University Park considers parking limits near SMU
Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 9:28 amUniversity Park considers parking limits near SMU
07:04 AM CDT on Wednesday, June 16, 2010
By LORI STAHL / The Dallas Morning News
[email protected]
UNIVERSITY PARK – SMU students who have been parking on residential side streets near campus won't have that option if a plan under consideration by the University Park City Council is approved.
On Tuesday, city officials discussed creating new residential parking districts for neighborhoods on the east and west sides of Southern Methodist University. Under it, only homeowners and their guests would be able to get city permits to park on the streets.
The city's Police Department came up with the plan, in response to long-standing complaints about overflow parking. Council members generally liked the idea, but some residents at the meeting voiced concerns about how it would affect them. The council voted to discuss the matter again before deciding whether to proceed.
"This has been an ongoing issue for a number of years," Police Chief Gary Adams told the council.
Homeowners have long complained that students jam their neighborhoods when they can't find on-campus parking. Residents say it's a problem not only on weekdays during class times, but also when crowds attend athletic games on the weekend.
Mayor [deleted] Davis voiced support for the concept, noting that most cities that have colleges within their borders have already adopted some kind of parking restriction aimed at preventing overcrowding in residential areas.
An SMU spokesman said the university has added a lot of campus parking in recent years – and plans to do more. A new parking lot on the south side of the School of Education and Human Development building will have 85 spaces, said spokesman Kent Best. They will be available when the building is completed in August.
In early 2008, SMU added about 855 parking spaces when it opened a new garage, he said, adding that SMU currently exceeds the minimum number of parking spaces required by the City of University Park.
Some residents raised concerns, including that the proposed parking district may be too small and that the cost of purchasing multiple permits for family members would be problematic.
City officials said residents would only be required to buy permits if they want to park on the street. People who park in a garage or driveway would not be affected, they said.
Under the plan, residents would pay $20 for the first permit and $15 for a second permit. After that, permits would cost $50 each. Temporary visitors, such as houseguests, would not pay a fee, but residents would have to pick up guest permits from the city.
University Park already has a residential parking district around Highland Park High School. It was established 10 years ago – with no permit fee for homeowners, unlike the proposal near SMU – after residents complained that students were crowding the streets. Now students park in a school district garage.
The new plan calls for enforcement on weekdays between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. Cars without a proper sticker during that time would be ticketed by police and could face fines. Compliance would be required year round.
City officials have discussed using proceeds from the permits to hire an extra parking enforcement officer.
If the plan moves forward, residents in the affected neighborhoods will be notified in writing and given a chance to react before officials vote.
07:04 AM CDT on Wednesday, June 16, 2010
By LORI STAHL / The Dallas Morning News
[email protected]
UNIVERSITY PARK – SMU students who have been parking on residential side streets near campus won't have that option if a plan under consideration by the University Park City Council is approved.
On Tuesday, city officials discussed creating new residential parking districts for neighborhoods on the east and west sides of Southern Methodist University. Under it, only homeowners and their guests would be able to get city permits to park on the streets.
The city's Police Department came up with the plan, in response to long-standing complaints about overflow parking. Council members generally liked the idea, but some residents at the meeting voiced concerns about how it would affect them. The council voted to discuss the matter again before deciding whether to proceed.
"This has been an ongoing issue for a number of years," Police Chief Gary Adams told the council.
Homeowners have long complained that students jam their neighborhoods when they can't find on-campus parking. Residents say it's a problem not only on weekdays during class times, but also when crowds attend athletic games on the weekend.
Mayor [deleted] Davis voiced support for the concept, noting that most cities that have colleges within their borders have already adopted some kind of parking restriction aimed at preventing overcrowding in residential areas.
An SMU spokesman said the university has added a lot of campus parking in recent years – and plans to do more. A new parking lot on the south side of the School of Education and Human Development building will have 85 spaces, said spokesman Kent Best. They will be available when the building is completed in August.
In early 2008, SMU added about 855 parking spaces when it opened a new garage, he said, adding that SMU currently exceeds the minimum number of parking spaces required by the City of University Park.
Some residents raised concerns, including that the proposed parking district may be too small and that the cost of purchasing multiple permits for family members would be problematic.
City officials said residents would only be required to buy permits if they want to park on the street. People who park in a garage or driveway would not be affected, they said.
Under the plan, residents would pay $20 for the first permit and $15 for a second permit. After that, permits would cost $50 each. Temporary visitors, such as houseguests, would not pay a fee, but residents would have to pick up guest permits from the city.
University Park already has a residential parking district around Highland Park High School. It was established 10 years ago – with no permit fee for homeowners, unlike the proposal near SMU – after residents complained that students were crowding the streets. Now students park in a school district garage.
The new plan calls for enforcement on weekdays between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. Cars without a proper sticker during that time would be ticketed by police and could face fines. Compliance would be required year round.
City officials have discussed using proceeds from the permits to hire an extra parking enforcement officer.
If the plan moves forward, residents in the affected neighborhoods will be notified in writing and given a chance to react before officials vote.
