Several neighborhoods near the University soon may enact new restricted parking regulations during weekday hours.
The Charlottesville City Council at its April 15 meeting will hold a public hearing on proposals from neighborhood planners to change the parking ordinance for area neighborhoods.
The proposal comes in response to resident demand to keep commuters, among them University students and medical center employees, from parking for extended periods of time on the street.
"People were concerned that when they came home from the movies or dinner, they wouldn't have a place to park," Neighborhood Planner Jinni Benson said.
Another issue included safety for those having to park long ways from their homes and walk, Benson said.
The Jefferson Park Avenue and Venable area neighborhoods hope to update several streets to permit parking status, including Shamrock, Harmon, Wertland, Edgewood, Fendall, Old Farm, Cottage, Winston, Burnley and Wayside.
Another proposal will change the times University area streets are restricted. The proposal would restrict those streets with permit parking from midnight to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, Benson said.
"Parking is currently restricted from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.," she added.
The new times would discourage commuters working most shifts from parking in the neighborhoods while still allowing residents to have guests over during the evening hours, she said.
The city has long tried to encourage University officials to work on commuter parking problems, City Council member Meredith Richards said.
"For years, we've been using measures like permit parking to narrow the opportunities of parking on city streets for University employees," Richards said.
The University is working with city neighborhoods to design parking solutions, said Karen White, University director of parking and transportation.
However, the only alternative for many commuters still is to park at University Hall.
"Everybody's eligible for that type of permit," White said.
The U-Hall lot has a surplus of spaces for University workers though distance may pose a deterrent for many.
"Not everybody's going to be able to park near where they work," Benson said.
The cost of a University parking permit may prevent others from using the U-Hall lot.
While the University could reimburse medical center employees for the cost of parking because it is a transportation dependent organization, students would have to pay the fees, White said.
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