L.L. from outside of Connecticut writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
We live in a complex and my husband has a take home police vehicle. Is it proper to ask the Association for a police vehicle only parking sign for his vehicle that way he has access to it and it is visible to him outside of the condo? There is no assigned parking.
Mister Condo replies:
L.L., you can certainly ask but I see no reason for the Board to grant such a request. While I am sure the association appreciates the presence of a police vehicle on property to deter thieves, the reality is that this is just another association member’s vehicle. It is not on the association grounds at the association’s request. If keeping the vehicle visible to him is a requirement for him domiciling the vehicle then I would suggest a condo with unassigned parking is not an ideal place to live. That being said, I would include the added safety the community receives from having a police officer as a resident and explain that it would be ideal for the vehicle to be parked within eyeshot of your unit. The problem faced by the Board is that once they grant your accommodation, they will very likely be swamped with similar requests from other unit owners. The beauty of unassigned parking is that it doesn’t have to be managed by the Board. Once it is assigned, unit owners now have reason to complain that a fellow unit owner has parked in “their” space. If it were me, I would respectfully deny the request. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ask. I am just trying to explain why the Board may deny you. All the best!