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Council adopts elective neighborhood parking permit program limited to Uptown block after amendment
Summary
On third reading the council approved Ordinance 5933 establishing an elective residential parking permit program limited, by friendly amendment, to the east side of North Main Street between Saffran and Looney avenues in the Uptown area; the permit fee was discussed as $50 but several members indicated support for free permits or rebates.
The Memphis City Council approved an elective neighborhood parking permit program (Ordinance 5933) on third and final reading after a friendly amendment narrowed the program's scope to a specific Uptown block.
Councilman Adrien Smiley, sponsor of the ordinance, said the measure responds to complaints from homeowners in the Uptown neighborhood who said residents of nearby apartment complexes were parking on streets in front of single‑family homes, blocking mailboxes and driveways and leaving abandoned vehicles. "People who live in homes should have the ability to utilize the space that they pay for," Smiley said.
Councilmember Janika White offered a friendly amendment limiting the program to the Uptown neighborhood; Smiley accepted the amendment. The amended ordinance applies to the east side of North Main Street between Saffran Avenue and Looney Avenue, Smiley said on the floor.
Public comment: Tanya Mitchell, a resident at 626 North Main, described repeated driveway and mailbox blockages and abandoned inoperable vehicles left by tenants. Amber Sherman, who submitted a public comment card, thanked Smiley and White for narrowing the ordinance and said the language will prevent privatization of public street parking.
Permit fee and use of proceeds: Council members asked about the permit fee. Councilmember Easter Thomas asked the sponsor the fee amount; Smiley and others said the adopted program uses a $50 permit in line with an existing practice on Court Avenue. Several council members expressed willingness to consider making permits free or providing a rebate, and engineering staff said current fees are typically used to pay for signage and placards and to implement the program.
Vote: the ordinance, as amended, passed on third reading. The recorded vote: Carlisle — yes; Cooper‑Sutton — yes; Easter Thomas — yes; Ford — yes; Logan — yes; Smiley — yes; Espinosa — yes; Warren — yes; Swearington Washington — yes; White — yes; Walker — yes; Chairman Canali — yes.
Ending: the measure was limited in scope to the defined Uptown block; the council and staff discussed program administration and possible use of permit funds for neighborhood improvements. Implementation steps, including signage and issuance of placards, will be handled by the Division of Engineering.
