Committee approves new parking rules for 100 block of South Charles Street near Randall School

The Waukesha City Parking & Grounds Committee approved a revised parking scheme May 5 for the 100 block of South Charles Street near the former Randall School, shifting from an engineering recommendation for two-hour restrictions to a mixed plan that the committee said better reflects neighborhood needs.

Under the approved plan, there will be no parking directly along the frontage of the Randall School building (College Avenue to the northern edge of the school property). The northern segment of the east side of the block will be designated four-hour parking between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday (weekends and holidays unrestricted). The southern portion of the block, from the school's southern property line to Laffland, will remain unrestricted as it is now.

The change follows sustained neighborhood outreach. "We're looking to ease the restrictions during the daytime as well," resident Joe Ziegler said, summarizing the neighborhood group's position after five months of outreach. Ziegler said the neighborhood preferred four-hour daytime limits rather than a new two-hour restriction, citing convenience and that the southern half of the block has not experienced problems with student parking.

Craig, representing Public Works/Engineering, presented the department's analysis and said the department and police had recommended two-hour parking (Sept. 1–June 1, except Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays) but would consider other options. Neighbors and committee members debated enforcement complexity of mixed signage versus residents' needs for longer on-street stays.

Jamie Kryskowski, a Carroll College professor who said she may teach in the Randall building if it becomes academic space, urged preserving emergency-vehicle access and keeping no-parking during the day directly in front of the building: "That's also an emergency vehicle, access to the school and so I would definitely advocate for keeping it no parking during the day." Kryskowski said Carroll expects graduate programs and year-round use of the site.

Pat Hickey, a resident at 117 South Charles, described mobility needs and said her visitors require longer stays: "I would need like 4 hours in order to have our discussions, our lunch, our games, whatever and not rush." Multiple neighbors said unrestricted evenings and weekends are important.

Joe Ziegler also presented parking data he pulled from police dispatch records for a nearby Wilbur Avenue block; he said there were 23 parking-related complaints over 10 years for that block and none were related to a four-hour limit, noting most complaints involved hydrant or driveway obstructions.

A committee member moved to: eliminate parking along the length of the Randall School frontage (College Avenue to the northern property line); establish four-hour parking on the east side northern segment between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday–Friday; and leave the southern block unrestricted. The motion was seconded and the committee voted aye; the motion passed.

Committee members discussed enforcement trade-offs and noted that signage should be as clear as possible to reduce confusion for parking enforcement. Public Works staff said they would implement signage changes and that the department and parking agents currently enforce a variety of time-limited signs in the area.

The committee held item 5C for later consideration and then moved on to communications and adjournment.