Home › Forums › Open Discussion › neighbors and too many cars
- This topic is empty.
-
AuthorPosts
-
January 22, 2009 at 5:31 pm #589546
BBMemberAnyone know what the regulations are w/ regards to parking on the street? I have one neighbor who rents out a couple rooms in her house. She contributes to 3-4 cars on the street. I also have other neighbors who are snowbirds and they park their 2 cars on the street while they are gone for the winter so their son can park his boat in their car port. Not trying to be cranky about it I just want one spot relatively close to my house.
January 22, 2009 at 5:36 pm #655819
MrJTMemberMy favorite link..
http://www.seattle.gov/Transportation/parking/parking72hour.htm
Speaking of…TR when are we going after all the Crown Vics on Californa around the Charlestown ? There is one still in the same place as when you took a picture on the day the Cafe re-opened.
January 22, 2009 at 5:40 pm #655820
GenHillOneParticipantI don’t know about cars per home, but the snowbirds shouldn’t be able to leave their cars (or a boat trailer for that matter I think) on the street for more than 72 hours without moving them. Does their son come move them every three days? Sounds like he needs to find boat storage and they need to park in their driveway – that would free up two spaces anyway!
http://www.seattle.gov/Police/forms/Abandoned_Vehicles.htm
They may not know that they are breaking the law though, so it might be nice to talk with them before reporting the vehicles (results in a tow).
January 22, 2009 at 5:41 pm #655821
GenHillOneParticipantMrJT types faster than I do ;)
January 22, 2009 at 5:56 pm #655822
austinMember“Under Seattle Municipal Code, people can only have 3 “running” cars on their property. Additional and non-running cars are a code violation.”
-from
http://www.seattle.gov/police/prevention/Auto/JunkVehicle.htm
I don’t know if this applies to street parking.
January 22, 2009 at 5:56 pm #655823
BBMemberthanks all… I don’t want to get them towed or anything. It probably wouldn’t even be a problem if it weren’t for 2 houses next to each other with so many cars.
January 22, 2009 at 6:06 pm #655824
JoBParticipantyou could come park in front of my house… but i suspect it would be a long walk to your car:)
January 23, 2009 at 5:24 am #655825
CBMemberThe police have a term for the real abusers – “car ranchers”.
January 23, 2009 at 5:50 am #655826
What TheMember“Jolly Ranchers” for us law enforcement folks from the South….
January 23, 2009 at 3:25 pm #655827
JayDeeParticipantI believe there are also possible City of Seattle zoning code violations for having more than two unrelated people living in a single-family zoned house (may not apply in areas with single family homes, but zoned multi-family). Granted, they probably don’t enforce the code, but it is still there. As with the traffic regs, one can likely find a section prohibiting everything if one looks long enough.
January 24, 2009 at 2:54 am #655828
jschuMemberA seeder aspect of too many vehicles is the consumption of Meth / or crack. People addicted to meth like to tinker on stuff. A cop friend told me they look for a bunch of cars in various stages of dismantlement. and 9/10 they have a meth or drug problem. I would not get involved!!Also warning… If you see them digging a big hole for no reason there is a problem there for sure. Let the cops handle it.
January 24, 2009 at 4:35 am #655829
MrJTMemberjschu – Huh ?
January 24, 2009 at 2:24 pm #655830
littlebrowndogParticipantZoning regs say that up to 6 unrelated adults can reside in a house in a neighborhood zoned single family residential. That is why adult family homes (up to 6 elderly people, people with disabilities, etc.) can exist in a house without any type of neighborhood notification or hearing.
January 24, 2009 at 9:32 pm #655831
jschuMemberQuestion? Mr jt. Ask the cops its true.
January 24, 2009 at 10:42 pm #655832I am with jschu. If you see lots of cars propped up in a yard/street/alley in various states of disrepair, most of the time you will find tweakers or other drug users in the house. I’ve seen it and had to deal with it. It isn’t fun or pretty.
January 24, 2009 at 11:56 pm #655833
jschuMemberthx- NMSOSO, You’ve noticed it too- Not sure what to do
January 26, 2009 at 11:46 am #655834
AnonymousInactiveBB, it doesn’t matter whether you are “cranky” or not. What matters is whether or not your neighbor is in violation of the Seattle Municipal Code.
The Seattle Municipal Code
http://clerk.ci.seattle.wa.us/~public/code1.htm
addresses those issues, but it is difficult to find relevant ordinances using that interface.
Others have addressed parking longer than 72 hours on a street.
Regarding storing boats:
I think the relevant ordinance is
SMC 23.44.016 Parking and Garages
and in particular
D.8
“Trailers, boats, recreational vehicles and similar equipment shall not be parked in required front and side yards or the first ten (10)
feet of a rear yard measured from the rear lot line.”
The Seattle Department of Planning and Development has jurisdiction
http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/compliance/
regarding boat parking.
Too close to driveway ordinance:
http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/transportation/parking/drivewaymarking.htm
SPD has jurisdiction: (206)625-5011 (non-emergency)
Too close to fire hydrant ordinance:
SPD has jurisdiction: (206)625-5011 (non-emergency)
Parallel parking ordinance:
SPD has jurisdiction: (206)625-5011 (non-emergency)
January 26, 2009 at 12:15 pm #655835
Garden_nymphMemberScott B,
Excellent info; I love a man who knows his way around an ordinance! If I ever have a question regarding the big “O” I’ll know who to contact.
