At least one Alderman was present for each meeting and five City staff members from Economic
Development, Parking and the Department of Public Works. The wards located the furthest from
downtown Nashua, in areas where residential density was lower and most single-family homes had
substantial driveways and often garages, generally attracted lower attendance and interest from citizens
than those closer to the downtown core, where off-street was not universally available with all residential
structures. Universal issues raised across all forums, in no particular order, included the foliowing:
* Lifting of the overnight parking ban could disrupt snow removal operations if the program is not
rigidly structured and enforced.
e =Any change in policy must account for reasonable setbacks from individual refuse containers for
each property, which require a minimum clearance of 2’ to any side of the container to allow
automated vehicles to safely grasp, lift, and empty the receptacles.
e =6Any privileges granted by a change in policy would not negate the requirement to clear streets to
allow for periodic sweeping and maintenance during the year.
« Any change in policy should be specific only to residents and their guests and should not be
extended to commuters, business owners, or others.
e Any change in policy which allows for overnight parking on public streets should be supported
with clear markings indicating where individuals can and cannot park. This includes minimum
setbacks from fire hydrants, driveways, crosswalks, intersections, etc.
¢ Any change in policy must take into account the geometrics (i.e., dimensions of width, length,
number of travel lanes, etc.) of the particular street(s) being considered and must accommodate
the safe and efficient passage of large emergency and municipal service vehicles.
Some residents in Wards 9, 8, 2, and 1 questioned the need for any change in policy, stating that most of
the homes in their neighborhoods had abundant off-street parking contained in driveways and private
garages. Those residents in these wards who spoke out in support of a change indicated that they were
advocating primarily for themselves and desired the ability to park on public streets overnight to
accommodate guests or members of their households who could not be parked in their existing driveways
or garages.
Within the other wards (3-7) there was a mix of sentiment, with some residents strongly in favor of a
change in policy and others equally strident in the opposition. Individual reasons for each perspective
varied, but in general, those individuals arguing in support of a change in policy did so due to the following
conditions:
® The properties they occupied and/or the properties within their neighborhood were constructed
prior to the proliferation of personal vehicles in the United States and as a result were not
equipped with off-street parking in match with today’s market standards.
« Many properties had adequate parking to support the needs of residents, but not necessarily their
guests. This issue has been augmented during the pandemic as many households experienced
college-age children returning home for remote learning unexpectedly.
e The property they lived in and/or an adjacent property had been converted from a single-family
home toa multiple unit property, inflating demand beyond the size of the parking supply provided
when the property was first constructed.
