Last night’s presentation of the Area 21 parking permit did not go well. According to Sara Mountain and Steve Gorg, a few vocal opponents carried the day and got the Transportation Committee of the Mac-Groveland Community Council to table the permit instead of lending it their support. Luckily, this is not the end of the road for our parking permit petition effort, just a significant speed bump.

It is best if these permit parking petitions get the support of community councils so that the city council gets a clear sense that the process was a good one and the support of the neighborhood is present. However, the deciding agency on parking permits is city council, not the community council. We can and will still carry this petition forward to city council.

We are not sure which city council public hearing will include our petition as an agenda item. It is likely to be not he evening of Wednesday 1/18, 2/1, or 2/15, but details have yet to be worked out. It is very clear that every one of us who support the new Area 21 permits, including the extension of permit parking to the remainder of Lincoln between Prior and Cleveland, be present at this hearing when it happens.

We took the neighborhood council for granted. We let Sara and Steve carry our burden alone, and that was unfair and unsuccessful. Be ready to speak out yourself for the importance of this parking permit to city council. We will keep you informed about the details of the upcoming meeting.