Community considers rule change for RVs

Residents in Carlisle will have the opportunity to speak up about a proposed change in the village’s zoning code concerning the parking and usage of recreational vehicles in residential districts.

Village Manager Julie Duffy said a public hearing is scheduled for council’s June 12 meeting where the revised zoning code language will have a first reading.

For the past several months, Village Council and the Planning Commission have been discussing the issue because of concerns the current code was not being enforced. She said since November, council has held five work-session discussions on the topic before referring it to the Planning Commission.

Duffy said restrictions on commercial vehicles parked in the residential districts was not included in council’s request as they wanted to address the concerns about recreational vehicle parking.

At its May meeting, the Planning Commission approved language which is more restrictive as well as expanding the definitions of what a recreational vehicles are.

In the proposed new language, recreational vehicles will be defined to include motor homes, camping trailers, travel trailers, open and enclosed utility trailers, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), jet skis, golf carts, boats, and boat trailers.

The proposed new code allows recreational vehicles to be parked or stored outside a fully-enclosed garage, other accessory building or on a driveway. However the recreational vehicles cannot be connected to utilities to the residential home unless they are charging vehicle batteries and other devices.

The proposal expands the number of hours that a recreational vehicle can be parked in the front driveway for loading and unloading from 48 hours to 72 hours in within a calendar week. It will also allow up to two weeks for the amount of time a recreational vehicle can be parked in a front driveway for active maintenance, an increase of a week.

If a recreational vehicle is parked or stored in a side yard, it must be parked on an impervious surface such as asphalt or concrete pad, that is at a minimum the same size or dimensions as the recreational vehicle is. In addition, recreational vehicles parked in the rear yard shall be a minimum of five feet from any property line unless they are parked on an impervious surface.

One resident, Chet Miles of Meadowview Court, said the pads were needed to identify any leaking fluids from the recreational vehicles that might not be seen if it is parked on grass.

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