Irwin to consider Oak Street parking restrictions
Irwin officials are expected to discuss a proposed ordinance next month to help residents on Oak Street find open parking spaces in front of their homes, which are located across the street from businesses.
Borough council could consider a residential-only parking ordinance for the eastern side of the street, between Pennsylvania Avenue and Fifth Street, Councilman Frank Rossi Jr. said.
“One side (of the street) is residential and the other side is 99% business,” Rossi said.
The proposed ordinance would create a residential-only parking zone from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Violators would be fined, Rossi said.
Rossi said he wanted the borough to tackle the problem that residents have raised, rather than “kicking the can down the road.”
“It’s going to be a recurring thing. It’s not going to go away,” Rossi said.
There are six houses along the eastern side of the street, plus a Sunoco convenience store at the intersection of Oak Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.
The downtown businesses district is expanding and it could also be a problem elsewhere, Rossi said.
Chief Dan Wensel said the ban on parking by non-residents is a challenge to enforce. To determine if a vehicle is owned by a resident, police would have to check the license plate through a law enforcement database.
Problems could arise, however, when non-residents come to visit a resident along that street who would not have a permit, Rossi said.
If the borough wants to institute a residential-only parking area, Kansler said it would need a process for those residents to register their vehicles, then have some type of permit for the vehicle owners, said Zachary Kansler, borough solicitor.
Kansler also is the solicitor for Greensburg, which has streets near the Westmoreland County Courthouse with permitted residential-only parking.
Councilman Tyler Baum questioned the validity of making parking along the street only for residents. There were times when he would have to drive around for several minutes before he could find a parking place at his former residence above a business, Baum said.
“Are we going to permit the entire borough?” Baum said.
Joe Napsha is a TribLive reporter covering Irwin, North Huntingdon and the Norwin School District. He also writes about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked at the Trib since the early 1980s. He can be reached at jnapsha@triblive.com.
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