St. Joseph City Commissioners are being asked to change an ordinance concerning the parking of some recreational vehicles in the community. At a meeting this week, they heard from Michael Fernandez, who told them he had his RV parked in his driveway when a neighbor started complaining. That led to a visit by police who told him under local rules, an RV can’t be parked in a driveway if it’s not in the backyard of the property.
“It is effectively creating a barrier to those of us who want to do what many of us property owners in the city think is a pretty reasonable thing,” Fernandez said. “We have equipment that supports our lifestyle choices, those of us who choose to camp, to boat, to fish.”
Fernandez said he thinks letting people park their RVs in their driveways is a reasonable request, noting the current rule dates back to the 1960s. Not everyone supported him, though. Resident Douglas Rogers said keeping recreational vehicles in storage isn’t hard.
“That ordinance isn’t stopping people from living their lifestyle,” Rogers said. “You can have an RV, you can have a boat, you can have a snowmobile, you can have what you want. But that does not give you a right to park it in your driveway an upset your neighbors. That ordinance is there for a reason.”
Fernandez presented a draft ordinance that would allow RVs to be parked in driveways with some restrictions to ensure no one’s living in them. Commissioners referred the matter to the planning commission.
