The Planning Commission has discussed residential parking issues frequently in recent months, and the next step will involve making recommendations to city council. At last week’s meeting, commissioners heard that Chair Ann Tandy-Sallee and City Historic Preservation Officer Kylee Hevrdejs have been invited to speak to council on the topic.
The commissioners have not yet reached a consensus on their recommendations, although everyone agreed on the areas with the most pressing problems, including Elk, Owen, Mountain, Washington, and Spring Sts. The commission had conducted a study that included a survey of residents.
Among proposed solutions, the simplest first step would involve placing signs denoting areas as residential parking during set hours. Commissioner Melissa Greene said most tourists would comply with such signs, even without active enforcement. She also suggested signs to direct tourists to other parking.
Other steps would require a higher level of engagement. The city could require bumper stickers to park in designated areas, or parking spots could be assigned by address.
Greene had some specific suggestions to address the shortage of parking. “We’re going to have to start allowing parking pads inside and backyards,” she said. She also suggested using the threat of revocation to require tourist lodging and multi-family dwellings to use their designated parking instead of parking on the street.
Solutions in one area may cause problems in others. When a commissioner mentioned downtown workers parking on Owen St., commissioner Meghan Morris reminded everyone that business owners downtown already have problems finding workers. Commissioner Fergie Stewart compared tackling the parking issue to eating an elephant. “You just have to take one bite at a time,” he said.
Wedding parking
Commissioners needed extra time to decide one issue before them, and called a special meeting for 4 p.m. on April 14 to decide whether to issue a Conditional Use Permit for John and Donna Schillinger at 23 Hillside Ave. At the regular meeting on April 12, the commission quickly agreed to transferring a CUP for three bed & breakfast units. The property also has two legal non-conforming units, and those units transfer to a new owner without commission approval.
The Schillingers also applied to conduct weddings on site, and that led to a longer discussion. The question of weddings brought out some parking issues. Donna Schillinger said she might have as many as 60 guests at a wedding, but she planned to shuttle guests from parking areas such as the music park on N. Main Street. She said she can also make arrangements with the owners of the train depot to use that parking.
Commissioner Melissa Greene said she would have no problem issuing the CUP for smaller weddings, but she could see problems with larger events. With the closing date on the property approaching, commissioners agreed to a special meeting to give the Schillingers a quick answer on the wedding question.
At that special meeting, commissioners looked at the two previous owners, who both offered weddings at the property over the past 21 years. The property did not have an explicit CUP for weddings, but a valid business license was in place, and the owners thought they were in compliance.
Commissioners did not object to further weddings, but they capped attendance at 20, a figure similar to other venues in the neighborhood. For larger events, Schillinger can obtain a Special Events permit at city hall, which would include her plan to shuttle guests from off-site parking areas. Tandy-Sallee suggested a visit to city hall to walk through the permit process before a need actually arises.
In other business:
- All approved the transfer of a CUP for one unit of tourist lodging at 24 Hale St. for Katherine Earles. Only one comment was read during the public meeting, and that letter was in favor of the project.
- The commission continued a review and update of contact information for B&Bs.
- Discussion on minimum maintenance continued, and commissioners noted that the Historic District Commission is also pursuing this issue. Tandy-Sallee said she did not like the vague definition of what constitutes a nuisance property. Commissioner Joe Hill said he would bring a sample ordinance to the next meeting, and Hevrdejs said she would share information from the HDC.
- A house serving as a B&B should technically meet commercial building codes, including electrical. Commissioners wondered if they would have to require owners to completely re-wire a house, or if those standards only applied if someone performs major work on a property.
- The commission will next meet at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 10. The Planning Commission still has one vacancy.