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Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Valet parking shakeup on Lower Greenville leads to towed cars

By Avi Adelman of Barking Dogs

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LOWER GREENVILLE — If there is one constant in life around Lower Greenville, this is it - There is never enough parking for the bar patrons.

So it comes as no surprise to find the valet services will use whatever spaces they can grab - even if they have absolutely no legal right to use them - to park patron vehicles.

Combine that rule with the explosive growth in development eating up every empty field in the area, and you have the the script for a great action movie - Valets Gone Wild.

Let's set the scene...

LeComte Development built three-story townhomes on 5700 LaVista behind the motorcycle shop. One of the five units - which faces Hope Street - has been sold. He is about to break ground on a larger property around the corner on 1900 Hope Street.

Each townhome has a ground level driveway to the front door, with a ramp starting at the curb.

But the townhome owner has been hitting a minor roadblock to selling the other four units. Prospective buyers would drive by at night and see all these cars parked in the driveways and even on the street in front of the driveways.

The vehicles were parked there by First Impressions Valet Service, working across the street in a tiny parking lot owned by the Beagle. The valets had no problem using the public right of way (the street) to park patron vehicles and absolutely no problem parking cars in the private driveways. They did have a problem parking cars in a private lot located about two blocks away. Barking Dogs (BD) guesses they just got tired of the long runs back and forth.

Not a very pretty sight for potential buyers, wouldn't you agree?

The LeComte Development folks contacted BD a few days ago, asking advice on how to stop the valets from using his property, not just now but in the future after the townhomes were sold.

His simple answer - Tow the cars off the property. Take them far far away from Lower Greenville. And make the owners go get them back.

The law is very clear on three points.

  • A car can be towed off private property by the owner without any warning or notice to the vehicle's owner.
  • A car cannot be parked on the street in front of a driveway ramp, no matter if the home is occupied or empty.
  • And valet drivers cannot park cars on the public right of way (streets) without permission of the City.

BD wrote a letter on behalf of LeComte Develoopment, notifying The Beagle, First Impressions, the City's Valet Parking Management office, and the Dallas Police Department of the issues and problem. He informed them that a towing contract was going to be signed shortly.

The property owner signed a towing contract on Tuesday morning, effective immediately.

BD spoke to one of The Beagle's owners on Sunday night, warning him of the pending changes. The valet service owner did not see the letter until late Tuesday evening, but told BD last evening the Beagle owner told him about the towing issue early Tuesday evening. He claims he had permission to park on the driveways at certain times from a friend of a friend of the townhome developer, but he had trouble pronouncing the developer's name, did not have a phone number and did not have any kind of written agreement.

But he very clearly described him as a lying scumbag property developer who was lying to BD about everything.

And he had no problem accusing BD of putting a stick up the --- of the developer to make him do all this.

Fair disclosures: BD has known the developer longer than he has known the valet service owner. BD has provided printing services to him (business cards). BD pulled records for the towing service owner as he worked to solve other problems on Lower Greenville. BD has provided printing and service references to the towing company (including the classic - Greetings, you have been towed - flyers).

That is where we pick up the action. It's 11:30 pm Tuesday evening, and the tow trucks are circling the neighborhood (patrolling properties at Firestone, Taco Cabana and Big Wong). There are eight patron vehicles parked on the townhome driveways.

Lights (not enough). Camera (a little wobbly). Action (lots of it).

Valets gone wild: Lower Greenville

BarkingDogs.org covers the Lower Greenville Avenue area.

This story was submitted by a member of the Pegasus News community.

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Comments

Rawlins Gilliland

Rawlins Gilliland Verified

I guess all of this is interesting to many and funny to a few. But here is how I see it: I grew up off lower Greenville and moved long ago because it was too congested for me. But that's parenthetical. What is pertinent here is that innocent valet parking people patrons were hurt here. They used a valet parking service, which is not free, precisely beCAUSE there is no place to park and they wanted to not have to worry about damage, etc., if they were not parked where the cars would be looked after, etc. (File this under 'Duh') So what do they get? Towed, which 1) Usually damages their cars 2) Is expensive and complicated to get their cars back. Need I go on?

I am in complete sympathy with Mr. Adelman regarding the urinating in their yards, etc. that has been heavily reported for years. That is why I moved, selling my home to those who are now Avi's disciples bemoaning the very infringements that lead to me moving in the first place. (File under 'Duh'). But his 'gotcha' glee at making victims of those who are simply trying to patronize locals haunts and valet parking in the process is obscene.

FYI: I parked my own car when I went to Terreli's (on Vickery) and the car was terribly vandalized when I returned. So I valet parked after that. Now, reading this, I will never go near Lower Greenville again, ever. End of story. Everyone is now the enemy and I would become the next victim. Forget it.

1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Michael Davis

Michael Davis Verified

I hope the valet parkers get sued and have to pay for everything associated with that car (damages, hardship etc).

Will the Beagle get fined in any way? Nope.

At some point, someone has to do something. It's not Adelman or the developers' fault that the valet parkers are doing something illegally and the bar owners are looking the other way. The builder has a million-dollar investment and should have the right to protect it.

