Rochester City Council voted to refer a proposed zoning/ordinance amendment about recreational vehicles, campers and temporary on‑site storage to the Planning Board after more than an hour of debate.

The draft — discussed in committee and on this council agenda — would establish a limited allowance for temporary RV/camper presence on private property (options discussed included 15, 30 or a different number of days per year) and tighten the circumstances under which an RV could be used as a dwelling or long‑term residence. Proponents said the measure would protect neighbors and residential character; opponents said many questions about enforcement, cumulative use and exemptions remained unresolved.

Councilors voiced a range of concerns: whether the limit should be cumulative (per parcel) or per camper, whether short‑term guest stays would be criminalized or simply unenforceable in practice, how the city would enforce rules against repeat short stays, and whether health-and-safety or nuisance complaints would be a better enforcement vehicle. Multiple councilors said the current baseline is effectively zero days by ordinance and that the proposed amendment sought to permit limited temporary use; others said the draft needed more careful drafting and community input.

Several councilors urged that the codes and ordinances committee continue work on the language. The city attorney explained the required process: referral to the Planning Board is the normal next step for zoning amendments; if the Planning Board adopts amendments and the board’s version differs, the council would hold additional public hearings and vote on the final text (a two-thirds override is required if the planning board does not recommend changes and the council wants to adopt contrary language after a planning-board rejection).

Zoning staff (Mr. Grama) clarified that zoning is a permissive framework and that absent explicit permission some RV uses are not allowed. Councilors also raised safety and humanitarian concerns related to people using RVs during housing shortages and asked that any draft address basic safety/condition standards (for example, fuel/propane safety and sanitary connections).

After sustained discussion the council voted to refer the matter to the Planning Board for further review, public hearings and any substantive redrafting. Councilors who sit on the Planning Board were identified as conduits for council feedback from this body to the Planning Board’s process.