E.A. from outside of Connecticut writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
We have an issue with some residents not having room for their cars. We have 20 parking spaces designated for visitor parking. What would be appropriate to change to resident parking?
Mister Condo replies:
E.A., the pages of this website are chock full of parking questions. Condominiums, apartment buildings, and other high-density housing areas will forever face the challenge of on-site parking. In the development phase of the property, certain allotments were made for parking. There are numerous configurations – assigned parking, deeded parking, general use parking lots, and many more. However, if the parking lot is owned by the association (most are) then the Board is the final authority on how the spaces can be used. To be frank, the issue facing residents isn’t one of too little parking; it is one of too many cars. Depending on the climate of the Board, they could do away with Visitor parking altogether. They could assign all 20 of the Visitor spaces to units and tell unit owners that visitors would have to use one of their assigned spaces when they visit. Or they could keep visitor parking just the way it is and tell unit owners to park their “extra” vehicles off site. There are no hard and fast rules about this. Needless to say, there will be proponents and detractors of any plan that changes the status quo. Take a hard look at the true needs of the community and make the best decision for all unit owners, not just those clamoring for more assigned parking. All the best!