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Re: ????Info on obtaining R1 driveway variance???
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ianmac47 wrote:
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regulator wrote:
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JPhurst wrote:
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regulator wrote:
again, i don't buy the street parking argument. if your lot is wide enough , you can potentially park up to 3 cars (2 inside, one outside) in a spot where previously only 1 car fit!


"You" can park there as in "you" the property owner. On the other hand, the public is deprived of a public parking space. Unless you are so generous as to let strangers park in your driveway.



my point is without the driveway, you have 2 or 3 cars from 100 Main street now parked on the road. with the driveway, you have 1 'street' spot occupied, but 2 or 3 cars from 100 main street are now off the street, leaving the other residents of main street an extra parking spot or 2 on the street.



If there are X parking spaces and Y cars, then X-1 ≥ Y-2 must be true or you are making it more difficult to park on the street for everyone else.

Given that the average size car is 16 feet in length and most of the lots in Jersey City, at least downtown, are 20 to 25 foot frontage, building driveways will not create enough parking.


i'm not sure i follow..

assume standard piss poor jc parking situation: 50 spots for 75 cars. build a driveway. now there are 49 spots, but 2 cars can park in 1 driveway so 73 cars are now looking for 49 spots. there's still more cars than spots, but you now have 2 less cars fighting for those spots.

also, in my original post i was assuming that 2 cars could fit side by side in the driveway, as well as one car on the outside. obviously this is not always the case, but if it were true, then you'd have 49 spots for 72 cars.

49 spots for 72 cars (driveway)
or
50 spots for 75 cars (no driveway)

Posted on: 2009/6/24 14:56
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Re: ????Info on obtaining R1 driveway variance???
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As a law student I'm trying to do this the legal way. I posted on here because I know there is a legal way to get a variance, its just somewhat difficult and I was wondering if anyone went through the process. I agree I'm mad about illegal driveways too, but at the same time now theyre punishing people like my parents who do everything by the book. As for aesthetics lets be realistic its the city, jersey city isnt stopping people from building those huge 2 family houses that have illegal apartments and fit like 50 ppl in them with 10 cars, well all those illegal residents are taking the parking spots, and it seems only fair the people who live on the block who pay their taxes should be able to park their car. I'm in the heights there are no historic houses on my block or in my area in general. Honestly if people really want aesthetics move to the suburbs plain and simple, but dont screw over the little guy who follows the law while everyone around him breaks it. Anyway like I said I have no intention of doing it illegally I just want some advice on how to proceed to get the variance, I know its possible.

Posted on: 2009/6/24 14:40
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Re: ????Info on obtaining R1 driveway variance???
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regulator wrote:
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JPhurst wrote:
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regulator wrote:
again, i don't buy the street parking argument. if your lot is wide enough , you can potentially park up to 3 cars (2 inside, one outside) in a spot where previously only 1 car fit!


"You" can park there as in "you" the property owner. On the other hand, the public is deprived of a public parking space. Unless you are so generous as to let strangers park in your driveway.



my point is without the driveway, you have 2 or 3 cars from 100 Main street now parked on the road. with the driveway, you have 1 'street' spot occupied, but 2 or 3 cars from 100 main street are now off the street, leaving the other residents of main street an extra parking spot or 2 on the street.



If there are X parking spaces and Y cars, then X-1 ≥ Y-2 must be true or you are making it more difficult to park on the street for everyone else.

Given that the average size car is 16 feet in length and most of the lots in Jersey City, at least downtown, are 20 to 25 foot frontage, building driveways will not create enough parking.

Posted on: 2009/6/24 14:38
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Re: ????Info on obtaining R1 driveway variance???
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ihatethiscity wrote:
Good luck selling your house Rajah......with no permits and an illegal driveway....but being selfish you probably don't caare about that now, as long as you can park in your driveway and ruin your neighborhood....you are the jerk.

I buy house...make driveway. I came across an illegal driveway, called the zoning dept they told the owners to remove the "no parking sign" sometime later I parked there and I found a note on my car "not to park in driveway". I tried to speak to the foreign owner of the property buy they "didn't understand my native tounge" (English) I called the zoning dept. again and they gave them a ticket and told them to put back the curb they cut for "their" driveway. It's not fair for those that pay taxes on a house with a legal driveway and those that pay taxes according to house that don't have a driveway. You're right they are jerks, but I fixed their wagon. Ah !

Posted on: 2009/6/24 14:30
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Re: ????Info on obtaining R1 driveway variance???
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KNOWITALL wrote:
the house at the corner the NW corner of Erie and 1st always had a parking spot...it wasn't used for the last few years while the property has been sold and resold and then undergone a major renovation.


But was it legal before the renovation? Also, there isn't a curb cut. There had just been a gate with a sign.

