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Thursday, April 17, 2014

Homeowners receive parking tickets in their driveways…


In an unsuspecting neighborhood in Glendale, Arizona, it is now illegal for a select group of homeowners to park in their driveways.  On April 15, the Glendale Police Department surprised homeowners, with the unfortunate luck of owning a home with incredibly shorter than average driveways, by placing parking tickets on their windshields.

In this well established neighborhood there are two types of homes built by different home builders.  The majority of the homes were built in 1974 but there is a small pocket of homes that were built in 1979.  The latter of the two have always been faced with challenges when it comes to parking.   Their driveways were poorly planned and are almost half the size of the average driveway.  So short, that a Volkswagen Bug parked in one would hang over the sidewalk.

The majority of residents in this particular section choose to park their vehicles in the driveway instead of the garage.  As homeowners and tax payers they have assumed for many years that this was their right to do so.  By doing nothing more than parking in front of their homes, in their driveways, they received parking tickets on their windshields.  No warning, no grace period, just tickets in the amount of $32 for parking in their very own driveways, in front of the homes that they own.

They have called the telephone number printed on the ticket in search of answers, just a simple explanation as to why, after 35 years is it now illegal to park in these miniature driveways?  No such luck there, for on the other end of the telephone was only a worthless recording without the option to speak to a live human being.  Nor, did it give an alternate number to try.  Eventually, after several attempts, one homeowner was able to speak to an on duty police officer but only found more discouraging news.  In short, the only option they were given was to hire a code compliance investigator along with an attorney to try and sway the city to change this parking ordinance despite the poorly thought out driveways.

Left with only a single affordable option for these seemingly innocent homeowners, they united and wrote out requests for a court date to fight for the privilege of parking in their very own driveways once again.  So with a glimmer of hope, they now prepare for their day in court to try and make the city see their side of this dilemma in which they clearly had no choice.  Pictures were taken to support their fight along with measurements of the two very different sized driveways within their community.  Their stories will be heard; at least that is their hope.  Will they find an explanation along with some justice?  Or will the day be as wasted as that space in front of their homes appears to be

©2014 Lysa Wilds


To be continued…

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