Clayton aldermen table parking ordinance, direct staff to draft plan removing four Gay Avenue spaces and run speed study

Clayton aldermen on Feb. 25 paused consideration of a staff-drafted ordinance that would change parking on Gay Avenue near University Drive and directed staff to prepare a revised ordinance removing four parking spaces and to run a speed and traffic study of the street.

City engineers told the board that intersection and driveway sight-distance standards are not currently being met at University Drive and at a north driveway for a recently completed townhouse development on Gay Avenue. Engineering calculations presented at the meeting showed that fully meeting intersection sight-distance standards for the posted 25 mph speed limit would require removing roughly 5 parking spaces north of University Drive and 6 on the south side; meeting driveway sight-distance criteria would require roughly 6 spaces south of the driveway and 2 north. Staff said those full removals would significantly reduce on-street parking.

Staff noted that an earlier resident survey (37 mailings, 23 responses) showed 60% of respondents opposed removing parking spaces. Several residents who spoke at the meeting said they moved into the neighborhood for walkability and rely on on-street parking for visitors. Others, including residents of the new townhouse development, described difficulty pulling out of the new driveway and urged changes. City staff also reported one recorded traffic crash at the University/Gay intersection since 2018.

After extended discussion the aldermen and staff agreed to a compromise approach that would 1) ask staff to re‑install residential parking signage removed during construction, 2) begin a short traffic-speed/volume study and deploy a temporary radar display if appropriate, and 3) prepare an ordinance that removes four parking spaces targeted to improve visibility near the townhouse driveway and at University Drive. Director of Public Works Matt Malek and Senior Civil Engineer Rich Wilburn said removing the four spaces would not meet the full engineering standard but would materially improve sight lines for drivers exiting the townhouse garage and for vehicles turning at University Drive.

The Board acted on a motion by Alderman Beuse to table the ordinance in its current form and request staff return with a revised bill reflecting the four-space removal and the traffic-speed study. The motion passed unanimously.

Next steps: Public Works will post residential parking signs where they were removed during construction, run a traffic-speed and volume study in the Gay Avenue corridor, and prepare a revised ordinance for the Board that removes the four identified spaces. The Board indicated it may consider additional measures (enhanced enforcement, speed-calming devices) after staff returns with study results.