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City council Tuesday night gave initial approval to a new ordinance banning RVs, camper trailers and coaches and motorhomes from parking on city streets, in alleys and in other public places.
The new law will replace an existing ordinance that lets sleeper vehicles park on city streets for 48 hours as long as they are moved at least 600 feet away from their previous location. The proposed ordinance now goes to a public hearing and final vote by council on Nov. 10.
Councilmembers Polly Christensen, Joan Peck and Marcia Martin voted against the new rule, which passed 4-3. Christensen said the ordinance did not clearly define “sleeper vehicles.”
Peck said the law also penalized people who parked their cars on the street because they did not have garages.
“I think the whole thing (the ordinance) is a mess,” Christensen said. “It’s not evenly enforced and against people who are poor.”
City staff wrote the tougher ordinance based on recommendations from police and code enforcement officers who said RVs and similar vehicles were being abandoned on city streets. Some RV owners also were dumping waste and trash from their vehicles on public streets and into sewer systems.
The ordinance is written to go into effect Jan. 1, although council has discussed moving the deadline to give RV owners time to find alternative housing.
Boulder County turned down a request from Longmont officials to use a portion of the Boulder County Fairgrounds for RV dwellers to park their vehicles, City Manager Harold Dominguez told council on Tuesday.
Longmont could be eligible for grant funding that would help fund a move to transitional housing for RV users wanting to go into more permanent housing, said Karen Roney, the city’s Community Services director.
The ordinance passed Tuesday night includes some changes, according to a staff report.
It allows parking on public streets with valid sleeper vehicle permits or for vehicles in the process of active loading or unloading. It also reduces the fee for a sleeper vehicle permit from $40 to $25.
