Connie Parsons, owner of the Connie Parsons School of Dance, submitted an application requesting to use the driveway portion of an adjacent home, which she owns, to increase the parking lot for her business.
Coun. Debbie Hanlon made a motion during Monday night’s city council meeting to refer the parking application to the committee of the whole.
“We should take this opportunity to think about other solutions,” said Mayor Danny Breen. “To come up with a reasonable solution for both the residents and the business owner.”
Hanlon says she hopes to see a presentation from Connie Parsons School of Dance and the neighbours of Kent Place.
“I feel as though there is still a bit of confusion about the application,” said Hanlon. “This is the fair way to approach it.”
Deputy Mayor Sheilagh O’Leary says she has spoken with many clients of the dance school who have had excellent experiences, but she cannot support the application.
“I am a supporter of mixed neighbourhoods,” said O’Leary. “But there does come a point where it becomes an infringement on the rights of the neighbours.”
Council voted 7-4 to refer the parking application to committee of the whole.
The next committee of the whole meeting will take place Nov. 29 at 9 a.m.
In September the previous council rejected the parking lot application for Connie Parsons School of Dance in St. John’s.
On Nov. 6, the discretionary use application was brought back to the new city council, but was deferred to a later date.
