A proposal that allowed Fayetteville residents to petition for no‑parking zones in multi‑use lanes failed Monday after a public hearing, with the City Council voting 9–1 to deny it. Mayor Mitch Colvin cast the lone vote in favor.
The hearing took place toward the end of a six‑hour meeting, long after most speakers who signed up had left the room. Only one resident remained to address the council, and she spoke against the proposal.
The policy applied to residential streets with multi‑use lanes—striped areas currently used by cyclists, pedestrians, and parked cars. Under the proposal, residents could ask the city to ban parking in those lanes if 70% of neighbors agreed, mirroring the city’s existing process for speed bump requests.
Several council members pushed back. Lynne Greene and Deno Hondros argued the change could hurt property values by preventing residents from parking in front of their homes.
Hondros called it “a solution looking for a problem,” adding that the unintended consequences “could be far worse than what we’re trying to solve.”
Greene also warned it could escalate neighborhood conflict. “We’re going to start pitting neighbor against neighbor. I just don’t think this is a good plan,” she said.
City Manager Doug Hewitt explained that the issue surfaced after confusion in the Country Club North neighborhood. The city reclassified what looked like a bike lane as a multi‑use lane, and police ticketed people parking there and residents pushed back. Hewitt said the proposal originated when former council member Mario Benevente asked for a streamlined way for residents to request no‑parking zones.
Colvin supported the idea. “I have a problem with the property owner on a street not being able to determine rules on their street,” he said.
Council member Malik Davis made the motion to deny the proposal.
For now, the existing system remains in place: a resident brings a no-parking request to a council member, staff reviews it and makes recommendations, and the full council votes on whether to approve or deny it.
Government reporter Rachel Heimann Mercader can be reached at rheimann@cityviewnc.com or 910-988-8045.
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