An updated residential parking permit program will formally take effect Saturday, Nov. 1 this year after the Granville Village Council voted to approve changes to parking zones in the village at a recent council meeting.
The Granville Village Council voted Wednesday, Oct. 1, to pass an updated residential parking permit program. Additional changes to the north side of West Broadway between Cherry Street and Mulberry Street were made to the original proposed plan during the meeting, following comments from Granville residents during the public comment period.
The proposed updated residential parking permit program would color-code parking in the village into four zones: red, yellow, blue and green. Each home identified in a specific zone would be issued two parking permits.
For example, if you have a green parking pass, you can park in permit spaces in the corresponding green zones. Stickers will be issued with a permit number linked to a specific vehicle, rather than physical tags that could be easily moved from one vehicle to another.
Read more: Granville parking challenges near Denison prompt proposed update for permit program
The proposed permit program also states that the entire 200 block of West Broadway on the north side has restricted overnight parking between midnight and 6 a.m. The council chose to amend that proposed plan during the meeting.
No residents live on the north side, but residents Kevin Reiner and Blake Rea live across the street on the south side. They use the parking on the north side when they have guests over or during larger events, such as performances at the Eisner Center for the Performing Arts at Denison University on the same block, which can bring heavy traffic during event hours.
“As a resident there, we’ve always parked on both sides of the street. And now we’ve got a bunch of restrictions,” Reiner said.
Reiner has lived on West Broadway for the past 18 years, and said that when his family visits, parking in the driveway is limited because it is only about 8.5 feet wide. Reiner’s next-door neighbor, Rea, shares the concern.
“I understand all of the restrictions [and] what we’re trying to accomplish within the village,” Rea said. “But if there’s some concession that can be made for residents to not have to require a special parking permit…when we need to park a vehicle somewhere close to our home for more than a few hours,” said Rea.
Rea said there are places to park, but having to get a permit feels unwelcoming.
The Granville Police Department primarily managed the updated residential parking permit program, with Officer Sarah Pope serving as the lead contact.
“I’m not opposed to doing a type of overnight parking for residents, but I don’t think that we should do one just specifically for a household,” Pope said. “In the parking ordinance, it states that we cannot specify and guarantee you an exact spot in the parking ordinance…I’m not opposed to doing just, like, overnight parking in that general area for the residents to be able to fill out an application online. We give them the overnight one, like we did the Sugarloaf parking. I’m not opposed to that.”
The council has taken into consideration the concerns of the residents who live in the area affected by the updated residential parking permit program and therefore chose to amend the ordinance before passing it.
Donna Chang writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.