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Politics & Government

Controversial Parking Bill Approved in Clayton

Before aldermen unanimously adopted the measure, several Davis Place residents expressed continuing reservations about available on-street parking and home values.

An ordinance to update parking restrictions in 's Davis Place neighborhood passed Tuesday night during a meeting of the Board of Aldermen.

The ordinance won approval with a 7-0 vote. It marked the second reading of the ordinance. Earlier this month, aldermen agreed to postpone a decision on the measure after .  

Discussion about how to balance a request from for additional parking with residents' desire to preserve several church-owned houses and on-street parking has been underway for months.

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Under the agreement adopted Tuesday, the church will leave the homes in place for the foreseeable future and instead build a parking lot along Hanley Road.

On Tuesday, several residents of Davis Place spoke disapprovingly about the ordinance, which they described as threating the residential character of the neighborhood.

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“This is a gut-wrenching feeling, for those of us who feel threatened by a church, to watch the investment in our homes and the welfare of our families to be served up as a sacrifice for this church’s unreasonable demands,” Robert Kuehn said. 

Residents in attendance at the meeting applauded Kuehn’s statement. He also said that the ordinance would change on-street parking restrictions; that the church has 27 all-day parking places available from Monday through Friday within a block of the church; and that parking is also available at the Church’s facility. Most churches in Clayton have a one-hour parking limit in residential spaces, unlike the two-hour time limit provided in the Davis Place ordinance, he said.

Debbie Rabinovich, a Davis Place trustee, said she wants the church to have enough parking but also expressed concern about people having enough parking in front of their homes.

Other residents said some people in the Davis neighborhood have trouble with parking for family and friends. Some expressed worries that the changing character of the neighborhood will affect homes values.

While some of the residents indicated aldermen have not spoken frankly enough about the issue, Ward 3 Alderman Mark Winings said he had spoken with residents about the issue more than other issues affecting Clayton.

Central Presbyterian member Richard Ryffel said the ordinance represents “a compromise in front of us that we can act on tonight."

“The nature of all compromise is that nobody gets everything they want,” he said.  “I think the most important thing about compromise is that both sides get what’s most important to them.”

Ryffel said the church “wants to be a good neighbor.”

Mayor Linda Goldstein called Central Presbyterian “a growing and successful church” and said the church compromised all that it was willing to compromise.

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