http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/06/20/2150758/raleigh-eyes-boundaries-for-front.html

Quote :

"RALEIGH -- For many homeowners who live near the N.C. State University campus, it has long been a complaint that ranks high on the list of neighborhood gripes, right up there with late-night parties and blaring music. Cars parked in the front yard – a common sight in areas with student rental housing – have been the target of an eight-year campaign by residents bent on convincing the city to outlaw the practice. Those efforts reached a breakthrough this week when the City Council approved rules that impose limits on cars parked on the grass. The guidelines also spell out what property owners must do to create acceptable parking areas. Originally designed to cover the entire city, the ban will instead apply only to designated districts, starting with an area surrounding N.C. State. The scaled-back version was necessary to secure enough votes for passage, said City Councilman Thomas Crowder, who has worked on the issue since 2004. “I think we’ll see other communities in the city reaching out to have this ordinance,” Crowder said. “One day, we may even see it citywide.” Landlords and property rights activists derided a ban as government overreach, though no opponents showed up to speak at Tuesday’s vote. Landlords will have to raise rents to make the required fixes, said John Brooks, a retired state lawyer. “If it were citywide, at this time in the economy, it would be catastrophic,” Brooks said. “We’ve got so many properties that would have to spend significant money.” Council members still have to vote on the boundary lines that specify which neighborhoods are part of the initial targeted area. City officials propose an area bounded by Hillsborough Street and Wade Avenue, Lake Wheeler Road, Tryon Road and Jones Franklin Road. A public hearing is Sept. 4. The neighborhoods around N.C. State have been some of the strongest advocates for reining in lawn parking. But college students aren’t the only offenders, supporters say. “People who park at all different angles, all over front yards, do not do anything to enhance their neighborhood,” said Mary Belle Pate, a 71-year-old retired teacher who lives off Tryon Road. “If anything, they bring it down.” The policy delves into the minutiae of things like gravel borders and the location of shrubs. Front yard driveways and parking areas in single-family homes will have to be made of surfaces that won’t erode, such as concrete or asphalt. Gravel or crushed stone are OK, as long as the borders are clearly defined. Residents who can’t afford or don’t want to restructure their driveways must park single-file, perpendicular to the curb, or park on the street. “It’s not as onerous as I think people thought at first glance,” Crowder said. Violators can face zoning violations that bring $100 fines for the first offense and $500 for each subsequent offense. Debbie Moose says she has a close-up view of the problem. Renters who live next door, in the Avent West community off Avent Ferry Road, park their pickup trucks on the lawn. “It’s been eight years of the city going back and forth on this,” said Moose. “I had kind of given up.” Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/06/20/2150758/raleigh-eyes-boundaries-for-front.html#storylink=cpy"

6/21/2012 9:55:59 AM

And that's the end of that chapter...

6/21/2012 9:59:57 AM

I hate to break it to these people, but cars packed bumper to bumper all down the street is not going to look any better.

6/21/2012 10:03:38 AM

I'm not entirely sure this can be applied to people who are already living in the property without compensation. I mean, it's been a long time since I've looked at the ability to apply an ordinance after the fact, but it just feels like it violates some kind of right here.

6/21/2012 10:18:59 AM

lol I wonder if my parents will be affected by this. They currently have four cars with two of them camped out in the yard

Apparently they're outside of the zone... for now... dun dun dun.

[Edited on June 21, 2012 at 10:22 AM. Reason : a]

6/21/2012 10:20:42 AM

selectively applying a city ordinance to certain portions of a city is sketch too.

more narrow minded gov. overreach...but people are just gonna dump a load of gravel on the front yard and be done with it.

6/21/2012 10:22:21 AM

I mean, I get the complaint. It looks bad, but if it's not against your HOA, then screw that, it's my property, and I'll do what I want.

6/21/2012 10:22:34 AM

there are definitely some constitutional issues here being looked at.

