The town of Chapel Hill is cracking down on residents who illegally park their cars in their front yards. Town officials say citation officers will start giving out tickets for those who violate the town ordinance at the beginning of next month. The issue came to light after residents reported widespread violations in the Pine Knolls and Northside neighborhoods. Rae Buckley of the Chapel Hill planning department says those areas are popular among UNC students who rent houses. But she says lawn parking causes concern for permanent residents.
Rae Buckley: "It starts to feel less and less and less like a residential neighborhood. Residents have talked about the fact that when people come and want to buy a house, they're not going to want to live next door to a parking lot. They're not going to want to have kids playing around where there are cars pulling in all over a lawn."
Residents have 30 days after their first citation to start parking in defined spaces. The town can start charging $100 a day after that. Nearby Durham has a similar ordiance in place. The Raleigh City Council is considering the issue.