Community Corner
Where Would Jesus Park? Davis Place Survey Respondent Asks
It's among the comments offered to trustees of the Clayton neighborhood as part of a survey about on-street parking, the preservation of three houses and a local church.
Davis Place trustees received 61 written comments in response to an online survey about parking distributed earlier this summer.
Some people wrote a sentence or two, while others wrote paragraphs. A full copy of the report is expected to be published on the Davis Place News website Wednesday night.
The following is a look at 10 comments that caught our attention. They have been printed as they appear in the report.
"I live near Brentwood, so this issue clearly affects others more than me. That said, the long-term viability of Central Pres is important to this neighborhood. Ease of parking for new members will support the church. If the church withers and goes empty in 25 years, we will have done ourselves no favors. Let them build their parking lot."
"The church is not negotiating, it is dictating. That is not OK. The church wants proximate parking and does not need it. The neighborhood wants less traffic, and ease of entry in and out. What Would Jesus Do? He would not tear down houses. He would happily sing on his short walk to church from off site parking. The church needs to be patient until they can do the right thing and build the right building."
"Davis Place street parking is intended for residents and their guests, not a substitute for commercial parking. They can find off site arrangements like all the other businesses."
"The parking restriction on our street is more restrictive than in the CBD. I am directly impacted by the Church, but I am so disgusted at the new parking regulations. Honestly, patroling our street until 8 or 9 pm at night?! The new restrictions on parking are over the top and an over-reaction. I am not a member of Central Pres. I think we should negotiate with the church on the parking, but not have the parking be so restrictive that it impacts everyone. The church has acted badly & Davis Place reacted. We all need to take a step back & realize we all must work together."
"I feel unqualified to offer an opinion on something that will have much greater effect on the residents east of South Bemiston. I would vigorously support whichever option is supported by the majority of those residents."
"Let's share our parking in hopes that the Church will not tear down any houses in Davis Place ! We live just west of Bemiston and are happy to have church-goers park in front of our home."
"I feel that we are being held hostage. The church is Not a "good neighbor" and I say that with my family having been members since the church was built in this location. I am embarrassed by their lack of concern for our neighborhood. Religious organizations help to ground a community, except in this case. I will do everything to fight the tear down of those nice homes, I hope that our trustees will as well. As you may have guessed we no longer attend the church though we were the 4th generation married there. Feel free to share these comments with anyone."
"we have had these parking issues long before the church parking lot came up."
"I do not live in this area, so I do not feel comfortable telling the people there what to do. However, I would like to note that the residents near the church bought their property knowing full well that the church needed parking, especially on Sundays. I think full accomodation should be made to the church on Sundays; the rest of the time, they should be more considerate of the residents."
"I don't like the way these questions are framed, as they imply that greater church use of on-street parking in Davis Place is the only way to avoid tearing down homes to build a parking lot. I don't think homes should be torn down or a parking lot built in Davis Place, and I think the church has other options than taking over on-street parking in this residential neighborhood. They have an underutilized parking lot across Hanley."
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