Ferguson Township’s Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved additional parking restrictions on Butz Street in response to neighborhood resident concerns stemming from a new student apartment complex slated to open nearby this year.
The extended no parking areas resulted from a parking study authorized by the board a year ago after North Butz Street residents expressed worries that overflow parking from the new six-story building across the street at the corner of West College Avenue and South Buckhout Street could become “a very serious safety issue,”
Aspen Heights Partners is developing the apartment complex, now known as Haus State College, which is expected to open for fall occupancy. The new building will have 165 parking spots on site for its 96 units and 268 beds.
Residents said last year that if vehicles are parked along both sides to near the intersection, cars turning onto Butz Street need to come to a stop to make the turn in an area where vehicles tend to speed up. A vehicle traveling south on North Butz Street would further exacerbate the situation for those turning onto Butz. They also voiced concerns about sight distances from private driveways.
After a presentation of the proposed restrictions and discussion earlier this month, supervisors conducted a public hearing on amending the parking ordinance for Butz Street on Tuesday night. With no further public comment or board discussion, supervisors voted unanimously to adopt the changes.
Two-hour parking has been permitted on both sides of North Butz Street between West College Avenue and Grass Alley as well as on South Butz Street between West College Avenue and Calder Alley. Township engineer Ronald Seybert’s study, which was presented to the board on Jan. 3 by Public Works Director David Modricker, recommended several changes to the township parking ordinance make parking on Butz Street more restrictive.
The changes approved on Tuesday night include
• No parking allowed anytime on the east side of North Butz Street from College Avenue to the northern terminus.
• On the west side of North Butz Street, no parking permitted for a distance of 50 feet north of College Avenue and from Grass Alley to the northern terminus.
• Two-hour parking permitted on the west side of North Butz from a point 50 feet north of College Avenue to Grass Alley.
• No parking allowed on the west side of South Butz Street between College Avenue and Calder Alley.
• On the east side of South Butz Street, no parking permitted for a distance of 50 feet south of College Avenue.
• Two-hour parking permitted on the east side of North Butz from a point 50 feet south of College Avenue to Calder Alley.
“The requested change still permits some on street parking for spillover for local businesses and residents, improves sight distance from private driveways and alleviates concerns with parked vehicles limiting the ability to enter Butz Street safely,” Seybert wrote in the study report.
