Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Rv Parking topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board defers decision on year‑round RV parking for family caring for disabled son
Summary
The board deferred a request to allow a recreational vehicle to remain in a driveway year-round at 5505 Fillmore Street, citing missing member and the need for further review. Petitioners said the RV provides privacy and independence for an adult son with a traumatic brain injury and PTSD; neighbors and a councilwoman spoke in support.
The Town of Merrillville Board of Zoning Appeals voted to defer for 30 days a request to allow a recreational vehicle to remain parked in a driveway year‑round at 5505 Fillmore Street. Petitioners Jamie Roberts and Linda Jones said the RV provides their adult son, Trenton Hunt, with a private place to decompress while continuing to live at home; the family said he does not sleep in the RV and that the unit has been on the property for five years.
Staff framed the request as a variance from Section 21-172(a), which restricts storage or use of recreational vehicles on residential property between Oct. 31 and March 31 unless stored on a hard surface at the rear of the lot or at an off-site facility. The staff report noted two anonymous remonstrators who filed objections; councilwoman Shauna Haynes Edwards, Ward 2, spoke in support and said she had visited the property and observed the RV not being used overnight.
Neighbors who testified said the Roberts‑Jones family are good neighbors and opposed forcing them to move. Board members raised public safety concerns, noting a prior local fatality linked to a person living in a trailer, and asked whether utilities and heating systems in the RV were appropriate for year‑round presence; the petitioners said the RV is heated with propane and electric and that they monitor their son closely.
After public comment the board voted to defer the case for 30 days to allow the full board to review and to seek potential solutions; the motion to defer passed by majority vote.
