A Holly Street resident speaking on behalf of his neighbors put the San Carlos City Council on notice Thursday that it should either reconsider eliminating daytime street parking or brace for legal action.
The busy traffic corridor is already dangerous, and turning the stretch between Old County and Industrial roads into four full lanes will only make it more so, said Rick Martinez.
“The City Council is putting our children at risk,” Martinez said during a phone interview Thursday.
On July 14, the council voted 3-2 to turn the parking lane along the one-third mile stretch into another traffic lane to reduce congestion.
Street parking on Holly is currently prohibited on weekdays from 4 to 6 p.m. westbound and from 7 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m. eastbound. The restriction would apply from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. under the new ordinance.
Martinez said he learned about the proposed change from concerned neighbors who came to his door. If residents had been adequately notified, more would have attended the council meeting to protest, he said.
In his letter to the council, Martinez said the description on its agenda about the proposed ordinance did not clearly state what actions it could take.
“The Agenda related to the July 14 vote made no mention of any discussion on a vote to perform any striping work on Holly Street related to increase of lanes or other surface work,” Martinez wrote. “Further, the Agenda failed to adequately inform the public a vote on parking restrictions was to occur.”
Martinez’s letter warns the council that if the Holly Street decision is not revisited he will seek a court order compelling the city to take corrective action. The letter gives the city 30 days to respond.
The title of an agenda item for the council’s June 23 meeting states that the elected body will consider “Introducing an Ordinance Amending Section 10.32.170-C of the Municipal Code — Parking-Prohibited Times and Location to Restrict Holly Street Corridor Parking from Industrial Road to Old County Road.”
The agenda title for the July 14 meeting when the council approved the ordinance dropped the last 13 words from that description. A staff report for the meeting noted that in addition to the parking restrictions, the city plans to re-stripe Holly Street to encourage two-lane capacity in each direction.
City Attorney Greg Rubens told The Daily News on Thursday that the titles were “accurate and complete,” adding that they’re “generally” supposed to be 20 words or less.
The description could not have been that vague since a sizeable number of residents attended the meeting to oppose the change, he added.
“I just don’t think there was any misunderstanding from the public,” Rubens said. “And from a legal standpoint, it’s an adequate description.”
In addition to the agenda posting, the city sent postcards to Holly Street residents notifying them that the council would be taking up the parking restriction, Rubens said. Martinez said he never received that notice.
Even if the issue is brought back, Rubens said he doesn’t see why the council would change its mind.
“I know the neighborhood’s upset about it, but we have three council members who decided to remove the parking,” Rubens said.
Holly Street resident Octavio Jara said though he hopes the legal threat will prompt a revote, he and others are plotting a back-up plan.
“We’re definitely asking when these people are up for re-election,” Jara said.
Email Bonnie Eslinger at beslinger@dailynewsgroup.com; follow her at twitter.com/bonnieeslinger.
