Posted: Oct. 13, 2009

After hearing arguments for and against putting limits on parking on Elm Grove Street, the village's Safety Committee again recommended that no-parking signs be permanently placed on the east side of the road.

It is illegal for cars to park across from each other on all village streets, but the Police Department has seen an increase in the number of vehicles that are doing just that on Elm Grove Street because of the addition of new businesses and more businesses with dinner hours.

Due to the narrow village roads, two cars parked across from each other don't allow enough room for emergency vehicles to pass.

Banning parking altogether on the east side of Elm Grove Street would force drivers to park in a more orderly manner, said Police Chief Jim Gage.

Restaurants pose a problem

The department had been temporarily posting no-parking signs on days when increased traffic is expected, like on St. Patrick's Day. However, if both the Silver Spur and O'Donoghue's have large groups or private parties, a parking problem can emerge and police have to work to clear it up.

Officers will go to the restaurants to find drivers and ask them to move their vehicles, rather than automatically ticketing and towing them, Gage said.

Permanently banning parking on the east side of the street would eliminate the need for officers to do that, which would free them up for other duties.

Some opposition to change

Dennis Russell, owner of the building at 13300 Watertown Plank, where several shops are located, spoke against the move, citing the already limited parking in downtown Elm Grove, especially in the evening.

"I think it would behoove the village to resurrect studying the parking issue for the downtown area," Russell said. "We're in the middle of a pretty significant recession, which means that all the businesses are struggling."

But Gage assured Russell and the committee that the plan would not eliminate parking spaces because it already is illegal for cars to park across from each other.

"I personally have never seen the cars parked all the way to Juneau, except on St. Patrick's Day," Gage said.

Is road wide enough?

Mike Dwyer, owner of the multi-tenant building at 1125 Elm Grove St., said that both sides of the street should be designated as no-parking areas. He asked for car counts to determine how many people really park there.

He was concerned there would not be room for an emergency vehicle or a snowplow if there was a snow bank in addition to the line of cars on the 19-foot-wide street.

Village staff was confident there was ample room for one side of cars, snow banks and a snowplow.

"I think the last thing we want to do is just thoughtlessly or without consideration take away parking from downtown businesses," committee member Andy Vrakas said.

The no-parking signs still need approval from the Legislative Committee and the full Village Board.

Next Step

WHAT: Legislative Committee

WHEN: 7 p.m. Oct. 21

WHERE: Village Hall, 13600 Juneau Blvd.