Madison board removes downtown two-hour parking signs, schedules hearing on narrow residential streets

The Madison Board of Aldermen voted Feb. 12 to remove downtown two-hour parking signs and agreed to pursue targeted parking restrictions on narrow residential streets after hearing concerns about emergency access.

Board members debated longstanding enforcement issues for the downtown two-hour rule and heard merchants’ objections that the policy had been unenforced and was hurting business. "When storefronts sit empty for years, it sends a message that growth and opportunity are stalled," said Mavis Dillard, speaking for the Chamber and as a local business owner, during public comment about downtown vacancies.

During the agenda item, S5 moved "that we dismiss the 2 hour parking signs," and S3 seconded; the board approved the motion on a voice vote. The board then pivoted to neighborhood safety on Sunset and West Hunter streets, where several members said parked vehicles can block large vehicles and emergency responders. "If you have someone's house on fire you got a problem," S1 said, urging caution and safety as the guiding principle.

The board directed staff and the police chief to survey problem streets, research how other municipalities handle similar narrow-street parking and to notify directly affected residents. The board set a public outreach process and indicated a public hearing would be scheduled so neighbors on Sunset, West Hunter (Dahl to Wilson) and adjacent blocks can weigh in at the March meeting timeline.

Next steps: staff will compile a list of candidate streets, conduct outreach and present findings at the next meeting; a specific public hearing date and notice to affected addresses will follow.