Posted on: 2009/6/24 14:27
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Re: ????Info on obtaining R1 driveway variance???
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monj1985---- as a law student, I am certain that you do not want to be breaking the law right? SO, please don't do it.
I must admit, I'm pretty passionate about this issue--- enough to be the jerk that would phone you in and make the sure the city held you accountable for your illegal actions. I own, and I find it to be a visual eyesore as well as bringing down the property value. Half the parking pads that I've seen don't even fit the car that's parked in them, so they end up sticking out onto the sidewalk.

I understand how difficult it can be to park in the city, but you can blame it on all the other illegal driveways that take up public parking and the fact that some areas of the city do not have permit parking allowing people from anywhere to park on your street all day. Maybe try doing something constructive with your degree and figure out a way to get the city to issue permit parking for the area you live in.

Posted on: 2009/6/24 14:18
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Re: ????Info on obtaining R1 driveway variance???
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JPhurst wrote:
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regulator wrote:
again, i don't buy the street parking argument. if your lot is wide enough , you can potentially park up to 3 cars (2 inside, one outside) in a spot where previously only 1 car fit!


"You" can park there as in "you" the property owner. On the other hand, the public is deprived of a public parking space. Unless you are so generous as to let strangers park in your driveway.



my point is without the driveway, you have 2 or 3 cars from 100 Main street now parked on the road. with the driveway, you have 1 'street' spot occupied, but 2 or 3 cars from 100 main street are now off the street, leaving the other residents of main street an extra parking spot or 2 on the street.



Quote:

Removing illegal curb cuts serves both aesthetic and function. "You live in a city" is precisely why the moratorium on curb cuts exists.


what function is the curb serving other than allowing the car to enter/exit the driveway? if anything, having the lowered curb would make the owner more likely to keep that entire area of the sidewalk clean. i hate walking down in my neighborhood and seeing owners not take care of at least trash in front of their houses. of course, if the owner of the illegal driveway starts doing car repairs there and leaves behind tools, oil, fluids, etc, thats a different issue.

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Aesthetics can be subjective. I will simply note that, when the city was previously developing its master plan, it met with communities all over the city. One of the things they did was show various blocks, some with driveways, some with tree lined streets. When asked "where would you rather live" people always chose the latter.


i can live with that answer

Posted on: 2009/6/24 14:09
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Re: ????Info on obtaining R1 driveway variance???
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the house at the corner the NW corner of Erie and 1st always had a parking spot...it wasn't used for the last few years while the property has been sold and resold and then undergone a major renovation.

Posted on: 2009/6/24 14:08
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Re: ????Info on obtaining R1 driveway variance???
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rajah wrote:
monj,

As soon as the work was finished, a city employee came to us with a picture of our driveway saying that it was illegal and that we couldn't park there. Apparently, one of our new neighbors was kind enough to inform the city of what we had done. Jerk.


Yeah, obviously. You took away a PUBLIC parking space to make a PRIVATE off street space. Are you going to let your neighbors park in your driveway when they can't find a spot on the street?

Anyone know what department regarding turning in illegal driveways? The house being renovated on the NW corner of Erie and First Streets has converted the yard into a driveway on Erie Street, taking away yet another public parking space.

Posted on: 2009/6/24 14:01
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Re: ????Info on obtaining R1 driveway variance???
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Ive honestly started parking my car in it just to see if anyone is really going to block me in.


Please advise us of your street address. Those who are fed up with having to find street parking would love to know that your driveway is illegal and have no hesitation about blocking you in.

But basically, you've shown what the problem is. People can break the law and say "who cares, I won't get punished."

Posted on: 2009/6/24 13:40
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Re: ????Info on obtaining R1 driveway variance???
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regulator wrote:
again, i don't buy the street parking argument. if your lot is wide enough , you can potentially park up to 3 cars (2 inside, one outside) in a spot where previously only 1 car fit!


"You" can park there as in "you" the property owner. On the other hand, the public is deprived of a public parking space. Unless you are so generous as to let strangers park in your driveway.


Quote:

as far as aesthetics, that argument is a wash to me. would i rather live in a city where flowers bloomed on every street? sure. but the reality is this is a city, and at some point you sacrifice aesthetics for function.


Removing illegal curb cuts serves both aesthetic and function. "You live in a city" is precisely why the moratorium on curb cuts exists.

Aesthetics can be subjective. I will simply note that, when the city was previously developing its master plan, it met with communities all over the city. One of the things they did was show various blocks, some with driveways, some with tree lined streets. When asked "where would you rather live" people always chose the latter.

Posted on: 2009/6/24 13:38
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Re: ????Info on obtaining R1 driveway variance???
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again, i don't buy the street parking argument. if your lot is wide enough , you can potentially park up to 3 cars (2 inside, one outside) in a spot where previously only 1 car fit!

as far as aesthetics, that argument is a wash to me. would i rather live in a city where flowers bloomed on every street? sure. but the reality is this is a city, and at some point you sacrifice aesthetics for function.

as a side note, i also never understood people's gripes with the aesthetics of the newer buildings and how they are an 'eyesore' for the community. since when has aesthetics become something that you could objectively measure anyway? who's to say that i or someone down the street don't appreciate the way the new buildings downtown look? just because you think something is an eyesore doesn't make it so.

of course it all boils down to the fact that it's against the law to do it in jc without a permit, and there's really no arguing that fact.

