FORREST CITY, Ark. — An Arkansas city here in the Mid-South said it is looking at banning people from parking in their yards.
The proposed ordinance was fashioned after a law already on the books in Little Rock, which carries a fine for violators.
While the Mayor of Forrest City believed the law would make the city more attractive, not everyone agreed.
“That’s too much. Cause I mean, it’s my property. If I want someone to park on the grass, I feel like they should be able to do that,” said Ebony Johnson.
Johnson was clearly against the proposed ordinance.
She lived on a busy Forrest City street where parking is at a premium, and her front yard is often the only option.
“This is my grandma’s car. As you can see, it’s parked on my grass. This is my car and as you can see it’s parked on my grass as well,” Johnson told WREG.
Mayor Larry Bryant was unavailable Wednesday, but we’re told the proposed law is meant to improve the appearance of the East Arkansas city.
Janice Bury supported the proposed law.
“I don’t want anybody parking in my yard. And I wouldn’t dream of parking in anyone else’s yard,” she said.
Bury believed there’s a lot of issues starting with “space.”
She told us many streets in Forrest City would need to be widened to allow for parking.
“A little more space for “thru” traffic. Or else parking on one side of the street instead of both sides,” said Bury.
We’re told there would be considerations made in cases where street parking is limited.
But Johnson wanted city leaders to hold off on passing the law, at least for a little while longer.
“I’m with child. So if I was to have a baby shower over here I would literally have to got though a whole bunch of chaos to find parking for all the guests that would be coming to the baby shower,” she said.
The Forrest City Mayor said he wants to get more input from the community before moving forward.
