After living in his Squirrel Hill home for 18 years, Dr. Jeff Freedman was surprised to receive a letter from the Bureau of Building Inspection asking him to acquire a Certificate of Occupancy.
When he visited the specified location said to provide the certificate, he was told the document was unattainable. Thanks to a 1958 ordinance in Squirrel Hill, many residents are finding parking tickets on vehicles parked in their own driveways.
Pittsburgh City Councilman Corey O’Connor says the ordinance includes a setback that requires cars to park further than 29 feet from the curb, but within 30 feet.
“I don’t know a car that’s one foot wide, it really makes no sense,” O’Connor says.
He finds that the ordinance cannot be supported under the 14th Amendment because recently there has been selective enforcement throughout the neighborhood. O’Connor has been working with the BBI and is creating legislation that will more clearly define driveway, parking pads and curb cuts.
