RV owners could face new regs for on-street parking

RVs line the street in front of Wright Park's trails.

LAKEWOOD – City Council is considering curbing the use of city streets for recreational vehicle storage, and is leaning toward seasonal restrictions that would virtually ban the practice in the winter and impose time limits during the late-spring and summer months.

The issue, one of two on the discussion agenda for a study session earlier this week, could include an “informal” permit issued by police responding to complaints about RVs parked on public streets.

There are no current restrictions on parking RVs under 25-feet long on city streets.

Gail Spencer, of the city’s Code Enforcement department, said complaints about RVs represent less than 1 percent of calls to her department, ranging between 30 and 45 calls a year.

Spencer said parking the large vehicles can present a safety hazard and Ward 3 Councilwoman Sue King, a real estate agent, said their presence could lower neighborhood property values.

“They appear as ‘junky’ to a lot of people,” King said.

Ward 4 Councilman Adam Paul and Ward 5 Councilwoman Diana Allen said they receive a number of RV-parking complaints from their constituents.

“People who park their RV on the street all the time are the problem,” Allen said.

Paul said the problem is especially prevalent in areas where multi-family housing – apartments, town homes and condos – are located and suggested imposing a time limit that would allow RV owners to park on the street while loading and unloading their vehicles.

Councilwoman Cindy Baroway, who represents Ward 2, said that would require “at least 36 hours on the front end (packing) and more on the back end,” especially when wet weather complicates unloading and clean up after an RV outing. Baroway said she and her husband store their camping trailer at a private lot, but need to park it in front of their home at least overnight when preparing for a trip.

Baroway also questioned the need for any further restrictions on RV parking, saying she is “concerned about changing something that hasn’t been much of an issue” for Code Enforcement officers.

After discussing a series of potential time limits varying from a few hours to as much as two weeks with little agreement, Ward 1 Councilwoman Vicki Stack suggested a seasonal component with longer parking times permitted in spring and summer and shorter times – during the late fall and winter when fewer RV owners head out.

Stack’s proposal won favor with a majority of Council and made a two-week maximum time limit on parking more palatable to Council members who were concerned about the longer time allowance. The one- to two-week limit that will move forward for consideration would allow out-of-town visitors more parking leeway.

When they take up the issue again in about six weeks, Council will discuss seasonal regulations including possible winter regulations, a the seven to 14-day maximum, a whether to consider incremental fines that become more harsh with repeat offenses, the permit process and comments submitted by the public through the city’s on-line feedback page.

“There’s going to be a lot of input on this one,” Mayor Bob Murphy said.