design included a handful of parking spaces, but here's the catch: They would face north or south, not west toward water.

"You should be able to run up so your windshield sees what you've come to look at," said Mike Vaughan, a Coos Bay landscape designer.

That matters when it rains or it's windy.