GREENFIELD — Greenfield police could soon start issuing citations to residents who keep their trailers and campers parked for too long on streets and in driveways, if the city council votes in favor of new restrictions.
The Greenfield City Council introduced the ordinance earlier this month. It would restrict the parking and storing of trailers, boats, recreational vehicles and commercial vehicles. The council plans to discuss and vote on the proposed traffic code amendment at its meeting next Wednesday
The ordinance states no more than one of the aforementioned vehicles “shall be parked or located on any parcel.” It also says those vehicles cannot stay on city streets within 10 feet of a sidewalk, street or public right-of-way for longer than 72 hours per month, and no camper, trailer or RV can stay for more than 24 hours on a “residential lot, property, or street unless it is located behind the front yard building line.”
A “front yard building line” typically refers to the front corner of a residence, said Greenfield city attorney Gregg Morelock. He said the ordinance doesn’t allow people to store campers and trailers on driveways facing city streets. City zoning code already restricts the parking of trailers in front of a home: “Recreational vehicles may be stored or parked … behind or alongside the principal building … no part of any such vehicle shall project beyond the front setback or side setback lines of the lot,” it says.
The proposed ordinance would add to the city’s traffic code, which police officers can enforce. Only the city’s code enforcement officer could issue citations if people don’t follow the zoning law, Morelock said.
Greenfield Police Lt. C.W. Murnan, the city’s traffic safety officer, said he’s received numerous complaints over the years about trailers sitting in streets for months and blocking driveways in subdivisions. He’s also recorded cases of residents keeping trash in trailers along the street.
One RV, he said, has sat outside a home on North Street since he joined the force years ago.
“It’s just an eyesore,” he said.
Murnan researched how other cities enforce such restrictions, and he, with members of the Greenfield Traffic Safety Committee, worked to create an ordinance that fits Greenfield’s current code. He said some cities require people to pay for permits to park vehicles or only allow certain types of trailers on properties.
“We didn’t want to be overly strict,” Murnan said. “You still want people to have their items, but obviously long-term storage in the roadway is what we were looking at.”
Officers can issue warning citations in their enforcement of the proposed ordinance and fine people if they repeatedly don’t follow the law. Each fine is set for $50, and if someone has multiple fines within a 12-month period of time, the second citation is $150 and then $250 for each repeated violation.
Even though the ordinance states people cannot park trailers and campers on front-facing driveways, Murnan said police would mainly work to enforce vehicles on city streets, leaving it up to the officer’s discretion on whether to cite a person for parking trailers and campers in a driveway. He’s seen some large RVs parked on small driveways in town, hampering the line of sight for neighbors.
“Just try to get it away from that front view of the house or … if it’s going to obstruct somebody else’s,” he said.
Gary McDaniel, city councilman for District 1, said, “It’s time to step up for neighborhoods” that have frequent issues with trailers and campers being parked in streets, making it hard to navigate the streets. He’s seen multiple campers on one lot and driven past trailers without reflectors during the night.
“It’s all about safety,” McDaniel said. “Streets aren’t for storing your trailers and your boats.”
McDaniel said some neighbors have gotten in disputes about trailers parked along city streets.
Councilman Jeff Lowder, District 4 representative, voted against the first reading of the ordinance earlier this month. He’s in favor of finding a solution to keep trailers off streets for public safety, but Lowder said he takes issue with the ordinance restricting how many trailers can be stored on a person’s property. He also doesn’t like restrictions on parking vehicles in a front-facing driveway. He also said it’s a waste of taxpayer money to issue citations and fines for what residents do on their private property.
“Are we going to hire somebody to go out looking for these things?” Lowder said.
Some homeowners associations already have rules on what to park in driveways, but Lowder said many people in his district choose to not live in subdivisions that have those types of regulations.
He said the ordinance should focus more on public safety than restricting Greenfield residents.
“It could cause more aggravation in the city than a solution to a problem,” Lowder said. “Nothing is accomplished through this ordinance other than making people mad.”
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WHAT: Greenfield City Council discusses trailer ordinance
WHEN: 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 23
WHERE: Greenfield City Hall, 10 S. State St., Greenfield
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