2 S.L. residents drop parking suit

Two Capitol Hill area residents have agreed to drop a lawsuit against Salt Lake City that included the LDS Church as a result of a settlement brokered by the City Council member in that district.

Bonnie Mangold and Peter von Sivers last year filed suit against the city in 3rd District Court because they disagreed with a city Board of Adjustment decision to grant "alternative parking" to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in regard to its construction of a new archives library building near the church's downtown Conference Center.

The new building will eliminate 283 existing parking spaces, Mangold said.

The church petitioned the court to join the suit as an interested party.

Mangold said she and von Sivers believed the Board of Adjustment's decision was a mistake that violated the area's master plan. They particularly feared this would result in the historic neighborhood's already limited parking being overwhelmed by visitors' cars during large LDS Church gatherings.

The parking situation has been a "huge" problem for area residents for a long time and has gotten worse in recent years, according to Mangold, who has lived there since 1969.

Mangold said it was unfortunate, but the only way to appeal a Board of Adjustment decision was to file a lawsuit. Mangold said she did not want the situation to turn into an ugly Mormon-vs.-non-Mormon battle but said that could have happened had it not been for City Council member Eric Jergensen, who represents that district and mediated a settlement agreeable to all parties on Monday.

"We took what what could have been a very combative process and turned it into a very collaborative process," said Jergensen.

The settlement is somewhat complex, but boils down to a few main points:

• The city and the LDS Church will be more active in getting people attending Conference Center events to park in appropriate lots south of the area rather than on Capitol Hill area streets.

• The city ordinance concerning how alternative parking is granted will be clarified.

• City master plan policies will figure more prominently in decisions made by city agencies such as the bBoard of aAdjustment, planning commission and others.

• The LDS Church can proceed with its current plan to replace the 283 parking stalls with its new archive building.

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E-mail: lindat@desnews.com