KINGWOOD — Kingwood Council granted a variance to the winter parking ordinance this week and agreed the 41-year-old law needs revisions.
Attorney Hilary Bright asked council to allow on-street parking on Jackson Street up to Center, behind her office. Under the ordinance, which took effect Dec. 1, 1978, on-street parking is prohibited from Nov. 15 to April 15, except for certain times in the business district.
The ordinance describes the business district as Price Street from Brown Avenue to the old post office (now the Schwarzenberg Clinic) at Hartman Street, Main Street (W.Va. 7) from its intersection with Morgantown Street to the intersection with Locust, High Street where parking meters are located and any other locations with parking meters.
Bright’s office is in the former chamber of commerce building on West Main, across from Circle K. There are not meters on Jackson, but there are on the Main Street side of the building.
“I’m requesting a variance so that I don’t have to worry or my clients don’t have to worry about getting a ticket every time I come out when it’s snowing,” Bright told council.
Mayor Jean Guillot said the 1978 guidelines no longer fit the boundaries of the business district.
“It’s not very business friendly,” Bright said.
“It’s not one of those things we can fix overnight,” Recorder Bill Robertson said.
But, said Councilman Josh Fields, we can give Bright a variance and this gives us impetus to act promptly in revising the ordinance.
The motion to grant the variance was unanimous.
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