MARIETTA - Marietta College is on Christmas break, so the 300 blocks of Fifth and Sixth streets were quiet Tuesday - plenty of parking spaces on both sides of the brick avenues that are lined with many of the city's historic older homes.
But the parking situation will be much different when college students and faculty return to campus in January, according to neighborhood residents who have petitioned Marietta City Council to develop a parking permit program for city streets in that area.
"I would encourage council members to drive through that area during the holidays, then again after college is back in session; you'll see the difference and no explanation will be needed," Sixth Street resident Jack Moberg told council's streets and transportation committee Tuesday night.
He was among more than 30 people who attended a committee meeting about the parking issue Tuesday.
Residents in that area of Fifth, Sixth and Cutler streets, Whites Road and Foster Lane say vehicles from commuting college students and staff take up nearly all of the on-street parking spaces in those neighborhoods during the daytime when school is in session, leaving residents no place to park near their homes.
To help alleviate the problem, the neighbors have proposed council enact a residential permit parking ordinance that would allow residents to purchase permits to park on city streets near their homes between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
There are 117 on-street parking spaces in the neighborhood, and the proposal would provide two permits for each residence, as well as a permit for each member of two sorority houses in that area.
"Our goal is to maintain the neighborhood as residential-friendly by allowing reasonable parking for the residents," said Sherry Stephenson, who worked on the proposal with a committee of six neighbors.
