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#Post#: 69370--------------------------------------------------
Re: Baseball Field at the Top of the Hill
By: gramma dishes Date: August 17, 2021, 6:10 pm
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[quote author=holly firestorm link=topic=2140.msg69362#msg69362
date=1629231935]
... it is illegal to block even a private driveway. They will
come and give someone a ticket for that. ...
[/quote]
Where I live if someone parks across your driveway you can call
and have the car towed away and they do it immediately!
#Post#: 69373--------------------------------------------------
Re: Baseball Field at the Top of the Hill
By: STiG Date: August 17, 2021, 9:42 pm
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[quote author=holly firestorm link=topic=2140.msg69362#msg69362
date=1629231935]
The only additional suggestion I'd have for the Baseball Field
situation is that everyone should park their cars, using as much
space as possible, on the street the night before a possible
event.
[/quote]
This is my suggestion as well.
You may get more traction going through your EMS management or
the fire department, since a big part of your concern is the
ability for emergency vehicles to get through.
#Post#: 69377--------------------------------------------------
Re: Baseball Field at the Top of the Hill
By: ABL Date: August 17, 2021, 11:47 pm
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When I lived in Nashville, certain areas became "revitalized"
with new restaurants, bars, stores, etc. in areas that were
mostly residential. This was wonderful in some ways (new
businesses = created jobs, lowered crime rates, & raised house
values), but also caused new issues (increased traffic &
property taxes + drove housing prices into the stratosphere).
The original parking lots for these businesses were tiny &
relied 95% on street parking... which worked fine for the
original businesses who didn't have 200 people show up in 3
hours. On the street parking is also used by the almost 90% of
the actual RESIDENTS (no driveways with limited back alley
parking - 1-2 car max).
If you got home from work @ 6PM on Friday? You might have to
park 4-6 blocks (or more) from your house, because all of your
street parking was taken over by customers of the bars &
restaurants - or - you drove around the block hoping someone
would leave (& someone else didn't get to the spot first).
The neighborhoods weren't designed for the amount of extra cars
from each house having 3-4 cars (instead of 1, max 2), so the
residential parking had already been an issue. When you added
business customers too? It was a complete disaster (& no real
options for businesses to add a larger parking lot/structure).
There isn't really any functional public transit in the area
either, so there's not a lot of ways to reduce the # of cars
(for residents or businesses).
It took awhile & required some public shame (for the city) on
the news, but the residents FINALLY got "Resident Permit Parking
Only" legally designated on certain streets by the city. If
your car didn't have a permit sticker, the police would give you
a ticket. It's possible that they could also tow your car (I
don't remember the specifics).
I think they neighbors actually banded together & put up their
own signs about a year or so prior to the city finally getting
it done (it wasn't legal, but it did help reduce the amount of
people parking there & I’m sure that is what the residents cared
about... it also helped to motivate the city when someone threw
a fit about how it wasn't "legal").
In your case, your street definitely needs to push back on the
city to outline the legal violations/issues with emergency
services (plan & access to services) along with residential
zoning laws. Citing legal violations of existing laws will help
get the city/business owner to do something about this,
especially if the whole street is willing to go to court to get
it to stop (costing the city money & possibly getting the
business shut down).
The additional traffic & parking IS an issue & has created
Unsafe Accessibility, Egress, & Exit for Residents -as well as-
anyone at the event/sport.
What happens when there's an emergency during a sports event & a
person dies/multiple people die (resident, kid, worker,
attendee) because they can't get EMS (Ambulance, Police, Fire)
up the street? A fire could spread, a person's allergic
reaction could be deadly, a potentially violent situation
becomes fatal... This should not be something you need to worry
about.
Is there any existing residential zoning that restricts/prevents
your street from becoming event/business parking on a regular
basis? Or anything that prevents people from parking on both
sides of the street? (Our city will ticket you if you park more
than 10" off the curb, as it's a road/traffic hazard. Some
areas prevent street parking on both sides of the street & it's
posted.)
Is the space legally zoned to run a sports/event space in that
area since it's currently operating without adequate/separate
*on site* parking?
Is there a requirement for a business license/permit for the
space? if so, does the owner have a current license/permit?
Does all the business have all required permits, insurance,
etc.?
Is the space being used per zoning laws? (Is it zoned as a
Park? Commercial Mixed Use? Residential?) Find out what the
area is zoned as & see if it meets the requirements. (I don't
think you can run a event/sports field on property zoned
Residential.)
Is there any fire marshal requirements about the number of
people allowed in the field area at one time (50, 100, 500)? Do
they violate that number? Are they following fire codes for the
types of events they are having? (You can call the Fire Marshal
to shut down an event that goes over the max people allowed.)
How are the fire lanes designated (Commercial Property has
strict laws/requirements for emergency access)?
When you run a commercial business, emergency services HAVE to
have unimpeded access & there are steep fines for
non-compliance. Businesses typically have certain areas of
their parking lots & entrance/exit points that can't be blocked
by vehicles or anything else. (I ran into this in an office
with limited parking & people tying to park on partially a curb
within the designated fire lane as it made the lane too
narrow/obstructed. On the inside of the building, we couldn't
add file cabinets to certain hallways because it would make them
6" short of the required fire code width. This may be different
for venues that are mostly outdoor.)
The city should *require* the owner of the field to provide
parking IN HIS FIELD (Why doesn't his field have a parking
area?) -or- at an alternate non-residential location. It should
definitely be the business owners responsibility to provide
parking that isn't just on your street. Even if this wasn't a
huge problem for the residents for many years, it certainly is
now & it needs to change.
Your street could personally pay for & install your own speed
limit signs (following the signage laws for your city - black &
white reflective at 10"x14" mounted at 6' on metal post - or
whatever yours are specifically). I'm actually surprised no one
has done this yet, especially since your city doesn't seem to
care if it gets done or not. It's a huge pain & not "legal" but
it might help make your street a bit safer. If it was my
street, I would be willing to split the cost with other
residents to get this done.
I would probably add some speed bumps every 15-20' & additional
signs for "No Parking without a RESIDENTIAL Permit - Your
vehicle will be towed.". It's easy enough to order/make
stickers for the inside of all of the residents windshields (&
give residents guest passes that they can use for visitors).
People hate speed bumps & typically won't park anywhere they
might get towed. If the business owner or the people going to
the field make a stink... which they eventually will, the
residents can make sure to have all of their ducks in a row to
push back on the city/business owner (& the years of inaction
despite the RESIDENTS legitimate complaints).
#Post#: 69430--------------------------------------------------
Re: Baseball Field at the Top of the Hill
By: BeagleMommy Date: August 20, 2021, 7:54 am
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Update: Apparently there are new owners of the baseball field
who "didn't think traffic would be an issue". It seems that
most of the neighborhood called the police last weekend and the
new owners promised to make sure it doesn't happen again.
We'll see what happens this weekend.
#Post#: 69441--------------------------------------------------
Re: Baseball Field at the Top of the Hill
By: sandisadie Date: August 20, 2021, 10:49 am
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This development appears to be good news for your street.
Fingers crossed!
#Post#: 69443--------------------------------------------------
Re: Baseball Field at the Top of the Hill
By: holly firestorm Date: August 20, 2021, 11:46 am
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My fingers are crossed for you, Beaglemommy.
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