LITH to Consider Ban on Car Tarps

The village is considering a ban on the use of car tarps in Lake in the Hills after receiving complaints that the large covers are an eyesore.

The tarps also make it difficult for police to verify license plates.

Members of the village Planning and Zoning Commission discussed tarp covers at their meeting on Nov. 15. 

Now, the village board's Committee of the Whole will review a proposed amendment to ban tarps at its Tuesday meeting. The village board is expected to vote Thursday on a motion to hold a public hearing in January regarding a tarp ban.

At last month's Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, village officials presented a slide show of several cars covered with blue and white tarps, sitting in residents' driveways throughout Lake in the Hills.

"To me this is a big eyesore," Planning and Zoning Commissioner Dennis Zepka said. "I'm all for hobbies, but these (tarped) cars are right next to the neighboring house. I don't see why people can't store them. I'm all for banning tarps."

Dan Olson, director of community development for LITH, said the tarps often cover license plates and prevent Lake in the Hills police officers from checking for enforcement.

"Some of the cars have been sitting in their driveways for years and years," Olson said. "We have received several complaints from residents."

Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman Tom Stock said he would like to see more discussion on the issue amongst village board members.

"I'm concerned that an all-out ban on tarps could create a significant financial hardship for residents,"Stock said.

Under the zoning ordinance, the village could ban the tarps or limit the number of tarped cars per driveway to decrease the impact on neighbors. Restrictions on where covered cars could be stored, similar to restrictions placed on recreational vehicles, could be enacted.

The LITH municipal code allows residents to store recreational vehicles, such as boats and trailers, on a prepared surface anywhere on a homeowner's property from April 1 through Nov. 1, Olson said.

During the off-season, Dec. 1 through March 31, recreational vehicles must be stored on a hard, prepared surface in the rear yard or in the side yard if screened by a six-foot-tall fence. The vehicles and trailers on the side yard cannot exceed six feet in height, Olson said.

Homeowner Percy Brandon, who lives at 931 McPhee Dr., has two cars covered with tarps sitting in his driveway, plus another car stored behind a fence. Brandon told the planning and zoning commissioners during the November meeting that he was told years ago by police that any cars without a valid license plate must be covered by a tarp.

"So I went out and bought tarps," Brandon said. "I have one car I'm working on for my daughter, and I'm either going to fix the other car as a daily driver or a racecar. But, I can't afford to store these."

Planning and Zoning Commissioner Russ Ruzanski said the unused cars should be stored.

"My feeling is that the tarps are unsightly," Ruzanski said. "Tarps signify storage. Storage is on Pyott Road. There is a difference between a car that's not used much and storage."