GREENFIELD — A proposed ordinance restricting residents from parking trailers and campers on streets and front-facing driveways caused quite a stir at Wednesday’s meeting of the Greenfield City Council.
With more than 50 people attending the council meeting, mostly in opposition, the city council chose to table the ordinance, pushing it back to the city’s traffic safety committee for further consideration.
“It does need to be reworked. It will be reworked,” Mayor Chuck Fewell told the crowd.
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The ordinance, which the council introduced earlier this month, states that not more than one trailer, boat, recreational vehicle, camper or commercial vehicle “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.”
Greenfield police would be tasked with enforcing the ordinance, if it’s passed.
Most people at the meeting, both on the council and among members of the public, said they agree with the restrictions the ordinance places on the storage of boats and trailers on city streets. They said it’s a nuisance for drivers and makes it unsafe for people who walk in town, especially children going to school.
The issue surrounds 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.
Keely Butrum, District 3 representative on the council, said it’s difficult for people who own an RV or a boat to comply with the ordinance. Some don’t have big enough lots or can’t afford outside storage.
“People want their rights back on their personal property,” Butrum said. “The pay income tax, they pay property tax. A lot of people work hard for decades with the aspiration of traveling to and from home with an RV, and to tell them they can’t have it there is the issue I’m hearing.”
District 2 Councilman Jeff Lowder, who voted against the ordinance on first reading on Jan. 9, said the proposal could cause aggravation among residents. He’s also unsure how police can efficiently enforce it.
“If you’ve got good neighbors, you’ll be all right,” he said. “If you’ve got neighbors that don’t get along, guess what, they’ll be coming down here (to city hall) all the time and causing problems. There’s no good way to enforce this.”
Some Greenfield residents live in neighborhoods with homeowner association fees, which can limit the type of vehicles stored in driveways. Gary McDaniel, councilman for District 1, said a common issue in those housing additions is people parking their RVs and trailers on streets since they don’t fall under HOA jurisdiction. The city maintains and enforces rules for public 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.”
Joanie Fitzwater, city planner, said the city already regulates trailers and RVs parked in driveways through zoning code. Some are vehicles weighing more than three tons, Fitzwater said, and the planning department also has received complaints about RVs parked in driveways and restricting the view of drivers.
Fitzwater said she and her staff will research the number of past code violations in the city and present that to the traffic safety committee. Fewell said he wants the zoning code and traffic code in sync.
The traffic safety committee meets next at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 13 in the second-floor conference room at city hall.
Rob Harsh, who lives on East Main Street, said he owns a utility trailer, two boats and a camper. He doesn’t see how the ordinance would keep people safer on the streets. All he sees is city control.
“I do not like anybody telling me what to do on my own land. I see (an ordinance) that is written by somebody that does not represent me or my family or my values or the country that I live in and serve,” Harsh said.
Jim Bever, who lives on Pippin Drive, said he opposes the ordinance’s restriction of where to park vehicles on their own property. Bever owns a small pop-up camper and a boat. He doesn’t keep more than one in his driveway at any time. Bever said he cannot store the vehicles behind or to the side of his home because of how the home is situated on the lot. He also said storage could prove difficult.
“If enacted as it is proposed, and if all people comply with this ordinance: Folks, there isn’t enough storage in Greenfield to park all of those RVs,” he said. “I don’t know where we’re going to find a place to park.”
Greenfield resident Gene Jack said his home on Meadow Lane is also confined in space, so his 60-foot driveway is the only place to park his trailer. Jack said he’s kept his trailer clean and covered year-round at his home for about two decades. It doesn’t obstruct anyone’s view, nor does he keep it in the street.
“I just have a problem with not being able to keep my property on my own property,” Jack said. “If it’s stored in a safe and secure way where it’s not blocking traffic or people. … I just think you ought to consider these people who do things the way it should be done.”
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Key wording in the proposed ordinance:
"Commercial vehicles, boats, and trailers of all types, including travel, camping, hauling, boat, any nonmotorized vehicle capable of being towed, and mobile homes shall not be parked or stored on any parcel occupied by a residential dwelling, on any parcel in any residential district nor on any public road, street, or right-of-way, except in accordance with the following provisions.
(A) No more than one of the following: commercial vehicle, trailer, boat, recreational vehicle, camper or other items meeting the descriptions provided herein shall be parked or located on any parcel.
(B) Commercial vehicles, boats, campers, and trailer of all types, including, travel, camping, hauling, and boat shall be parked on a hard surface of a uniform nature that encompasses the entire length and width of the vehicle/boat/camper/trailer at issue and shall not be parked on grass or surface composed of other plant material.
(G) Not more than one camper, travel trailer, or recreational vehicle, per parcel … shall be permitted, provided that said camper, travel trailer, or recreational vehicle does not exceed 32 feet in length or 8 feet in width; No camper, travel trailer, or recreational vehicle shall be parked or stored for more than 24 hours on any residential lot, property, or street unless it is located behind the front yard building line.
A camper, travel trailer, or recreational vehicle may be occupied by guests either temporarily or for sleeping purposes only, while it is parked or stored in any residential area for a period not to exceed 7 days, so long as the other requirements of this subsection are met.
(H) Not more than one boat, boat trailer, or pop-up camper per parcel … shall be permitted, provided that said boat, boat trailer, or pop-up camper does not exceed 32 feet in length or 8 feet in width; No boat, boat trailer or pop-up camper shall be parked or stored for more than 24 hours on any residential lot, property, or street unless it is located behind the front yard building line."
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