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Downtown merchant says nonprofit overflow is choking customer parking; council directs staff to study time limits and signage
Summary
A downtown business owner told the Rosenberg council that clients of a nearby nonprofit are occupying street parking for hours, hurting retailers. Councilors directed staff to survey 3rd Street for targeted time limits and to ask the nonprofit to encourage patrons to use the city lot.
Sherry Alexander, a downtown merchant, told the council: "We've been having severe parking issues for the last 6 months. People, our customers can't park in front of the store." She said the problem grew after the nearby nonprofit HOPE doubled in size and patrons now park for hours in front of retail stores, deterring customers.
Councilors discussed possible remedies including asking the nonprofit to advise patrons to use the large city parking lot across Avenue F, installing time-limited spaces on 3rd Street (members discussed 30 minutes up to two hours), and targeted signage. The city attorney raised enforcement and equal-protection concerns, noting time limits on public streets require consistent application and enforcement resources. The mayor cautioned that adopting an ordinance would create citizen expectations for enforcement.
The council rejected metering as a general solution and agreed staff should first "identify some places that we can give folks like this some relief," directing staff member Rigo to survey the block from Avenue H to Avenue F and consult merchants about suggested time limits. The council asked staff to return with specific spaces and recommended time windows before any ordinance drafting.
The exchange included practical enforcement notes: staff said most parking/code complaints are complaint-driven, and an attorney noted that selective enforcement could raise legal issues. The council emphasized working with downtown stakeholders and the downtown organization before drafting enforceable ordinances.
