City surveying residents on trailer ordinance

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GREENFIELD — City officials are asking for more public input about a proposed ordinance restricting how residents can store recreational vehicles and trailers on their property.

The city of Greenfield recently released an online survey for local residents, asking their opinion on the ordinance and documenting who in the city owns RVs and trailers and how they store their vehicles.

The ordinance, which the council introduced in January, says not more than one trailer, boat, recreational vehicle, camper or commercial vehicle “shall be parked or located on any parcel” and 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 cannot stay for more than 24 hours on a “residential lot, property, or street unless it is located behind the front yard building line.” Greenfield police would be tasked with enforcing the ordinance, if it’s passed.

Following a contentious Greenfield City Council meeting last month, the council tabled the ordinance and sent it back to the city’s traffic safety committee to be reworked. The committee — comprised of street commissioner Tyler Rankins; City Councilman Joe Skvarenina; city engineer Jason Koch; traffic safety Officer Lt. C.W. Murnan of the Greenfield Police Department; and Gary Pence — met last Wednesday to discuss the proposal. Pence was absent.

The committee also voted to table the ordinance as it waits to receive survey feedback. Many people who opposed the ordinance at last month’s meeting disagreed with the regulations on how and when people can park their vehicles in a driveway that’s not behind the front building line — that is, anywhere that’s to the side or in the back yard of a house. Most people seemed to agree with restricting vehicle storage on city streets.

City attorney Gregg Morelock reiterated to the traffic safety committee Wednesday that it needs to decide whether to allow people to store those vehicles in driveways if it doesn’t obstruct the right-of-way or a person’s view. He also said city’s zoning code — which restricts the parking of trailers in front of a home — needs to be amended if the committee and council decides to move forward with the new ordinance.

Joanie Fitzwater, city planner, told the committee that she doesn’t want RVs to be allowed in front-facing driveways longer than a set period of time.

Skvarenina voted to table the issue for the time being. Committee members also asked Fitzwater and the planning department to study how nearby cities restrict the storage of RVs and trailers.

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The City of Greenfield is asking residents to fill out a six-question online survey about a proposed ordinance restricting the storage of RVs, trailers and boats on city streets and front-facing driveways. Go to the online version of this story at greenfieldreporter.com to easily click on the survey link below:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/T2PRL6F

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