Fort Wood Residents Get Wider Resident Parking Zone; Grace Parking Signs To Come Down

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

The City Council voted Tuesday night to extend the boundaries of the Fort Wood neighborhood resident parking zone.

It will be extended to the 500 block of Fort Wood Street and also take in the 800 and 900 blocks of Vine and Oak streets - extending it to Central Avenue on the east.

The council also went along with a request from a large delegation of residents for the city to take down signs that give an hour's grace period for parking.

One resident said UTC students with classes shorter than an hour often park along Fort Wood streets, sometimes staying longer than an hour.

Residents said with UTC enrollment rising by 2,000 students this year it is getting harder and harder to find on-street parking near their homes.

One speaker said she had a scheduled luncheon guest, but the guest called to say she couldn't find a parking spot anywhere near her home.

Residents said they did not like the idea of putting in parking meters, saying that would mar the historic character of the district.

Ken Harpe, representing Kappa Sigma fraternity, spoke against the changes. He said there are two fraternities and a sorority in Fort Wood. He said the move was going to make it very difficult to find parking for monthly board meetings.

He said, "These organizations have stabilized Fort Wood."

The remark brought laughter from the audience.

Mr. Harpe said the fraternities and sororities were indeed a stabilizing force "at a time when Fort Wood was not so gentrified."  


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