Beaverton city staff want to ban truck parking on SW Schendel Avenue after finding up to seven commercial trucks parked on the street at a time, several sitting for days.
The Beaverton Traffic Commission will hold a public hearing on the proposal Thursday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 12725 SW Millikan Way, according to the commission's agenda packet. The meeting will also be available on Zoom and by phone.
The restriction would cover the stretch of Schendel Avenue between Walker Road and 158th Avenue, a roughly 36-foot-wide local street lined with offices, retail, apartments and services.
Parking is already restricted for about 300 feet near both intersections.
City transportation staff conducted field visits and found on-street parking demand "moderately high."
They counted between four and seven trucks at any given time that were not tied to nearby businesses. Several had not moved for multiple days, according to the staff report.
Sam Tai, who requested the restriction, raised concerns that trucks parked on both sides of the street squeeze two-way traffic into a single lane and cut visibility on the road's curves.
Five residents submitted written comments to the city supporting the ban. Several went further, asking the city to limit all parking to one side of the street.
Don Scarpinatto wrote that he had complained about the problem for more than two years. "Multiple car crashes have occurred due to visibility blockages and narrowed lanes of traffic," Scarpinatto wrote in an Oct. 19 email to the city.
Kevanna Doolittle, who lives one block south of Schendel Avenue, wrote that in nine years she has frequently seen damaged cars, RVs, poorly parked trailers and broken glass. She described near-misses caused by limited visibility and said the road sometimes narrows to a single passable lane.
Resident Christina Polena described children at Beaverton School District bus stops stepping past rows of parked vehicles into the roadway, hidden from oncoming traffic rounding the curves.
Maryann Ippolito also raised school bus safety, writing that parked trucks and RVs "restrict access to the buses as well as create safety concerns."
Not everyone supports the change. Bill McClelland, who owns a food distribution route and delivers to the Fred Meyer on Walker Road, wrote that Schendel Avenue is one of the few streets where he can park his box truck.
He said the ability to park there is "very helpful."
Beaverton code already prohibits truck parking between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. near residences. But the staff report notes that the mixed-use character of Schendel Avenue makes that rule hard to enforce.
Staff concluded that a full truck parking ban would improve visibility and safety for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers without affecting parking for residents and businesses.
The commission will also vote on revised downtown on-street parking hours and hear an update on the Downtown Loop project at the Nov. 5 meeting. Residents with questions can contact City Transportation Engineer Jabra Khasho at 503-526-2221.
