Zoned Parking Blocked On Emerald Street

Marc Borbely asked Mr. Cartwright about the status of the zoned parking on Emerald Street. Maureen and Klaus Nielsen had filed a petition in November by seeking zoned parking, and then Lacey Bigelow filed a counterpetition recently in opposition to zoned parking on the street.

From a voicemail on Thursday...

I did get a counterpetition, and that means we can't do anything at this point.

I'm putting together a letter and a package to your ANC [Advisory Neighborhood Commission] commissioner. I'm going to send it to her — she's the ANC for that area [ANC 6A06]— let her deal with it. She may get better results and meet with the people and come up with an answer, whether the majority of the street really wants it, which, in this case, I'm sure they do, but I can't put it up at this time, because of the counterpetition.

And maybe she can better resolve it, so that if we do put the signs up, we wouldn't have to take them down again, because it's quite costly to up-and-down with the signs.

Normally, we wait about a year and then the block can repetition. But I can't really put it up until I get some type of confirmation that it's going to go through and it's going to stay up.

So I'll have to get the ANC member — ANC is Jessica Ward, for that area, and her number is 396-3193 — she'll be getting a letter soon in reference to this, and when she gets together with the neighborhood, she can find out what's happening.

But right now, I did get the counterpetition, and I can't do anything at this point.

In a subsequent conversation, Mr. Wickey confirmed that the counterpetition was deemed valid and that it contained signatures from the required 51 percent of households on the block. He said he checked a signature of someone who had signed both petitions, and that person, an owner, said he or she had had a change of heart.

He said that he will refer the zoned parking controversies on both Emerald and E Streets to Ms. Ward. (He said he would let Ms. Ward handle the E Street case even though she does not represent the south side of E Street — that side, in ANC 6A05, is represented by ANC Commissioner Michael Musante.)

Mr. Cartwright said that normally the department requires a year to pass after a counterpetition before a block can
re-petition for zoned parking.

He said that if residents meet with Ms. Ward and then show that they are overwhelmingly ("way more than 51 percent") in favor of zoned parking, he will not require a year to go by. E and Emerald Streets are the only streets he knows of where residents have successfully filed counterpetitions to zoned parking requests. §