Residents of the Greenbrier neighborhood pressed Chesapeake City Council on Oct. 14 about speeding, blocked driveways and parking congestion tied to an early-voting site in a city-owned building at Cedar Road.

Sue Gresley and Doug Gresley told council they have witnessed persistent speeding and parking that blocks mail delivery, driveways and bus stops near Bartel and Briarfield drives. "They don't stop at the stop sign. They don't stop for the buses when they have their red light out to stop," Sue Gresley said during the public-comment period.

Doug Gresley said the city-owned building used by the Registrar's Office for early voting creates parking overflow into the neighborhood during votes and early-voting periods. Council members and the city manager responded: the Registrar's Office is a state office that leases space from the city, and state code requires the Registrar's Office be the early-voting location in that facility, the manager said. The manager also said the city has an elections logistics team reviewing the parking situation and will report back to council on potential operational changes and short-term mitigations for future voting cycles.

On speeding and traffic-calming, the city manager outlined the formal process residents must follow to request speed-control devices such as speed tables. He said the process typically requires neighbor support, signatures and council consideration. The manager also noted a pending state legislative issue the city will monitor that could affect local authority to set minimum parking requirements.

Council members asked for a staff follow-up to explain the petition process for traffic calming and to report back on election-site parking improvements before the next election cycle.