They should revoke all of that valet parkers' license (if there is such a thing as a valet license).

1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

DC

DC Anonymous

Well, it's too bad the taxi service in Dallas is such a scam.

1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

J_Mortimer Anonymous

Given Mr Adelman's behavior, why would anyone be surprised that people urinate on his lawn?

I surmise that part of why Adelman and crew's problems haven't been solved for a very long time is because of their concentration on solving their problems through negative means. "The squeaky wheel gets the grease" is not always true because some people do not want to be associated with cranks.

Mr Rawlins: I agree with you. I stopped going to Lower Greenville long ago for mostly the same reasons you describe and I, too, lived there at one time.

J

1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

AviAdelman Anonymous

Let's add some points of information

  • What does my behavior have to do with the amount of urine deposited in my yard??? You imply that I am a target and therefore it must be my fault and not the fault of the guy with the bladder issue. In reality, you give license to shoot the messenger since it is fault there is a problem. Do me a favor and just go a step beyond me to find the truth of the matter. This is scapegoating at its finest and to be honest it is a disgusting comment. If you shoot the messenger all you do is stop promoting the problem. The problem is still there, bu t you think that is fine.

  • There are NOT enough parking spaces around Lower Greenville for the business operations. We need nearly 2,000 spaces and have less than 1,500 (I am not sure of the exact number - but I do remember a 700 space shortage from a few years ago). That number is based on the occupancy for all the businesses and the number of variances, mulligans etc

  • The valet permit is issued by the City to the Business. They then "lease" the permit to the valet service. We have already asked that the permit be revoked pending an investigation of the issue.

  • The parking spaces were recently surveyed and it was determined that the businesses were double and triple dipping (claiming spaces used by other operations)

  • The Belmont NA will pay the full cost of any street in our area that wants RESIDENT PARKING ONLY protection. We have money from the Arcadia sign sale to pay the fees (almost $500 per street)

  • This is not just a parking issue. This is a private property issue. The valets were trespassing on someone else's property. They are also using public right of way without a permit. There is nothing to stop the future owners of these townhomes from using small weapons to stop the trespassers from parking.

Avi

1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Mike Orren

Mike Orren Staff

This may be a colossally stupid question, BUT:

Has anyone ever considered building a parking garage on/near Lower Greenville? Seems that charging even a nominal fee would be a lucrative way of solving a big problem.

1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

eastside Anonymous

LOL, you beat me to it mike. I think a parking garage would be the best solution. With part of the proceeds from the garage going back to the neighborhood??

1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

AviAdelman Anonymous

A parking lot was considered a few years ago.

BUT we said, Cool great idea. And in return the residents would impose (at our cost) RESIDENT PARKING ONLY on all the streets.

The bars said NO, we need ALL those spaces AND the parking lot.

In effect they wanted to double the parking available.

It was also going to be pay to park building -not free for anyone.

Hell, Jeanne Terilli even proposed the businesses and residents go to City Hall together (since in her opinion no one cared what the residents said by themselves) and tell the City to build a parking lot.

Again, without allowing any street to go RESIDENT ONLY.

I cannot repeat what we told her and anyone else who raised that dumb idea due to language issues.

Avi

1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Rawlins Gilliland

Rawlins Gilliland Verified

"Avi Maria" (Said while making the sign of the cross...and garlic).

1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

J_Mortimer Anonymous

Mr. Adelman,

I do not plan to "argue" with you so this is the last thing I'll say.

We all agree that Lower Greenville has these problems. Repeating that as if I or half the world, doesn't know it does not change that fact. That Lower Greenville has problems does not imply that all attempts to solve problems are productive. Some, such as yours, may just be counter productive. I am not shooting the messenger but I am shooting the strategy for solving the problems contained in the message.

I have dealt with issues involving municipal government in a few cities in several areas. I hold the opinion that your mode of operation has a high likelihood of getting oneself ignored very quickly in most cities. (Not all – Most) Given your experiences with Dallas so-called government, it seems reasonable for you to ask yourself if your strategy can ever get your problem solved.

So why repeat the same strategy if it doesn’t work? As Ben Franklin said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

Do you want your problems more or less permanently solved? If so, then why not critically reexamine how you are trying to solve these problems and kill the sacred cows of how you operate?

I don’t think you will do that. Why? Because I have two hunches. First, you would have to admit you were wrong and that has only barely happened on rare occasions as far as I can see and not about anything significant. Second, I believe you thrive on this sort of conflict so in actuality being able to drum up the conflict is more important than solving problems associated with it.

J

1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Rawlins Gilliland

Rawlins Gilliland Verified

It's hard to explain to deaf-in-Dallas ears what that old expression, 'Winning the battles but losing the war' implies.

HINT: Texans respond to charm and guns. Hopefully the latter is a non-starter. But the former appears to be as well.

Mr. Mortimer nailed Adelman in his last two sentences. Laura Miller showed us how one can be smart and even right and ultimately turn everyone off to become a political pariah.

One down.
One to go.

1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

CastleHills

CastleHills Anonymous

Avi, I fear that one day you are going to be shot.

1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

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