RV Owners To Get More Time To Park On Street

The City Council voted 6-1 last night to allow owners of recreational vehicles up to 24 permits a year, for 72 hours each, to park on the street while preparing for and cleaning up after road trips.

Currently, RV owners can apply for just three permits per year for temporary street parking.

RV owners can also apply for a 72 hour parking extension on top of the first 72 hours. 

Council Member Michael Gregory cast the lone nay vote on the issue but didn't elaborate on his opposition.

Around a dozen RV owners spoke up at the meeting, many encouraging the council to amend the current ordinance to allow for additional permits for RV parking.

They argued that four per year isn't enough for those who take frequent road trips. Some also complained they've been ticketed regardless of having a parking permit from the police department. 

Only one person said the time and amount of RV parking permits allowed should be reduced. He said a neighbor who sometimes parks his RV on the street blocks the view of oncoming traffic and creates a hazard. 

"My wife has almost been hit two to three times now when trying to pull out of the driveway," the man said. 

City Manager Stephen Hollister noted that residents can request to have three feet of curb painted red on either side of their driveway to indicate a no parking zone.

During the pre-vote discussion, Council Member Gregory asked how many complaints the police department received about illegally parked RVs and trailers. Kathy Ornelas, the city's community relations representative, said the department doesn't track that specific category of complaints, but that police deal with 100 abandoned vehicles on city streets on any given day.   

As a result of the vote Monday night, the ordinance will be printed and then go back to City Council for a second reading and vote, scheduled for March 21. The ordinance will take effect 30 days after it is adopted.