In an effort to satisfy both renters and homeowners, Greensburg leaders are taking a second shot at crafting a new parking ordinance for city residents.

The city received complaints from people living in single-family homes who said they couldn’t find parking on their streets, as spots were being crowded out by renters living in duplexes and other multi-unit buildings, according to Mayor Robert Bell.

City council in January passed an ordinance limiting street parking permits to two per building — or just one for buildings with off-street parking.

“We had changed the ordinance to make it a little bit stricter, to make space for the single-family homes on some of these more crowded streets,” Bell said.

This triggered backlash from landlords, who said the the ordinance left their tenants with nowhere to park.

George O’Brien owns Progressive Property Investments, which owns several rental properties in the city. Most of his buildings have on-site parking. However, many renters are couples with two cars, and he doesn’t have enough off-street parking spots to accommodate them all.

Prior to the January ordinance, O’Brien told tenants to pick up parking permits from the city. Once the rules changed, he wasn’t sure what to tell them.

“It was never an issue. I just said if you need parking, if you need permits, you have to go the city, and I never had any tenants have an issue with anything,” O’Brien said.

After hearing from landlords, the city decided to go back to the drawing board, Bell said.

“We took another look at it and said we’re too strict here, we’re way too strict here, we need to accommodate these landlords a little bit,” he said.

On Nov. 12, council will vote on a revised ordinance that sets different limits for different types of housing, ranging from three parking permits for a single-family home to six permits for an apartment building.

An alternative option would give apartment buildings and commercial properties one space for every 22 feet the building has along the street front.

None of these rules apply to student homes, which are limited to a single street parking permit. Student homes in the city are required to have an off-street parking spot for every tenant.

The initial response to the proposed rules update has been positive, Bell said.

O’Brien said he thinks the new rules strike the right balance.

“I think it’s excellent. I think they’re proposing what is fair to both the residents of Greensburg who have lived here in a single dwelling, as well as investors like myself who are providing housing to people who may choose to live in the city full time,” he said.

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