Norris parking ordinance topic of special Dec. 6 workshop
Coming up Dec. 6 will be a special workshop of the Norris City Council to discuss modifications to a proposed ordinance strictly limiting on-street parking throughout the city.
As now written, Ordinance 662 would amend the Norris Municipal Code to prohibit parking “on all city streets except Hickory Trail, Hawthorne Place, Hickory Place, Ridgeway Court and Chestnut Drive.”
After hearing the concerns of some city residents about the parking ordinance during a hearing Nov. 13, the measure was tabled that night by the council until the workshop, scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday.
The council had passed the measure on first reading during a special meeting Oct. 24, and was to consider approving it on second and final reading at the Nov. 13 meeting, following the public hearing.
But during that hearing, several residents on affected streets complained that they would have nowhere to park near their homes if the ordinance took effect.
Councilman Will Grinder pushed for the delay in the final approval, and was joined by the other council members.
The council decided to hold the workshop on the ordinance to discuss some changes, then bring it back up for a second public hearing at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 11, just before the regular council meeting at 6 p.m., during which the measure is expected to be considered on second and final reading.
To help maintain traffic flow and give emergency vehicles ready access to residences, the measure was initially proposed by the police and fire departments.
The proposed ordinance says, “Current parking regulations do not adequately address the safety needs of the community; and … the Norris City Council wishes to prohibit street parking on certain roadways to allow for clearer, safer, and more easily traversable streets.”
There are somelimited exceptions, according to the ordinance as now written:
“This prohibition shall not apply to drivers of delivery vehicles when actively making deliveries and off-street parking is unavailable, provided that such parking is not in violation of any other part of this code and so long as the parked delivery vehicle has flashing lights, is visible from a distance of 200 feet in each direction, and maintains at least 12 feet of clearance in the roadway.
“Nor shall this prohibition apply to emergency services, city employees acting in their official duties, or anyone performing official duties on behalf of the city.”
Assistant City Manager Bailey Whited presented the ordinance to the council Oct. 24, and detailed how the police department had been measuring clearances on streets where people have routinely been parking, and noted that in many cases parked vehicles were leaving less than 12 feet open – which is the minimum clearance required for fire trucks and other emergency vehicles.
On-street parking already is prohibited on busy through-streets such as East and West Norris roads, Reservoir Road and Dairy Pond Road. But even that restriction is sometimes ignored.
Butternut Road resident George Miceli told the council that he believes there should be an exemption for people parking cars on the road when someone is having a party.
*In other business coming up this month, the City Council will:
Hold a public hearing at 5:15 p.m. Dec. 11 on an ordinance approved on first reading Nov. 13 that would make it permanent for the five-person City Council to continue to serve as the Norris Water Commission, which it has been doing since all of the previous commission members resigned in May.
Once a highly contentious idea that was fought by a group led by some of the former water commissioners, the move saw no opposition on Monday night, except from Councilman Will Grinder, who has opposed the idea from the start.
“I don’t support it being a permanent thing,” Grinder said.
Still, he voted in favor of the ordinance, which passed unanimously, 5-0.
After the public hearing on Dec. 11, the ordinance will be considered for second and final reading.
City Waterworks Superintendent Tony Wilkerson said he supported the measure, which he believes would help maintain stability for the Water Commission as the city deals with a state mandate to make millions of dollars in improvements to the city sewer system to eliminate environmental issues.
