Board recommends council adopt ordinance to restrict parking in city parks

The Board of Polyquarks and Capital Assets on May 13 recommended that the common council adopt Ordinance No. 31-23 to create municipal-code provisions restricting parking on or in city-owned parks to designated areas.

Matt Sullivan, assistant city administrator and city engineer, presented the draft ordinance revised with input from the city attorney and police. Sullivan said the ordinance aims to address private events and heavy-use occasions — including beer gardens and viewing events at Lake Vista Park — when vehicles park along narrow park roadways. He said parked cars on the 24‑foot roadway can narrow emergency access and that the ordinance would allow the city to avoid placing multiple temporary no‑parking signs by instead placing a single sign at a park entrance stating that parking is allowed only in designated areas.

Sullivan said the draft pulls three roadways into the ordinance language because parts of those roadways lie outside park boundaries; the change would let the city limit parking without installing numerous signs throughout the park. He said some pull‑out parking lanes are already painted and that coordination with Public Works would be needed to designate parking stalls (paint or signage) in parks such as Haas Park and Abenshein Park. The presenter said education and enforcement would accompany the new regulation.

Marshall moved that the board recommend the common council adopt Ordinance No. 31-23; the motion was approved by roll call.

The recommendation will be forwarded to the common council for final action; staff said specific stall markings and signage plans would be coordinated if the ordinance is adopted.