6/21/2012 10:26:23 AM

I'm torn on this - yes it looks bad and can hurt property values, but I still disagree with any government, or government condoned (HOAs), rule that tells people where they can park on their own property.

6/21/2012 10:28:22 AM

This is a thousand times worse than an HOA, with an HOA people purchase property knowing what the rules and regulations are, and agreeing to abide by them.

These homes are older and and not governed by an HOA, so the city swoops in with a bunch of onerous regulations and steep fines.

6/21/2012 10:45:06 AM

^agreed

6/21/2012 10:46:47 AM

Quote :

"The scaled-back version was necessary to secure enough votes for passage, said City Councilman Thomas Crowder, who has worked on the issue since 2004."

Hot damn, 8 years to work on this issue. Our money well spent!

GTFO

6/21/2012 11:03:46 AM

MOVE THE FUCK AWAY FROM THE UNIVERSITY.


Again..... it's like buying a house near an airport.. .

You got a cheap fucking house because there is some shit you have to deal with for living there.

YOU DON'T DESERVE THE RIGHT TO THESE THINGS BECAUSE YOU SOLD THEM FOR ~20% OF THE VALUE OF YOUR HOME.

6/21/2012 11:10:03 AM

if you don't want to see your neighbors cars in their yard or you don't want your neighbors to bring your property value down, then maybe you should live somewhere w/o neighbors

[Edited on June 21, 2012 at 12:04 PM. Reason : e]

6/21/2012 12:04:10 PM

I wish people would stop electing Thomas Crowder.

6/21/2012 12:06:51 PM

This is beyond stupid. I have to listen to the same kind of stupid twats here in Durham, and live near Duke, who complain about where the students park, parties, and the like, or how their 2 year olds get woken up on Saturday night at midnight. That is why the suburbs and the country exist.

I don't give a crap what the Duke kids do, unless they do something douchey like block my driveway. In that case since I get up earlier than them, I've taken the pleasure of car decoration with beer cans, condoms, and whatever happily gay, colorful fabric I can find in my sewing stash .

6/21/2012 12:34:27 PM

Quote :

"Hot damn, 8 years to work on this issue. Our money well spent!"

Which is exactly why the city needs this new revenue stream.

Quote :

"Originally designed to cover the entire city, the ban will instead apply only to designated districts, starting with an area surrounding N.C. State."

Why just NCSU? After a slice of the pie that people get in the form of student loans?

6/21/2012 12:37:05 PM

Just curious, how hard is it to get a parking permit for some of those streets that require it & how much do they run?

6/21/2012 1:01:08 PM

^If you live there it's not hard at all. I forget how much they cost though; haven't had one since 2004.

Quote :

"Front yard driveways and parking areas in single-family homes will have to be made of surfaces that won’t erode, such as concrete or asphalt. Gravel or crushed stone are OK, as long as the borders are clearly defined. Residents who can’t afford or don’t want to restructure their driveways must park single-file, perpendicular to the curb, or park on the street"

So does the single-file-perpendicular thing only apply if your driveway does not meet the new code? Or does that mean you can't park two cars next to each other on a driveway even if it's hard surface and wide enough?

The house I used to live in on Dixie Trail is one of the ones this is aimed at. It had a short stubby driveway that could only fit 2 cars, so as there were four of us we used what would have been the "lawn" as a parking area and the driveway as the access to it. I say "lawn" because there was no grass as previous residents had done the same thing. In the case of that house I presume they'll just dump a truckload of gravel, put in a rudimentary "border" and be done with it.

[Edited on June 21, 2012 at 1:35 PM. Reason : f]

6/21/2012 1:33:12 PM

I am torn on this issue. I understand the issue that this may adversely affect some people living in these homes. However, I also understand that the vast majority of this property is rental, and the people causing the problems (vast majority) are not the home owners. It is essentially a business property at that point, and there are numerous examples where municipalities regulate the interaction of residential and business properties. Landlords have also turned a single family home into many multi-family home units, which was beyond the original intent of the structure. They should be able to rent out to whoever they want, but again, common courtesy goes a long ways with relations with neighbors. I suspect most tenants couldn't care less about the concerns of their neighbors.

