Modesto to consider parking limits near MJC

The City Council is expected to weigh in Tuesday on a problem that has frustrated and vexed residents near Modesto Junior College East Campus for decades – students parking their cars on nearby streets, leaving residents and their guests with no place to park.

Council members are slated to hold a public hearing on whether they should ban students from parking on Myrtle Avenue – which is about a block east of the MJC campus – by requiring those who park on the street to have a residential parking permit. The restriction would be effective Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., on the two blocks of Myrtle between Coldwell and Stoddard avenues.

This is coming before the council because more than two-thirds of the Myrtle Avenue residents on those two blocks signed petitions asking the city to restrict parking on their street. Modesto’s Municipal Code states that if at least two-thirds of the homeowners and residents in a residential area sign a petition, then the council shall hold a public hearing on their request.

Residents living on other streets near the college could oppose this because some of them fear limiting parking on Myrtle will make it worse on their streets.

City staff is recommending the council establish the residential parking zone. Staff also wants to conduct a comprehensive study of the parking surrounding the east campus to determine whether parking restrictions on other streets are needed. Public Works Director Bill Sandhu said such a study could take four to eight months and would include public meetings, and the city would ask MJC to participate.

Sandhu also recommended that the city hold off charging Myrtle Avenue residents for annual parking permits until the city has conducted the study. Some residents have said the city’s $40 cost for an annual permit is too high. Sandhu said the study will look at what constitutes a fair price for a permit. He said the Myrtle restrictions could change based on the study’s findings.

Sandhu said the Myrtle Avenue restrictions could be implemented quickly, with the city installing signs outlining the restrictions. City officials have said the ticket for parking without a permit during restricted hours would be $38. Parking enforcement staff would make periodic checks of Myrtle and respond to complaints, officials have said.

Residents living near the east campus have said students have overwhelmed neighboring streets for about 50 years. Students can block driveways and leave fast-food wrappers and other trash in gutters and yards. Residents put out traffic cones to save parking spots for themselves and paint red stripes on the curbs near their driveways. An MJC spokeswoman has said students may park in the neighborhoods because it is closer to their classes than a student lot or they may not want to pay $30 for a semester parking pass.

A city report states this would be Modesto’s third residential parking permit zone. The first one is along Yosemite Avenue near Modesto High School, and the second is along the 1100 block of 11th Street in downtown.

This story was originally published December 6, 2015 at 5:18 PM with the headline "Modesto to consider parking limits near MJC."