Proposed parking ban along Dorchester Street on hold

ThisWeek CW 12/4/2014

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2014/12/01/proposed-parking-ban-along-dorchester-street-on-hold.html

Residents concerned about safety and the loss of on-street parking convinced Groveport City Council Nov. 24 to delay action on a request to prohibit parking along one side of a section of Dorchester Street.

Groveport City Administrator Marsha Hall said the city had received a complaint from a resident of Dorchester Street about vehicles being parked on the hydrant side of the street, which is prohibited in most of the Elmont Place subdivision.

Hall said the city then erected no-parking signs along the section of Dorchester Street where they hadn’t been installed previously, based on the original subdivision language prohibiting hydrant side parking.

“When I went back to the legislation, I found that Dorchester Phase 1 of Elmont Place did have the no-parking prohibition as part of the plat, but this section is Phase 3 and did not,” Hall said.

“Then, I found in our ordinance that any street that is 26 feet wide or less cannot have parking on the fire hydrant side, but this street is 32 feet, so we bagged the signs for the time being.”

Hall asked city council to pass emergency legislation to include the parking prohibition on Dorchester Phase 3 that had been missed in the original plat for the subdivision.

However, in reaction to the newly installed signs, residents who live on the hydrant side of the street — and who had been using the street to park vehicles near their homes — contacted Hall to ask why the signs had appeared.

Hall said she promised to do more research and talk to Madison Township Fire Chief Robert Bates, who “reviewed the information and said that even with 32 feet, when a fire truck is there with the doors open to work it would be a tight fit, so he said he would recommend the no-parking for safety reasons.”

Dorchester Street residents Marvin Stevens and Kirk Sanders asked council last week to consider prohibiting parking on the non-hydrant side of the street, if at all.

“There are only five houses on the hydrant side of the street and only two houses on the east side of the street,” Stevens said. “Next to my house, there is a field for a power line easement and there isn’t a fire hydrant for about 170 feet or so.

“We both have kids, he (Sanders) has teenagers, and we regularly have guests visiting, including about 75 people coming for Thanksgiving.”

According to Stevens, the kids and the guests use the field as a place to play during family gatherings. In addition, he said, both he and Sanders feel safer having guests exit their vehicles on the same side of the street as the field and the houses they are visiting.

“One thing I would say in response to moving the signs to the other side of the street is that a neighbor from that side of the street complained about the hydrant side parking, so if we move the signs, we’ll end up with another set of people in here upset,” Hall said.

Law Director Kevin Shannon said he didn’t believe the city’s building official or engineer would support putting no-parking signs on the non-hydrant side of the street.

Council members postponed a decision until their Dec. 8 meeting so they have a chance to discuss the matter with the staff.

Until then, the proposed parking ban will not be in effect.

“At least this will get you parking through the holiday for your guests,” Councilwoman Jean Ann Hilbert said.