Residential Parking Discussion in Glover Park has Implications for Georgetown

Residential parking is painfully limited in Glover Park in the evenings, often leaving neighbors to either park far from home and walk in the dark or to accept hundreds of dollars in tickets for parking illegally. The Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC3B) and neighbors met with representatives from the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and Department of Public Works (DPW) to discuss options to alleviate some of the painful parking limitations. Several items discussed during the meeting also have implications for Georgetown, especially Burleith.

Residential Parking Permits

The ANC asked DDOT representative, Damon Harvey, questions about adding more Residential Parking Permit (RPP) zones and extending the hours for restrictions on parking. Harvey told the ANC and neighbors that residents have the right to set the hours of the parking restrictions anywhere between the hours of 7 a.m. and midnight. Harvey intimated that there is an effort to have the District Council consider extending that limit to 2 a.m.

In order to extend the hours of the RPP zone to later in the night, neighbors would have to organize on a block-by-block basis and have 51 percent of homeowners sign a petition asking for the extension.

Several issues arise, however, from extending restricted parking hours. The first and most obvious is entertaining guests. If the parking restrictions are extended to midnight, technically guests could parking beginning at 9 p.m. without worrying about a ticket, but any earlier and the two-hour parking limit would apply and a ticket would be likely. The second issue is creating consistency. If one block opts for a midnight cut-off and another opts for 10 p.m., then it is likely that of two neighboring blocks, the one with the more lax restrictions would have greater issues with parking availability.

Harvey said one solution might be to go the way of a plan recently introduced by Councilmember Jim Graham. The new plan, which would require Council approval and the aid of Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh, would allow the ANC to set a standard that would apply to an entire ANC area. The caveat being the ANC must demonstrate that it developed a system to find a consensus among neighbors.

Finding More Parking

DDOT is working with the community to identifying areas where additional spaces could safely and legally be added. In some cases it means allowing parking on both sides of a street that previously only had one-sided parking. Another solution would be reducing the number of bus stops and recouping the bus space for parking, though this requires WMATA involvement. Neighbors are asked to scower their streets to identify spots that could potentially be used and notify the ANC so DDOT can review the plausibility.

One frustrated neighbor who lives on the border of Wards 2 and 3 complained about Ward 3 cars parking there in the morning so the residents can walk to the bus stop or to the University. It causes a drought of spaces on his block, he said, but the next block over in Ward 2 is empty. Harvey said there should be flex signs on the the two blocks on either side of Ward borders that read Zone 2/3 Parking. If you live in the border and do not have these signs, DDOT will replace the signs, creating a flexible bubble for parking on those bubble blocks.

Registration of Out-of-State Automobiles (ROSA)

DC law requires that automobiles "housed in the District of Columbia for 30 consecutive days" be registered and that the owner obtain a D.C. license. Glover Park recently worked with DDOT and DPW to have enhanced ROSA enforcement in the neighborhood, ticketing out-of-state vehicles starting at 11 p.m. and ending at 7 a.m. However, frequent short term visitors, such as nannies, house keepers, grandparents, etc. can apply for an exemption to ROSA.

ROSA exemptions can be obtained from the DMV. The exemptee must prove non-residency by presenting a copy of the original lease, deed or mortgage statement and a utility bill no more than 60-days old.