Public Service Announcement RE: Parking- this is my house and fence, but (unfortunately) not my Alfa Romeo. I'm not sure who it belongs to, but they have a right to be right here, in front of my house.
The space in front of my fence to the street is called "the Public Right of Way," or ROW. It belongs to DOT.
I do have to keep the grass cut on the ROW, but I do NOT have the right to build a fence or garden blocking this section off. (This is called an encroachment.)
I also do NOT have the legal right to tell others what they can and can't do in the public Right of Way in front of my property, like park a car, as long as they aren't being disruptive or breaking other traffic laws, like blocking a sidewalk, fire hydrant, obstructing the roadway, or blocking my driveway.
There's a hot real estate market right now, yet there's few new commercial buildings popping on Meeting Street.
Right now, you might be saying, "What in the world does this have to do with street parking?"
Real Estate Development is also known as "mostly just math." A lack of public curb parking is a major contributor to cost prohibitive situations for new buildings to go up and (especially) more restaurants and cafes to move in.
This is such a large cost obstacle because off-street parking is outrageously expensive to develop (the true cost is about 10x more than many people guess due to engineering), and we, as a city, have not done the job that many places have done to offset "development math" by supplying street parking, which makes a whole lot of new parking for almost FREE using already paved space (and sidewalk parking creates foot traffic on sidewalks that helps shops). Then, the development math equation moves closer to where building new buildings make sense.
In older areas, the Right of Way can vary in size a lot from block to block-this can create confusion, and there are ways we can make this information clearer with our zoning ordinance, which cuts down confusion and helps makes this space more orderly.
If the up-and-coming neighborhoods around Meeting Street want to see the "biggest" progress boost, they should embrace the street parking rules that have always been on the books-and are similar in every city-and the community should advocate for improved Rights of Way with Street Trees, Sidewalks, and Curb parking (this is called a "Complete Street").
PS- If I told 2012 people, that in 2022, there would be Italian sports cars parking on Shull Street without all the houses getting demolished first, I don't know if many people would believe it!
Upcoming Events & Meetings
Tuesday, March 1, 6PM, City Hall, 200 N. 12th St, West Columbia Regular Council Meeting Agenda here.
Thursday, March 10, 8AM, 914 Meeting St, West Columbia WeCo River District Merchant Association Meeting Venue & breakfast provided by: Moseley Funeral and Cremation Service. Coffee provided by: Brickhouse Gourmet Coffee & Tea Co. West Columbia River District Business Owners & Residents are welcome to attend! RSVP here.
Monday, March 14, 6:30PM, 754 B Ave, West Columbia Guignard Neighborhood Association Meeting
Wednesday, March, 16, 5-7PM, The Warehouse, 312 State St, West Columbia WeCo River District & The Warehouse Presents: Hump Day Happy Hour All guests will receive 10% off their entire purchase! Join us for light refreshments, networking, & camaraderie. Sweets provided by: Always Original Bakery Coffee provided by: Brickhouse Gourmet Coffee & Tea Co. RSVP to: wecoriverdistrict@gmail.com
Monday, March 21, 6PM, City Hall, 200 N. 12th St, West Columbia Council Work Session
Saturday, April 23, 10AM-4PM, Kinetic Derby Day, https://www.kineticderbyday.com/ There's still time to sign-up! Last day is April 17th at 8PM.
Saturday, April 23, 11AM-1PM, 500 Meeting St, West Columbia WeCo River District Celebrates 71st Anniversary: Nordan & Foster Custom Upholstery Light refreshments will be provided. More information to come.
Friday, May 6, 2022, 5:30-9:30PM, 100-300 Blocks of State St, West Columbia Art on State. More information to come.
For real-time updates on local WeCo businesses & events, be sure to like/follow the WeCo River District on Facebook & Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/WeCoRiverDistrict https://www.instagram.com/wecoriverdistrict/
If you need anything at all, don't hesitate to reach out.
Hope to see you soon!
Sincerely,
David Benjamin Moye
Councilman, West Columbia District #8