I am actually thrilled they took the approach to target one particular area, because I do not believe in blanket solutions. Apply the solution to the area that is a problem, and not everywhere else.

Of course, if you tell me the permit is $1000 a year to park on the street, then I'll understand a lot more.


[Edited on June 21, 2012 at 1:38 PM. Reason : /]

[Edited on June 21, 2012 at 1:46 PM. Reason : ,]

6/21/2012 1:33:45 PM

Quote :

"“People who park at all different angles, all over front yards, do not do anything to enhance their neighborhood,” said Mary Belle Pate, a 71-year-old retired teacher who lives off Tryon Road. “If anything, they bring it down.”"

Quote :

"Front yard driveways and parking areas in single-family homes will have to be made of surfaces that won’t erode, such as concrete or asphalt. Gravel or crushed stone are OK, as long as the borders are clearly defined"

That will surely help raise the neighbourhood home values

6/21/2012 1:36:34 PM

^ lol I was thinking the same thing.

6/21/2012 1:40:00 PM

Every Landlord around NCSU is going to put posts with rope between them around the yard and parking areas, it will look worse than the cars parked there.

For an example you can see the home at the corner of Kent Rd & Greenleaf St, they did that due to some bellyaching a while back about yard parking, it looks horrible.

6/21/2012 1:48:25 PM

lol I know which house you're talking about. It was bad back when I was living in the apartments over there in 2003.

[Edited on June 21, 2012 at 1:50 PM. Reason : s]

6/21/2012 1:50:16 PM

Quote :

" Why just NCSU? After a slice of the pie that people get in the form of student loans? "

Students don't vote or can't vote for Raleigh local elections. Easy target. Had they started this ordinance targeting East Raleigh around New Bern Ave. then the black community would have been up in arms.

6/21/2012 2:47:32 PM

^nah, you have to own a car for this to bother anyone

6/21/2012 2:51:19 PM

RE: parking permits

Quote :

"What are Residential Permits and how do I get one? The Residential Permit Parking program was adopted by City Council many years ago to free up on-street parking for neighborhood residents by restricting non-residents from parking all day. Commuters are encouraged to take public transportation or park in nearby lots or decks. Annual permits are purchased from the ParkLink Office. New applicants must show proof of residency such as a current utility bill, current notarized affidavit of the landlord, auto registration cards or deed in the name of the permittee and showing the address within the controlled parking area. Only legal residents with a vehicle qualify for a permit. You will also need to provide proof of DMV registration. Displaying the permit on a vehicle not registered with ParkLink is a contravention punishable by fine. The cost of a permit is currently $20 annually."

http://www.raleighnc.gov/search/content/PWksParkingMgmt/Articles/ParkingFactsFaqs.html#jmp20

6/21/2012 3:05:47 PM

$20 annually? Get the hell over it and pay the $20 and park on the street.

Quote :

"Students don't vote or can't vote for Raleigh local elections. Easy target. Had they started this ordinance targeting East Raleigh around New Bern Ave. then the black community would have been up in arms. "

Huh? I thought as long as you have lived in a residence for 30 days, you could register to vote and have full rights.

[Edited on June 21, 2012 at 3:25 PM. Reason : .]

6/21/2012 3:19:35 PM

Those permits are only for residents, meaning guests can not use them.

6/21/2012 4:17:36 PM

I doubt it's feasable to park on the road in all the locations this will cover also.

id like to see people park on the side of wade or tryon

6/21/2012 4:20:31 PM

Quote :

"Huh? I thought as long as you have lived in a residence for 30 days, you could register to vote and have full rights. "

Don't more so than can't. Also I think you have to officially establish residence here which lots of students don't do. Can you even officially establish residence if you're in a dorm? On-campus students may not be able to vote in local elections at all.

