The Canadian Record (Canadian, Tex.), Vol. 120, No. 3, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 21, 2010 Page: 6 of 32
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THURSDAY 2 1 JANUARY ZD! □
NEWS PAGE
THE CANADIAN RECORD
City refuses to authorize special 'no
parking' zone fin alley behind Hill rest
City Council members found themselves
on familiar turf Monday evening, responding
to a request, by Malouf and Therese Abraham
to craft a special ordinance regulating parking
in the alley that has become their residential
driveway and to disregard the code violation
committed when they posted their own "no
parking" sign without authorization. City Hall
had also once again become the reluctant re-
pository for neighbors' complaints about the
liberties taken by the Abrahams, who appar-
ently began policing the alleyway themselves.
The dust had barely settled from a similar
neighborhood squall thatbeganseveral months
ago when the Abrahams violated terms of a
planned development zone approved by the
City to allow construction of The Citadelle Art
Museum in a residential neighborhood. Neigh-
bors objected when changes to the site plan
were not submitted for review and Council ap-
proval, and the City denied a building permit
application that was filed after construction on
the new art wing had already begun.
The latest zoning bomb at the Abrahams'
new Sixth and Main residence was quickly
defused when City Manager Oolby Waters—
alerted to the privately posted "no parking"
sign and fire lane designation—wrote a letter
requesting its removal, along with the yellow
paint on curbing adjacent to the sign. Waters
told Council members Monday that the Abra-
hams complied within days of the letter's post-
ing.
"Because the designation of a parking zone
must be accomplished through a written re-
quest to the City Council and the passage of an
ordinance making such designation," the City
Manager's letter said, "please discontinue des-
ignation and enforcement of parking regula-
tions without proper authorization...."
The Abrahams responded with a letter re-
questing that the City authorize a "no parking"
sign for the alley, which serves as an approach
to their garage. The letter of request noted con-
gestion in the area. Their home, Hill Crest, is in
direct proximity to both the Methodist Church
and WCTU Building construction projects and
faces Main Street, which has been posted by
TxDOT during the Streetscape construction
project. Sixth is also a main north-south thor-
oughfare, connecting Canadian's four school
campuses to each other.
When restoring the historic home that be-
came their residence after turning The Cita-
delle over to the Art Foundation, the Abra-
hams built a new garage facing the alley that
separates their home and the Presbyterian
Church, and paved the portion of alleyway ad-
jacent to their property.
"Then something happened," the Abraha-
ms wx-ote. "What happened was people would
look at this beautiful smooth cement alley and
say, 'Oh, what apretty spot for me to park my
SUV."'
Waters said that since i-eceiving the letter,
he had made a point of driving by the area two
, dmvbi
RUV1L
or three times daily and had never seen anyone
parked there. "I've never witnessed the actual
alleyway being blocked," he said.
Council members had done their home-
work, as well. Milton Cooke said his first reac-
tion was that if ears are in the street blocking
the alley, they need to be moved, but that it
would fall under the Sheriffs authority. Subse-
quent drive-by's and conversations with neigh-
bors, however, did not support the Abrahams'
complaint.
Councilman Tim Pierce had also spoken
to several residents of the area and received
mixed reports as to whether parking in the
alley was an issue or not. "It is unfortunate
that neither Malouf nor Therese nor anyone
from the churches is here to give their view,"
he said.
Rob Talley expressed concern over cars
blocking any alley in town, to which Watei's ex-
plained that an alley is a public easement and
not a public thoroughfare.
"If you have a driveway in front of your
house and it exits onto the street," he said, "and
if someone blocks access to the street, which is
considered a public thoroughfare, there prob-
ably is cause to call the Sheriff and have the car
re moved,"
There is no City ordinance that bans park-
ing in alleys, he said. "If we choose, that'ssome-
thing we can do," Waters said. "But we want to
specify exactly what it is we're prohibiting...
and who is enforcing that ordinance."
Waters pointed out that City ordinances
prohibit most signs in residential zones, and
that those ordinances would also have to be re-
written. Cooke said that there is a "reasonable
expectation" of some congestionin an area with
three churches, and expressed reluctance to
write an ordinance for the purpose requested.
If granted, Waters said, other requests
would certainly follow. "I don't know that this
isn'ta'getalongwithyour neighbor issue' more
than a 'city trying to regulate something' kind
of issue," he added.
Waters recommended that instead of
adopting a special ordinance, the City increase
public awareness, encouraging residents not to
park in alleys. "It's just a courtesy issue,- said
Talley.
"I say move on to next issue," said Cooke.
No formal action was taken.
The Council also considered an ordinance
regulating the placement of billboards within
the City limits. Waters said the issue arose
when new billboards were erected along High-
way 60/83 near the center of town. "Those got
mixed reviews at City Hall," he said. "We had
requests not to ban them outright, but to limit
their number and size. I think we could tighten
up our regulations, and require ongoing main-
tenance of all signs.'*
Cooke, who owns The Cattle Exchange
and two Subway franchises, said he had re-
searched state laws affecting billboards while
trying to determine where he could post signs
promoting his businesses. He admitted that
the billboards in question would advertise his
own downtown restaurant, as well as Happy
State Bank and the Canadian/Hemphill Coun-
ty Chamber of Commerce and EDC, Another
sign on the north end of town that has rusted
and become unsightly has been donated to the
EDC and will feature new vinyl signs soon.
"These two that popped up have been in the
works for years now," he said. "After those are
done, there is no other possibility to put bill-
boards in town, so it's really not even an issue."
The state regulations are so strict, Cooke
added, that "we don't need to add anything to
it."
Waters said the City may want to consider
tightening restrictions in the downtown histor-
ical district, with particular attention to flash-
ing electronic lights, Community Development
Director Tamera Julian suggested that any
ordinance also address the need to maintain
signs and billboards, and to remove themwhen
the business no longer exists or when they fall
into disrepair.
The Council asked Waters to prepare more
informationaboutsignand billboard regulation
for review during their February meeting.
Those present for Monday's meeting were
Mayor pro tern Rob Talley, Council members
Tim Pierce, Cassi Rash and Milton Cooke,
City Manager Colby Waters, Secretary Terry
South and Director of Public Works Hoy t Man-
ning, Tamera Julian, Rob Brown and Record
editor Laurie Ezzell Brown.
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Brown, Laurie Ezzell. The Canadian Record (Canadian, Tex.), Vol. 120, No. 3, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 21, 2010, newspaper, January 21, 2010; Canadian, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth220823/m1/6/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Hemphill County Library.