Posted on: 2009/6/24 13:10
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Re: ????Info on obtaining R1 driveway variance???
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The problem with adding a driveway in front of a home in a city environment, legal or illegal, is that it trashes the streetscape and is aesthetically unattractive. Additionally, as mentioned above, it limits the already rare space regarding street parking.

Posted on: 2009/6/24 12:51
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Re: ????Info on obtaining R1 driveway variance???
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ihatethiscity wrote:
Good luck selling your house Rajah......with no permits and an illegal driveway....but being selfish you probably don't caare about that now, as long as you can park in your driveway and ruin your neighborhood....you are the jerk.


how is that 'ruining the neighborhood'? because theres no flowers in front? or because 2 cars can now fit into a spot where previously only one could fit (yep, that creates a huge parking problem )

i agree that it shouldnt be done (we went thru the same process a year ago when we tried to get a permit, except we didnt go on with it when they said we couldnt build it), but please spare us the 'stop destroying the neighborhood' crap. youre probably just mad that you have nowhere to park.

if jc council had any brains, they would impose a fine on all the illegal driveways instead of the illegal basement apartments.

Posted on: 2009/6/24 12:46
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Re: ????Info on obtaining R1 driveway variance???
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I have to agree with Ihatethiscity on this one. I believe this very topic went to a council vote last year and luckily it was upheld. Making your own driveway is illegal. The contractor doing the driveway should also be held accountable and fined or have their builders permits yanked.

There are large chunks of streets in this chopped up city that have zero place to park on the streets because home owners have took it into their own hands to remove there nice front yard and replace them with slabs of concrete.

I am sure when this happened in the past a few bucks were exchanged and that was that but now the city has finally got their heads out of the asses and are upholding the laws. I have a neighbor that has concrete in the front of his house and back. No greenery just oil spills.Quote:

ihatethiscity wrote:
Good luck selling your house Rajah......with no permits and an illegal driveway....but being selfish you probably don't caare about that now, as long as you can park in your driveway and ruin your neighborhood....you are the jerk.

Posted on: 2009/6/24 12:37
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Re: ????Info on obtaining R1 driveway variance???
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Good luck selling your house Rajah......with no permits and an illegal driveway....but being selfish you probably don't caare about that now, as long as you can park in your driveway and ruin your neighborhood....you are the jerk.

Posted on: 2009/6/24 11:44
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Re: ????Info on obtaining R1 driveway variance???
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If the house is located within a historical district the task is much more difficult or impossible.

Here is a link to the JC historical preservation district maps...
http://www.cityofjerseycity.org/docs/neighborhoods.shtml

Posted on: 2009/6/24 3:45
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Re: ????Info on obtaining R1 driveway variance???
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monj,

I dont know what an R1 variance is but when my family moved to our new house about 3-4 years ago, we had a little garden and tree in front of our house. My mother decided to remove it and replace it with a driveway. I warned her that I saw something in the journal that the city was no longer giving out parking permits for driveways or something along those lines but she went ahead and did it anyway.

As soon as the work was finished, a city employee came to us with a picture of our driveway saying that it was illegal and that we couldn't park there. Apparently, one of our new neighbors was kind enough to inform the city of what we had done. Jerk. The guy said to check back with them at a later date to see if anything comes up in regards to new permits.

Fast forward to last week where we finally had another inspector come again to look at the space. He looked over the driveway and told my mother that since it wasn't part of the original city plans/neighborhood breakdown or something like that, we would never be able to get a legal permit for that space. He did however say that we could use it, but if someone were to block our driveway, we wouldn't have any right to tell them to move their vehicle. Ive honestly started parking my car in it just to see if anyone is really going to block me in.

I hope that helps and best of luck with your situation. Please keep us posted. Well, me at least. Thanks.

Posted on: 2009/6/24 3:42
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Re: ????Info on obtaining R1 driveway variance???
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At the law School School of Hard Knocks / JC Campus they taught us to go to the Zoning Dept with a brown paper bag full of cash.

Posted on: 2009/6/24 3:16
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Re: ????Info on obtaining R1 driveway variance???
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I know there's a joke here somewhere.
Something about a bag with $3,000.00 cash, maybe?

Posted on: 2009/6/24 3:08
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????Info on obtaining R1 driveway variance???
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Hi I would like to build a driveway in place of my front yard the contractor today told me I would need to get a variance. I was wondering if someone would explain to me what exactly I would need to do. I'm a law student and I'm doing this for my parents so I'm hoping I'll be able to do most of the stuff myself. Thanks for any help

Posted on: 2009/6/24 0:42
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