Municipal Council Chairman George O. Stewart said Julie L. Franklin, director of BYU's residence life, asked that the council not move on the plan until the university has a chance to evaluate how the proposal will affect BYU student housing.

"If the city is going to change the focus of its parking program, we ask for additional time and discussion to re-evaluate how we should consider parking when contracting for student housing," Franklin wrote.

Stewart said he welcomes the opportunity to have further discussion on the issue with BYU.

"We have been dialoguing with them a lot, but this is the first time we've got a response," Stewart said. He agreed that there needed to be further discussion on the revised proposal.

Originally, the city proposed enforcing the residential permit 24 hours a day every day but Sunday. It also capped the number of permits to 1,500 for 1,000 on-street parking spots, with residents getting first priority. But the city modified the rules after students living in the neighborhood south of BYU's campus aired concerns about the plan. The new rules limit permit enforcement to 6 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays October through April, primarily to target commuters who park in the neighborhood to be closer to classes than in the free on-campus student lots. It also used the city's occupancy rules for apartments in determining how many on-street permits should be issued.

It was the last item that gave BYU concern, Franklin said in the letter. Franklin said there are 8,200 BYU students living in the North Joaquin area, and there is no indication of how that number figures into the proposal, since there are other renters in the area who are not affiliated with BYU.

"With so many residents affected, we are concerned about the feasibility of granting on-street permits regardless of the number of available stalls," Franklin wrote. She said BYU would like more time to consider the matter since one of the criteria for university-approved housing is to comply with city parking standards.

Students and landlords who spoke at the council meeting also expressed reservations about the program.

James Affleck said he chose to move to the North Joaquin area because the rents were reasonable, but found out that his complex has inadequate on-site parking for tenants. He said the permit program thrusts the blame for the problem on students rather than landlords who do not provide adequate parking.

Sam Wright, a recent graduate, said it appeared that the city was pushing the program because BYU students do not have a voice on the council, or in city affairs.

"If it were not for the weight of BYU administration, the council would not give this any consideration," Wright said.

While the program was targeting commuters, Roger Brown saw it as discriminating against renters since homeowners could get free parking permits and did not have any restriction on the number of cars or people living in a house. He said a parking rule should apply to everyone in the neighborhood equally.

But resident Charles Callis said commuter parking has been a problem in the area for more than 40 years, and that a residency-based permit parking system was needed. The only other option, Callis said, would be to declare the entire neighborhood a no-parking zone.

Councilwoman Cynthia Dayton said the city needs to consider mass transit and commuter issues along with assuring that student residents have adequate parking.

Stewart anticipated the matter coming up again at the Jan. 22 meeting.

dmeyers@sltrib.com