Residents In Gated Community Upset About HOA Parking Restrictions

Following the rules is part of the deal when you are a member of a Home Owners’ Association, but one east El Paso resident said the parking restrictions in her gated community have gone too far. “We follow the rules,” Marina Lomeli said. “It’s just this one seems a little excessive.” 10 months after Lomeli and her husband moved into the Las Palmas subdivision, signs went up restricting residents from parking in the street at all times of the day. There is designated parking for guests by the clubhouse, but for guest visiting residents who live further away, it’s a long walk — sometimes in the dark, and these days, in the cold. “It’s a couple of blocks,” Lomeli said. “There are some houses very far down this road.” Some residents parked on sidewalks to avoid getting towed. Because this is a private community, the city does not have a say in the matter. People who live in the community said that’s OK, but they wish they had had a say in the issue. “There’s some very concerned residents,” Lomeli said. “I think many of us thought that maybe they could have handled it a little differently.”