The handful of unhappy homeowners in the 10700 block of Farragut Drive who believe parking spaces on their block largely should exclude outsiders, will gain another public hearing before the City Council two weeks from tonight, Monday, Sept. 12.
Having lost all three court decisions to date on a related matter, the determined residents are anxious to delve into parking study of their neighborhood conducted throughout May.
Their problem, as it has been for 3½ decades, is that members of Grace Lutheran Church insist on driving to church. Some even lodge their cars in the 10700 block.
Chutzpah, some neighbors complain, resorting to a derogatory term rarely employed on the grounds of Grace Lutheran.
The kernel of the debate:
The representatives of the Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church have requested that the City Council consider changing the parking restrictions on the 10700 block of Farragut Drive from permit-only parking, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Friday, to 2-hour parking so that attendees to the various activities at the church may use the on-street public parking without restriction.
The residents of the 10700 block of Farragut Drive have requested the City Council to maintain the permit-only parking restrictions.
Further, they have submitted a qualifying petition asking to have the permit-only parking restrictions extended to include Saturday and Sunday, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
In the spirit of griping Santa Monica Airport-adjacent residents who moved to the ‘hood long after the airport opened, residents landed on Farragut Drive well after Grace Lutheran was organized in the 1950s.
Hi Ari, Grace Church did not ask the City Council to change the parking restrictions on Farragut Dr., they asked if a parking study could be done to determine what would be fair for both the residents and the Church. The City Council, by a 4-1 vote ordered the staff to have the study done.
The study has been completed, and as I understand will be presented to the City Council on Sept. 12th.
The fact that some of the residents of the 10700 Block of Farragut Dr. don’t want anyone to park on a street that is adjacent to our church comes as no surprise. This is what we have been dealing with for the past 10 years or so.