Parking faq

These are some typical questions and answers regarding the rules and regulations around parking.

• What is the assigned space for my unit?

Each unit in HGCA is assigned one reserved space.  Please refer to the reserved parking space assignment list if you are unsure what space is yours.

• The Board keeps referring to common courtesy as being very important. What does this mean with regard to parking?

The Board regularly observes the following which affect the whole community and which can be easily corrected with nothing more than awareness and common courtesy. 

• Residents not using their own reserved space, and instead choosing to use unreserved spaces
• Straddling two parking spaces with one vehicle and thus using up two parking spaces for just one car
• People claiming unreserved spaces as their own and deterring others from parking there (they have no right to do this)
• Parking spaces being used as storage for rarely (if ever) driven vehicles
• Residents parking cars here for non-resident friends and family, effectively using our Cluster as a storage facility
• Residents having their non-resident friends and family park here instead of using airport parking when going on holiday

All of the above are to be avoided. In a townhouse community, our actions have a direct impact on others.

• Why must we request enforcement actions against violators in writing? Wouldn't a simple phone call be more efficient?

Requiring requests to be in writing serves two purposes. First, by requiring residents to file a formal complaint, the Board feels that residents will be more inclined to solve the problem themselves by talking to their [offending] neighbors in an effort to resolve what might be a simple error or misunderstanding. Second, a formal complaint in writing documents the violation, so that the Board can begin or continue the stages of due process against the violator in accordance with the enforcement provisions of the resolutions.

• Among the information, we are supposed to provide in a complaint is the name and address of the owner of the vehicle that is in violation. How can we do that if we don't know who that is?

Obviously, that information can not be provided if it is not known. If you do know the owner or, in the case of a visitor, which resident the offender is visiting, it will assist the Board in processing the violation. The Board may elect to have the offender towed if it cannot identify the owner. (See also FAQ #5.)

• The definition of an "offender" says that, for purposes of enforcement, all persons of a household, their visitors, and all their vehicles shall be considered the same offender. Exactly what does that mean?

The Board felt that a residence with multiple drivers and/or vehicles, should not have an advantage over a residence with just one person who has a single-vehicle. For example, should a resident who owns two vehicles commit a parking offense once with each vehicle, the situation should not constitute two "first offenses," but instead should constitute a first and second offense.

• What happens if someone parks in my reserved space?

Reserved spaces by unit.

If the Board receives a complaint from a resident with regard to a vehicle parked in their reserved space, first the resident and then the Board will try to identify the owner of that vehicle. If the Board can identify the owner, then the offending resident or visitor will be accorded due process as documented in sections 11 through 14 of the Resolution covering reserved spaces. Due process requires the Board to follow certain procedures in notifying known offenders. The end result is that offenders who can be identified will not be towed without proper notification.

Our Cluster has at times been used by outsiders to park their vehicles who then take a short taxi ride to the airport for a trip. We've also had residents park vehicles here for friends and family, effectively using our Cluster as a storage facility. Therefore, an offending vehicle that cannot be identified quickly as belonging to a resident or a visitor to a particular resident can be towed without warning. You must register your vehicles and those of your guests here at the website, using the appropriate form on the Parking Forms page.

The Board will take reasonable steps to identify and notify the owners of vehicles improperly parked in a reserved space.  The Board cannot prevent a homeowner from calling a tow truck for an unauthorized vehicle in their reserved space, but the homeowner would assume all legal and financial responsibility.  The Board strongly discourages homeowners from contacting a tow company on their own and recommends working with the Board to get the issue resolved. 

• If one of my guests accidentally parks in someone else's reserved spot, is the violation assessed to my record?

Yes. You are responsible for where your guests and contractor vehicles park. You might want to think about using a standard greeting when you meet them at your door, "Hello. Now, where did you park?"

• If my car is not fully occupying someone else's reserved space, but merely overlaps into the space, is it in violation of the reserved parking rules?

Yes. The Board Resolution (in paragraph 8) and the HGCA Bylaws (in Article XI, Section 2) both require residents and their visitors to exercise caution and park their vehicles perpendicular to the curb and squarely between two adjacent space markers, regardless of whether the space is a reserved or unreserved one.

• Can I allow a visitor to park in our reserved space?

Absolutely, but you should also make certain that any other visitors haven't accidentally parked in someone else's reserved space.

• We plan to go on vacation with friends. They are going to drive here and leave their car in our reserved space, and then we will all leave in our car.  Is their car likely to be towed from the Cluster while we're gone?

If their car is going to be left in your reserved space, they would not be towed because any vehicle removal from your assigned space would have to be requested [in writing] by a member of your family. However, if your travel companions are going to leave their car in any other location the vehicle needs to be registered as a visitor vehicle. Please make sure your reserved space is occupied first though as a courtesy to your neighbors.

• We are planning to take one of our cars on vacation and leave the other at home. Can we park the one we leave behind in an unreserved space or should we leave it in our reserved space?

Again, as a courtesy to your neighbors, you should leave it in your reserved space rather than have it tie up an unreserved space while your reserved space remains empty.

• We were not in favor of reserved parking and don't feel we need to have a parking space reserved for our exclusive use.

All houses were given one assigned space for purposes of uniformity in establishing reserved parking in the Cluster. If you have no intention of keeping that space for your exclusive use, just let your neighbors know they are free to use it. However, you must still observe the reserved parking rules for spaces assigned to everyone else, unless they explicitly reciprocate your generosity.

• How can I keep people from parking in my reserved space when snow or leaves covers the curb markings?

You should make it a practice to clear the snow or leaves from the face of the curb so that the marking for your reserved space can be seen. Likewise, you should get to know where your neighbors' spaces are so that you can avoid parking there even when the reserved space marking is not visible.