With the first phase of Storrs Center scheduled to open in mid-August, Mansfield officials have revised the town’s Motor Vehicle Traffic and Parking Ordinance to accommodate the new flow of traffic.
The ordinance, drafted over the last several months, has several parking provisions and calls for fines ranging from $25 to $150, according to town records.
On Monday, the Mansfield Town Council unanimously adopted the ordinance. Deputy Mayor Toni Moran and Councilman William Ryan were not present.
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The ordinance calls for a $25 fine for anyone found parking on a sidewalk, lawn, island or unpaved area.
Twenty-five dollar parking citations will also be imposed on any violation resulting in towing, plus the cost of the original violation.
Thirty-dollar fees are issued for violations ranging from parking on the wrong side of the street, to obstructing a driveway, to double parking.
Motorists parking in violation of a snow ordinance, parking in a fire lane or parking within 10 feet of a hydrant, will receive a $50 fine. Fifty-dollar fees are also proposed for drivers found parking in a loading zone, parking in a bus stop or parking that causes a traffic hazard.
Parking in a handicapped space or zone will incur a $150 fee.
Mansfield’s regulations and ordinance have also been amended to include a provision to regulate parking in the Storrs Center development area.
While on-street parking will be free, parking will be regulated with signs, and motorists will be restricted from remaining parked on any public roadway on the development’s premises, according to town records.
“It is going to be enforced at different time periods, Lon Hultgren, director of public works, said Monday. “There will be some short [term] parking, there will be some hour parking, there will be some two-hour parking,” he said.
“Where exactly those [spaces] are will depend a great deal on the businesses that are adjacent to those spaces,” Hultgren said.
All fines must be paid to the Collector of Revenue within 10 days of the date on which the fine is issued, a change from the former pay period of 21 days. Town Attorney Dennis O’Brien said Monday that the amendment was proposed to bring the pay period in line with other town ordinances.
Appeals for parking citation fees may be made to the Mansfield Resident State Troopers Office.
The ordinance will take effect 21 days after the town advertises it.
Click on the attached PDF file above to review the ordinance in full.
