Eastwood High parking problems bleeding into residential areas

An East El Paso neighborhood is losing its streets to students and food trucks. But City Council is working with the Ysleta Independent School District to work out a way for everyone to park in their proper place.

“Every school needs to provide adequate parking for its students,” said District 7 Rep. Lily Limon, who represents the area. “Eastwood has outgrown its space.”

Eastwood High is over 100 percent capacity and projections say the growth will continue, which is why one of the projects of the YISD $452 million bond election is rebuilding the campus and improving the parking situation.

“Rather than just putting a band aid on it and saying no parking,” Limon said, “we’re really going to address all of the issues related to it.”

Residents in the nearby Eastridge neighborhood grew so frustrated they sent a proposal to city council to requesting Glemmway and Fenway streets be classified residential parking so students couldn’t park there.

But pushing them out of two streets, into others won’t fix the problems.

“The food trucks had invaded the neighborhood,” Limon said. “You can imagine walking out of your house and theirs a food truck parked in your driveway. So that was not a very nice situation for the residents.”

Limon and council decided to move forward with the residents’ proposal, including opening up parking on Montwood, allowing no more than three food trucks in only the lot of Saint Luke Methodist Church, and is considering opening up McRae for parking.

It will be up to residents to vote on whether they actually want Glemmway and Fenway streets to be designated only for them, which means everyone including visitors will have to have parking passes or risk penalties.