Council OKs Plan for Permit-Only Parking

Residents who find their street parking taken by motorists who live outside the neighborhood can now rally together to impose parking restrictions.

After months of debate, officials have agreed on a citywide policy allowing permit-only parking in neighborhoods.

The Neighborhood Parking Permit Program, recently adopted by the City Council, allows for new permit areas and the removal of old ones.

The policy replaces a less formal process for setting up permit-only parking.

City officials proposed a $1,500 fee for neighborhoods seeking restrictions as a way to limit the number of requests and recover city study costs. But the council agreed on a $400 fee.

According to the new policy, only neighborhoods with single-family residences may apply. And residents in those neighborhoods must show they are being blocked out by motorists from a nearby college, business, factory or other force “external” to the neighborhood.

At least 55% of residents in a neighborhood must sign a petition in favor of the permits, and the parking problem must be ongoing rather than seasonal or temporary, the policy states.

All such requests will be reviewed by the city’s traffic engineers and Traffic Commission before moving to the City Council for final approval.