St. Joseph City Commissioners could soon consider allowing on-street parking in residential areas on weeknights. At a meeting this week, they heard a proposal from resident Nicole Coar, who said as her family has grown, it’s become difficult for them to park their vehicles each night. With a narrow driveway, she said on-street parking would be a great benefit. Coar proposed a system in which residents could conveniently park their vehicles.
“My idea is to have cars have to register, similar to what we do at Lions Park and the boat launch and things like that,” Coar said. “You would have to come down to city hall to prove you are a resident. You would have to say, ‘These are the cars that I’m registering to be able to have on-street parking. It would be limited to residential areas. Obviously, we don’t want people parking downtown and taking up spots.”
Coar said if there’s an issue like a water main break, police could easily identify whose car has to be moved. Her suggestion was to allow the overnight on-street parking from March to November, leaving cars off the streets during the snowy months. Commissioners were open to her suggestions, with Mayor Laura Goos saying she’s had the same struggles with her family. Goos called it a great idea. The commission sent the matter to the downtown parking committee so it can create a subcommittee to study the issue.
