Nearly everyone in Corrales seems to agree that the village has a parking problem.
The issue of addressing that problem without overreach is proving thorny for the Village Council.
Councilors, on Feb. 10, directed village administration to create another draft of a municipal code change that will create an enforceable set of parking regulations.
The new draft will be reviewed by councilors and put up for public comment before final approval.
The initial draft shown at the meeting called for “no parking” signs to be permitted along residential streets adjacent to commercial areas.
Councilor Zachary Burkett immediately questioned how those terms would be defined. One scenario, he said, involves two businesses on opposite sides of a road.
“Is that road considered commercial up until the point where commercial zoning ends, and then it becomes residential, or if a road has a house on it at any point, is it considered a residential road?” he said.
The consensus was that “neighboring” is too vague and that the law needs to establish specific rules for how far away patrons of Corrales businesses can park.
Planning and zoning administrator Laurie Stout said she’s seen customers parked as much as a half-mile from the businesses they were patronizing.
The language adopted by the council says “offending vehicles may be ticketed and/or towed at their owners’ expense, upon complaints by affected residents or when warranted by public safety concerns.”
That suggests that parking at a friend’s home would not be treated as a violation, yet police would still have a tool for sanctioning motorists who block driveways or “choke” two-lane residential roads down to one lane.
Village Attorney Randy Autio said at a previous meeting that the rules should provide a way for residents to lawfully park as they visit other Corraleños.
Police Chief Victor Mangiacapra told councilors he’s hoping the signs create a deterrent effect and convince drivers to stick to authorized parking areas.
In a similar vein, Councilor Stuart Murray suggested including a grace period, perhaps of 60 or 90 days, in the final rule. Motorists could be warned of the change during that time and informed of possible tickets later, he said.
Murray also suggested that the end of the commercial district on each public road could be marked with a sign prohibiting commercial parking beyond that point.
Others discussed residents informing neighbors beforehand when planning parties that will result in guests parking on the street.
The discussion at times touched upon the scarcity of parking in the village. Councilor Mel Knight said the village is partially to blame, having not developed much safe, accessible public parking. She said she’s seen people use a “mud pile” on the Gonzales property, across the street from the Village Administration Complex, as an impromptu parking lot.
“I’ve seen cars park there and use that, but I don’t think everybody knows if that’s available,” Knight said. “And I think the village has a responsibility to identify areas where people can park and have it not just be a mud pile.”
Mayor Fred Hashimoto noted that businesses are required to provide on-site customer parking. Stout said businesses hoping to open in Corrales are supposed to identify parking areas on their site plans.
The parking situation is sure to stay on Corraleños’ minds, considering that the Heritage House has officially cleared its paperwork hurdles and is ready to open.
Anyone wishing to share comments may email Village Clerk Mandy Wolf at mwolf@corrales-nm.org or visit the village website to contact a councilor directly.