AGENDA #4b
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Response to a Petition Requesting On-Street Parking Restrictions in the Columbia Place Neighborhood
DATE: October 10, 2005
The following report responds to a petition submitted by the Columbia Place Homeowners’ Association requesting that on-street parking be prohibited on one side of all streets in the Columbia Place neighborhood.
Enactment of the attached ordinance would prohibit on-street parking on the north side of Columbia Place East/Columbia Place West and on the west side of Columbia Place Drive.
We recommend enactment of the attached ordinance.
At its April 25, 2005 meeting, the Council received a petition (Attachment 1) from the Columbia Place Homeowners’ Association requesting that the Town study and consider prohibiting on-street parking on one side of all streets in the Columbia Place neighborhood. The Association expressed concerns that existing on-street parking on both sides of the neighborhood streets significantly reduces the available travel lane width and inhibits access to and through the neighborhood by emergency and routine service vehicles. These concerns were also expressed to the Engineering Department by the Town Fire Department. A copy of the letter from the Fire Chief is provided in Attachment 2. Please see Attachment 3 for an area map.
The pavement width of the streets in the Columbia Place neighborhood is 24 feet and on-street parking is presently allowed by residential permit only on both sides of the streets. On-street parking within 50 feet of the intersections is prohibited. When cars are parked on both sides of the streets, we observed that some or all of the following conditions are present:
We prepared the attached survey form (Attachment 4) describing the proposed parking restrictions and soliciting comments from the area residents. We distributed 51 survey forms to the residents and 33 were returned. Results of the survey are provided below:
Only 65 percent of the residents responded to the survey and the results are divided. We believe that access to emergency and routine service vehicles is important, and that restricted travel lane width will be a recurring problem in this neighborhood with the existing on-street parking regulations. All residents have off-street parking available on their property.
The Columbia Place Homeowners’ Association is in support of eliminating on-street parking on one side of the street.
CONCLUSION
Based on our field observations, the inconclusive survey results, and discussions with staff from the Town Fire Department and Public Works Department, we think that prohibiting on-street parking on one side of all streets in the Columbia Place neighborhood would provide for adequate access to and through the neighborhood at all times for emergency and routine service vehicles. We also believe that the remaining on-street parking and off-street parking would be adequate for residents and their guests. If the Council enacts the suggested change, we will monitor on-street parking operations in Columbia Place neighborhood, and implement periodic enforcement if necessary.
MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION
The Manager recommends enactment of the attached ordinance that would prohibit on-street parking on the north side of the Columbia Place East/Columbia Place West and on the west side of Columbia Place Drive.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Petition (p. 5).
2. Letter from Fire Department (p. 6).
3. Area Map (p. 7).
4. Survey Form (p. 8).
