Sussex Council looks at parking ordinance

SUSSEX BOROUGH — The council is in the process of amending a decades-old ordinance that prohibits cars being parked between the front of a home and the street.
Part of ordinance 19-17.2 states, “For each dwelling unit, two spaces, except where specified otherwise. All parking areas shall be either to the side or rear of a dwelling unit. In no case shall parking areas be approved for location between the dwelling unit and the sidewalk or roadway. In the case of corner properties, parking shall be restricted to the rear and side of the building opposite the street-side of the property.”
Mario Poggi brought this ordinance to the council’s attention after he encountered it first-hand. “They [Zoning] blocked me from making my driveway wider because it’s still considered between the front of my house and the road, even though the widened part would be off to the side of the house facing air.”
This one part of the ordinance was recently rephrased to allow parking in front of a house and sent to the Planning & Zoning Board for comment. However, the board had an issue with the wording of it.
Councilman Edward Meyer said the Planning Board wants the amended ordinance to specify that it permits parking solely in a driveway in front of a house, but prohibit parking cars on lawns. They believe that parking on lawns over time may affect the property values.
As of now, the council is waiting on the Planning Board to reword the ordinance and send it back so they can move forward with the amendment.