HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/14/2020 Item 10, Ayral1
From:Odile Ayral <
Sent:Friday, January 10, 2020 9:59 AM
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Dana Permit Parking District Item 10
Mayor Harmon and City Council Members,
I support the efforts of the city to create a parking permit district on Dana Street. For a long time, this street has been
the target parking location for people doing business downtown, and its residents have long suffered very limited
parking possibilities as a result. Therefore a well-conceived permit district would correct this situation. The caveat is
“well-conceived” because Dana is not a regular residential street, and it offers a number of challenges that are not easily
resolved.
A few years ago, the City put in place regulations for permit districts, and one of them was to limit eligibi lity to residence
compounds comprised of less than four units, thereby creating an unequal situation between condos and houses. So,
on one hand, the City encourages compact living, on the other, it penalizes those who live under more compact
conditions. The regulations need to be changed.
The problem with the present proposal for Dana Street is that it includes the entire street except for the very end, where
you find a small apartment building, and 8 condos at 415 Dana St. I am asking that you include the condos in the permit
district. These condos have been there since 1984 and several residents have lived in them for more than twenty
years. My husband lived there for many years before moving with me, and we turned his condo into a rental. The
family who is renting it has been at this address for about ten years. This is a stable community, not a transient one.
I am particularly sensitive to the plight that will happen to the residents of 415 Dana if they are kept out of the permit
district because I have seen it happen to a neighbor, who was kept out of the Ferrini parking district. He or his visitors
were rarely able to park in front of his home because other cars were constantly there. People looking for parking
moved his garbage containers therefore his garbage did not get picked up. He finally had to line his containers across his
own driveway. Fortunately, this situation has recently been corrected, but I don’t want to see anyone go through this
kind of daily frustration again.
Besides the above problems that could affect anyone living in a group of condos, this particular case presents
aggravating circumstances. These condos are located on a cul-de-sac with a fire hydrant. They are landscaped, but all
the curbs are fire lanes and there are only three guest parking on the property. I am sure you can foresee the
consequences.
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Finally, although I am sure it was not the intention of the City, I am concerned with a subtle form of discrimination
against people who live in condos. You must see there is something wrong when a family who has lived in a condo for a
long time cannot enjoy the same privileges as a group of people who are temporarily renting a house. I know that for
practical reasons you cannot include large apartment complexes into permit districts because it would defeat the
purpose of a district, but condominiums are not apartments. They are more like compact houses because each unit has
a different owner, and the community is often stable. On the other hand, all the units of an apartment building are
owned by one person or one corporation, and the residents are more transient. To ease the pressure on the street, you
could decide to give only one permit to each condo unit instead of two, but you should not keep them out of the district.
Sincerely,
Odile Ayral