Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Cayce City Council Considering Strict Parking Rules

The Cayce City Council is considering a major change to parking rules for residences within its boundaries. At the March 2nd meeting, an agenda item included discussion and approval of Ordinance 2021-07 amending Article 9 of the zoning ordinance to add a new section 9.11 concerning vehicular parking in yards in residential zoning districts.

Currently, Cayce’s zoning ordinance does not regulate parking vehicles in front yards. The city claims that it receives a large number of complaints and inquiries about parking vehicles in residential front yards. The new Ordinance requires front yard parking to be contained to an improved surface

The new section in the zoning ordinance will require each home to have a designated parking area covered with concrete, asphalt, bricks, crushed stone, gravel, mulch or other pervious materials. Tire ribbons of asphalt, brick, concrete, or some other hard impervious surface are permitted where the overall parking space meets the size requirements.

The March 2nd council meeting had the first reading of the ordinance, which would become effective 180 days after second reading approval.

Language from the ordinance will include: “No person shall park a vehicle of any description, including but not limited to automobiles, trucks, vans, buses, motorcycles, all-terrain or similar off-road vehicles, recreational vehicles, motor homes, campers or camping trailers, trailers, boats, and jet skis within the front yard of any property used for residential purposes except upon a parking space designed in accordance with this section. This section is not intended to prohibit the temporary parking of a vehicle upon a driveway.”

The amount of space taken up for parking at a residence will be defined in the ordinance as: “Parking spaces and driveway shall not occupy an area greater than 40 percent of the primary front yard or 500 square feet within the primary front yard, whichever area is greater. On corner lots, parking spaces and driveway may consume the above amount of area within either the primary front yard or the secondary front yard, but not both. On through lots, parking spaces and driveway may consume the above amount of area within only one primary front yard.”

Not everyone is happy about this proposed change in parking regulations throughout the city. Karen Fitch, a Cayce resident, has started a petition opposing the regulation on www.change.org.

Fitch states in her petition, “This petition is to stop the passing of Cayce’s proposed parking ordinance 9.11: Vehicular Parking in Yards of Residential Areas. Cayce is comprised mostly of single family dwellings with many residents not subject to mandatory HOAs. Cayce, as a whole, is not a planned unit development where rules, regulations and restrictions are imposed contingent upon the selling and buying of a property. Cayce is not the suburbs; we are not and should not be uniformed.  Our city is rich in history; our homes are eclectic and charming; our residents are welcomed from all socioeconomic backgrounds.”

Fitch believes that the new rules will cause a financial burden on Cayce residents who will have to make improvements and changes to their yards to accommodate the requirements. “It is inequitable to ask homeowners now, especially during the country’s economical hardship, to add additional construction on their property when it was not required at the time of purchase or construction,” she said. 

The petition is seeking two hundred signatures and has already reached 80% of the goal. 

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