January 26, 2009 at 3:53 pm #655836
MrJTMemberjschu – Thanks but I have a very direct link to the police, and have not heard that this is one of the big signs of illegal use of drugs.
This was more about neighbors that use up valuable parking space on the streets with their POS’s for extended amounts of time. Your “dont get involved” / “not sure what to do” attitude tward the drug related activities is a bit disturbing. Thats exactly why these types settle in where they do.
There are plenty of resources available that are quite often mentioned right here on the WSB regaurding what can be done. Blockwatches, Community Safety Meetings for a start.
January 26, 2009 at 4:08 pm #655837
AnonymousInactiveMrJT,
One would think that a taxpayer’s complaint about a violation of the Seattle Municipal Code to the people who are supposed to enforce that code would have an effect, but in my experience, some SPD officers are reluctant to enforce the code.
January 26, 2009 at 4:21 pm #655838
MrJTMemberScott B – There is no doubt about the fact that the City does little to nothing about thier parking enforcement unless there is a quick $30 ticket involved. No telling how many times over the last 5 years I have submitted complaints about the “fleet” of old police cars that park in the Calfornia / Charlestown area.
In reference to drug dealing/use jschu made the statement: “I would not get involved!!Also warning… If you see them digging a big hole for no reason there is a problem there for sure. Let the cops handle it.”
WE are the front line for the police, to put and end to this activity and HAVE to be involved.
January 27, 2009 at 5:24 am #655839
BBMemberSuper good info folks! I appreciate! It will help. I must say one thing…. I don’t understand posts like:
“A seeder aspect of too many vehicles is the consumption of Meth / or crack. People addicted to meth like to tinker on stuff. A cop friend told me they look for a bunch of cars in various stages of dismantlement. and 9/10 they have a meth or drug problem. I would not get involved!!Also warning… If you see them digging a big hole for no reason there is a problem there for sure. Let the cops handle it.”
Although I thank you for the info, how on earth did my post about snow birds, and a neighbor w/ renters bring thoughts of “cars in various stages of dismantlement” or “digging a big hole for no reason”? Thanks again for the help but lets not get too dramatic.
January 28, 2009 at 5:22 pm #655840
WSratsinacageMemberI’ve been meaning to comment on the crown vics, again.. JT, I think we discussed previously how we must be neighbors. The crown vic owner has had 2 cars parked on the west side of CA near Andover and 2 parked in front of 4000 Andover/California for several months now. They have not moved and have all the dirt from the snow storm in December still on them. There are no parking sandwich board signs now on the east side of CA Ave so we’ll see if they move the cars or get ticketed. He/she also has cars on 44th..
I know you and I have dropped a dime many times. It is a very frustrating situation. The police do not do anything even though there is a record of them breaking the ordinance for years now.
January 29, 2009 at 6:52 am #655841
AnonymousInactiveMrJT,
I noticed that you wrote
“…I have a very direct link to the police…”
I then (probably unfairly, and definitely indignantly) wrote that
“…in my experience, some SPD officers are reluctant to enforce the code.”
Your response to that makes me think that you also would like SPD to enforce the Seattle Municipal Code.
SPD parking enforcement officers and even the SPD squad that specifically targets speeders currently (January 2009) work “office hours” as far as I know.
Some “regular” SPD patrol officers whose shifts are non-office hours are reluctant to enforce parking regulations.
That is why it is important to keep records, and that is also why it is important to request contact by the officer when calling the dispatcher with a complaint. If you do not chat with the responding officer to explain your concerns/complaints, and also hear the responding officer’s point of view, then it is more likely that the officer and any other officers in the future will do nothing. One would think it would be difficult for the responding officer to do nothing if he/she is presented with a printout of
http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/transportation/parking/drivewaymarking.htm
for instance.
The excuse given will be that the officer has discretion as to whether or not he/she will issue a citation. Then you will be informed that in the officer’s opinion, your driveway was not “blocked.”
It is important for citizens like us to keep records.
Here is what I do:
I maintain a spreadsheet on my home computer (and I back up my data) into which I try to enter all my complaints to SPD along with any/all pertinent information (time, date, my original specific complaint, license plate numbers and descriptions of vehicles that violate the ordinance(s), what the responding officer said and did or did not do, etc.).
The most important information:
1. The incident response number from when you called to complain or report a violation (ask the 911 or non-emergency operator for the incident response number… sometimes they will call it an event number).
2. Identifying information for the responding officer(s). Be polite and respectful when requesting identifying information. Explain that you have read that it is important that you keep a written record.
Two SPD officers and one SPD enforcement officer who were willing to write citations enforced the SMC against my problem neighbor by writing citations, and after my problem neighbor realized he/she/they would be cited, they conform to the SMC. The officers who were willing to write citations were outnumbered by the officers who were not willing to write citations, so I am thankful to the SPD officers who did the right thing.
A neighbor on the other side of my problem neighbor was eventually able to help with the noise from my problem neighbor after I found an interpreter, but that is a different/related issue.
For those who are plagued by partying neighbors:
Residential Disturbance:
January 29, 2009 at 7:12 am #655842
AnonymousInactiveRegarding the SMC Residential Disturbance:
No sound-level-measuring equipment is required other than
“…noise associated with the gathering is frequent, repetitive or continuous and is audible to a person of normal hearing at a distance of seventy-five (75) feet or more from the property.”
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.