6/21/2012 5:06:33 PM

Quote :

"Can you even officially establish residence if you're in a dorm? On-campus students may not be able to vote in local elections at all."

Yes, students can use their dorm address to register.

6/21/2012 5:14:50 PM

Quote :

"Can you even officially establish residence if you're in a dorm?"

of course you can. it's just such a pain in the ass to change your address back and forth if you go back home during the summer that hardly anyone does it.

6/21/2012 5:16:12 PM

Quote :

"I am actually thrilled they took the approach to target one particular area, because I do not believe in blanket solutions. Apply the solution to the area that is a problem, and not everywhere else."

I've got to disagree with you. The "problem" if you can call it that exists in many areas of Raleigh. The difference between SE Raleigh and SW Raleigh is that folks such as Thomas Crowder have no interest in living there. He's a NIMBY fellow...It's all good as long as it stays in the ghetto and doesn't personally affect him. IMO he should move to a HOA governed neighborhood rather than using his city council position to bend the will of the community immediately around his own home.

Besides, if it's not a problem in other areas of Raleigh then a citywide ordinance wouldn't have any affect on people in those areas, right?

Quote :

"I hate to break it to these people, but cars packed bumper to bumper all down the street is not going to look any better."

Agreed. I don't have this issue on my street, but if I did I'd rather they park their cars on their own lot rather than parking them in front of my house. The people who pushed for this ordinance are going to love it when the street in front of their own home is constantly full, leaving nowhere for their own guests to park.

[Edited on June 21, 2012 at 5:31 PM. Reason : s]

6/21/2012 5:19:35 PM

A lot of towns have ordinances against front yard parking (off of an improved surface). You have to think about this from the municipality's point of view: continued parking in the grass leads to sediment/erosion control issues when that mud is eventually tracked into the street. Also, rescue people argue that it hinders their access should an emergency arise. Third, front yard parking is generally not considered a positive for the perceived value and attractiveness of a community.

Also, if the taxpayers collectively bitch enough about a certain problem, something will get done about it (might be good or bad). Welcome to local government...

6/21/2012 5:36:52 PM

Students don't bother to change voter registration to Raleigh and often don't vote at all. Stop pretending the process is ornerous or they aren't allowed to.

6/21/2012 11:49:04 PM

HOAs are run by the worst people on earth.

I would never buy a house governed by one.

6/22/2012 1:13:43 AM

Even with permits, there is so little street parking in the part of Raleigh, I doubt it would be a reliable option.

They really should apply it to all parts of Raleigh, not just around campus.

6/22/2012 9:48:36 PM

Quote :

" IMO he should move to a HOA governed neighborhood rather than using his city council position to bend the will of the community immediately around his own home."

Exactly. Thomas Crowder sucks--I figured this shit had his fingerprints all over it before I even read his name.

6/23/2012 5:05:20 PM

If its too stupid for the rest of the city...its too stupid to apply near ncsu.

6/23/2012 5:56:30 PM

welcome to Cary?

6/24/2012 9:51:14 AM

Im so tired of the city of raleigh shitting all over this part of town.

6/24/2012 11:20:12 AM

NPO 2.0

Nuisance party Parking Ordinance

6/24/2012 11:27:29 AM

Quote :

"HOAs are run by the worst people on earth. I would never buy a house governed by one."

Our HOA isn't too bad. So far they haven't said a thing about all the blatant HOA violations in our front yard I can only imagine that a HOA for the neighborhood off of Hillsborough would be an absolute nightmare since it would be full of Crowders.

6/25/2012 9:21:03 AM

Yeah, mine is fine too. I can't build a 10 ft fence, paint my house pink, or put a swimming pool in my front yard. Woe, is me.

6/25/2012 10:47:01 AM