The Edmonds City Council at its Tuesday night study session will get its first look at a proposal to amend the city code to address the issue of multiple vehicles parked on city streets. The recommendation is aimed at various situations around the city where residents keep multiple vehicles in their driveways and also parked in the public right-of-way.
The amendment to Chapter 17.60 ECDC would prohibit on a single-family lot the parking of more than four vehicles outdoors in the front yard, and it would also restrict the amount of impervious surface (such as asphalt or concrete) to no more than 50 percent of the front yard. The current code limits parking to five vehicles total on the property of a single-family home, regardless of whether they are located inside a garage, in a driveway or anywhere in the yard.
The Edmonds Planning Board voted unanimously Nov. 18 to recommend that the city council adopt the code amendments. During a public hearing prior to the Planning Board decision, several people testified about one particular situation in the Maplewood neighborhood, where a resident is maintaining between 12 and 15 vehicles in various states of repair parked on his property and in the public rights-of-way on both Maplewood Drive and Sierra Street.
In addition, the council is scheduled to discuss the following:
– Senior Construction Inspector, Information Services Manager & Accounting Manager job descriptions
– Summary of 2015 CG and CG2 development in the Highway 99 Area.
– Authorization for Mayor to sign a 2015-2017 Coordinated Prevention Grant Agreement with the Department of Ecology. The grant funds three-fourths of a waste prevention and recycling program shared by cities of Edmonds and Lynnwood,
-Preesentation of a Professional Services Agreement with Louis Berger Group for design of the Dayton Street Stormwater Pump Station.
– Authorization for Mayor to sign the Second Amendment to the Interlocal Agreement with the Lake Ballinger/McAleer Creek Watershed Forum, a sewer easement for an existing sewer main, a Professional Services Agreement with BHC Consultants for the Lake Ballinger Sewer Trunk Main Study and a TIB Fuel Tax Grant Distribution Agreement for the 238th Street SW Walkway from Highway 99 to SR-104.
– Authorization for Mayor to sign and accept right of way documents from Edmonds School District for the Madrona Walkway Project.
– The City Attorney Annual Report.
Also on the council agenda is one action item: Appointment of council committee representatives for 2016.
The meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers, Public Safety Complex, 250 5th Ave. N. You can see the complete agenda here.
The City should also be addressing the “free” parking hours around our immediate City. There are no 3 hour zones on 6th Ave South, therefore business people leave their vans ALL weekend until Monday morning. That means when we have the summer market, anyone wanting to park on 6th Ave South can’t. We also need 3 hour parking on Main Street going east up the hill (beyond 6th & Main). We are a very liberal town for free parking. I am not suggesting parking meters, just more 3 hour zones.
The city once had a parking committee that effectively addressed these sort of issues. Your concerns may now take considerable time to be evaluated.
Yes, parking is a problem all over the city. And, I do understand that there isn’t a parking committee to address these issues. Maybe it is time to reinstate the committee. Also, 4th Ave. S has Downtown Employee Parking permit people parking even though the employee(s) may be working on 5th Ave. or even further away. Visitors to various condos, patrons of restaurants and coffee shops, etc. have no place to park. We also have had the experience of said employees leaving cars on the street for days at a time without moving them. I hope a solution can be found so that all will at least be partially satisfied.
Who needs parking? Shouldn’t everyone be taking the bus, walking, or riding bicycles??
At least that is what the truly wise ones want to dictate…