”
Red Phone, I live on a private road that has several other
houses. Although we’re in the city limits, the city does not pay to
maintain this road, the property owners on this road must do that
themselves. Because this is a private road, can I control parking
in front of my house on this road?
“Red Phone, I live on a private road that has several other houses. Although we’re in the city limits, the city does not pay to maintain this road, the property owners on this road must do that themselves. Because this is a private road, can I control parking in front of my house on this road?”
Red Phone: Dear Private, Red Phone contacted Cpl. Rod Krewson, who said without knowing what specific road you are referring to it’s hard to answer your question. You see, there are two sections of the municipal code that deal with private roads. In some areas, such as Holiday Lake Estates, the road is private but patrolled by Morgan Hill police.
“Depending on where you live you may or may not be able to control parking,” he said.
Your best bet, he added, is to contact City Attorney Danny Wan at 779-7271.
Hope that helps, good caller.
Trespassers prompt tough choices
“What’s going on with the now defunct Burger King on Monterey Road and Tennant Avenue? Debris is piling up around the property, placing hazards near the sidewalks in addition to stringing razor wire on the property. Is he expecting Armageddon or just has a curious decorating style?”
Red Phone: Dear Annoyed, no, the owner is not expecting Armageddon or is he implementing a new decorating style. Bruno Martino, the owner of the property and a lifelong Morgan Hill resident, said he’s just trying to discourage pedestrians from trespassing on the property, despite the 13 signs he installed. He said he visits the site daily picking up trash and making sure everything is all right. The debris you cite are piles of tree branches he placed about a foot from the sidewalk to keep people off the property. In addition, Thanksgiving day he spent cleaning up the mess left when vandals broke a window. The razor wire, which has since been removed, was put up after the vandalism and was intended to keep people away from the building where the drive-thru lane was.
“It really bothers me to have to put the tree branches there, but people are cutting across the property,” Martino said. And, as the property owner, I’m sure you know that he is liable if someone hurts themselves.
Now, for the good news. The timeline for the new AutoZone has been moved up about 60 days, he said.
“The permit process is all but done,” he said. “Probably by the end of February they’ll start demolition and grading and hopefully by June or July the store will open.”
There you have it, good caller.
