12 Comment

• HeyHeyHouston March 2, 2017 at 8:43 am

  I think MMD is a sham and needs to go but I do support the parking effort. I hope the reaction isn’t more of those permitted street parking areas that are also a sham. People want an urban life without the urban inconveniences. This will introduce a little chaos into street parking for a little bit but the market should work it out.
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  In a reversal of trends, some of the people paying the illegal tax to MMD may see a benefit instead of the residents who are not paying the tax.
• joel March 2, 2017 at 9:12 am

  Oh know, I’m very torn on this Special Parking Program.
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  I support it, but neighborhoods are going to blow up and become irate over this and start requesting permitted parking areas left and right.
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  I also didn’t see this coming in such a short time frame and expect it to surprise a lot of folks and for their to be plenty of tension and animosity on everyone’s Nextdoor feed.
• joel March 2, 2017 at 9:15 am

  For example, there’s the ongoing westheimer corridor study, at least as far as I’m aware of. It would have been great to announce some conclusions and details from this study saying here’s where we’re we’ll be targeting parking garages and centralized parking…and then roll out the SPA approval.
• Bill March 2, 2017 at 10:16 am

  Let’s take Anvil for an example: I wonder how much of their Friday or Saturday crowd arrives via uber/taxi? I’d guess close to 25%? And growing each month. That is based on absolutely no evidence, but I do wonder if it will help alleviate some of the neighborhood’s concerns?
• Grant March 2, 2017 at 10:48 am

  I support the intention of the special parking area – but only if the city agrees to NOT consider applications for permitted parking zones.

  There is no justification for permitted-parking zones in a city where 99% of homes and apartments have their own off-street parking. If residents object to “strangers” parking on their street, they should move to the suburbs. Street parking is a fact of life if you desire to live in an urban, walkable setting.
• Pffft March 2, 2017 at 11:16 am

  HBJ is a pay site.
• toasty March 2, 2017 at 11:27 am

  @Joel – the way I understand the special parking variance is that businesses would still have to provide enough parking as per the parking ordinance, it’s just that the location of that parking can be farther way from the business than previous requirements. From the article:
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  “Within the special area, new businesses will be allowed to park up to 80 percent of cars belonging to their customers and employees, instead of the usual 25 percent, up to 800 feet away in off-site parking or 1,000 feet if valet service is offered.”
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  and sadly, that’s listed as NEW BUSINESSES. So an existing business can’t buy a lot a few houses down to turn into parking and expand their current establishment.
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  This opens up the opportunity for actual parking garages to be built and shared (think of rice village) in this highly desired area of town to hold a business.
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  It might actually work better for local residents if businesses don’t try to make it look like they are actually smaller than they really are to get by with fewer parking spots, thus forcing patrons to use street parking.
• qqq March 2, 2017 at 4:55 pm

  Double fees for those who live in the front-loader townhomes….they take away street parking by putting the driveway up front.
• Houstonreader March 2, 2017 at 5:50 pm

  @ Grant & HeyHey: a block close by to me in Montrose instituted a restriction on non-resident street parking between something like midnight and 6am. The reason had nothing to do with freeing up parking and everything to do with drunken night-life folk coming back to their cars and waking up the neighborhood with their shouting and (sometimes) fighting. It was a reasonable response to the bad behavior of non-residents who park their cars in Montrose to enjoy bars and restaurants.
• Cap'n McBarnacle March 3, 2017 at 8:31 am

  What we really need in the neighborhood is a primer on proper parking etiquette. The curb space in front of my house is long enough for two cars to park there. Every weekend I watch in amazement as some jackass pulls in front of my house, eases forward, and then gingerly reverses until he has perfectly centered his car on the curb cut, filling two spaces with one car. Pull up people!! Pull up!!!
• Wolf Brand Chili March 3, 2017 at 8:53 am

  @ Cap’n Barnacle: I don’t think a lesson in “proper parking etiquette” would solve the issue since that particular driver may want to keep all of that extra room for themselves. They don’t want anyone parking next to them (in front or behind) to ding their bumpers.
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  I agree that it is rude and selfish but that’s why we can’t have nice things. It is a sad commentary but the lowest common denominator tends to win out over time.
• GoogleMaster March 3, 2017 at 11:42 am

  Why we can’t have nice things: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons