Council goes against survey and upholds RV parking rules
Okotoks: Residents support easing regulations in summer months Wheel file photo
Okotoks residents Scott and Amber Harding stand on a concrete extension they had put on their driveway to park their trailer. However, they are disappointed with a town council decision upholding rules limiting RV parking on driveways to 72 hours.
Motorhomes and RV trailers will have to remain in storage through summer as Okotoks council voted unanimously on Monday, May 14 to continue upholding existing rules banning parking of RVs on driveways for no more than three days.
The decision was made in spite of public support for an alternate plan that would’ve allowed people to park their RVs on their driveways during the summer camping season.
Coun. Ed Sands said it was a tough decision and the Town needs to set clear rules regarding parking RVs on front driveways.
The lots are getting smaller, there’s less opportunity to get anything in, nobody has side yards anymore, he said. The issue isn’t the tent trailers, the issue is the 29-foot, huge, monster trailers.
Existing rules limiting the length of time an RV can be parked on a front driveway to 72 hours were upheld. They must be stored off-site the rest of the time, however, anyone with an alley behind their home can store RVs in their backyards.
Councillors opposed an alternate proposal to allow parking on driveways in residential areas between May 15 and Oct. 15 and the 72-hour limit would be in place for the rest of the year.
A majority of Okotoks residents who responded to public consultation on the issue supported the second option. The Town received 948 responses from an open house, e-mails and an on-line survey with 60 per cent of respondents supported expanding RV parking for the summer months, while 40 per cent supported the status quo.
Opinion was largely split on the issue with those supporting the alternate plan saying it would be more convenient and save them the cost of storing their RVs in private facilities outside of town. Others said easing the restrictions would reduce visibility on residential roads and impact the aesthetics of neighbourhoods across town.
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Council goes against survey and upholds RV parking rules