Here’s another handy piece of news that can be used by Mayor White in his quest to get a Houston Parking Authority:
The people who broadcast from the KPFT studios park their cars on Lovett Boulevard. An old house on the street has been KPFT’s home for more than 30 years. But the neighborhood is changing.
Across the street from the radio station, in the heart of Montrose, sits a comparatively new townhouse complex. People who live in those townhouses were upset that customers of nearby bars and nightclubs often parked their cars there, tying up all the spaces on the street. So they went to the city government and convinced the planning department to restrict parking there.
Now, if you want to park on the street in the area, you’re supposed to have a permit; something the radio station’s visitors don’t have.
“We have relied on street parking all this time,” said Ray Hill, KPFT talk show host. “And those folks don’t use the spaces in front of their building at night, because they have plenty of parking inside the compound.”
If you think downtown’s the only place with parking problems, think again. With so many cars crowding onto Houston streets, parking issues are popping up all over the place.
“Fifteen years ago, when we created a parking ordinance, maybe there were two cars in a household. Today, there could be two, there could be four. We’re using up the street capacity,” said Bob Litke, Houston Planning Director.
Of course, city council could deal with the issue, but there’s probably little chance that will happen. Councilmembers appear to be happy when Mayor White proposes solutions, which they can then approve.
Get ready Houston — another quasi-governmental agency with eminent domain power could be right around the corner.
