How to Obtain Restricted Area Parking

A few residents of the WANT area have expressed interest in having restricted street parking zones for the neighborhood.  These zones would require anyone parked on the street to show a residency permit (or a visitor pass) during the period of restriction. We’ve done a little research to determine what’s involved. According to City Ordinances, the following prerequisites must be fulfilled before a new residential zone can be established:  A petition must be signed by 65% of the vehicle owners living in the area who hold current valid city stickers showing addresses in the proposed area.  The petition must specify days/hours for which restrictions are sought.  Once the petitions are verified, a parking study will be done to determine whether at least 45 percent of the vehicles parked in the proposed residential parking permit zone during the time periods requested for the permit are not owned by residents of the proposed zone.  The parking study must further determine that at least 85 percent of available on-street parking in the proposed residential parking permit zone is occupied during the time periods requested for the permit.

If the above conditions are met, the Alderman can recommend it for City Council passage. The new zone would then go into effect 30 days later.  Annual permits for residents cost $25.00 per vehicle and visitor permits are 15 for $8.00. A maximum of 45 visitor permits can be purchased in a 30-day period.  They show an expiration date on the back and are non-refundable and not reusable.

The proposal of obtaining parking areas with residency restrictions was raised at the last WANT General Meeting in June. After discussion, a majority of members were not in favor of restricted parking, either for the neighborhood as a whole or for their particular blocks. As a result, WANT will not pursue restricted parking in the neighborhood. Individual residents are, of course, free to pursue restricted parking on their own.