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Washington Township council debates ordinance to restrict storage of boats, RVs and commercial vehicles in residential areas
Summary
Councilors, the planner and the police chief debated proposed ordinance 25-02, which would set size limits and placement rules for commercial vehicles, boats and recreational vehicles in residential zones. The discussion focused on enforcement responsibility, dimensional limits, where vehicles may be stored, and whether existing vehicles would be
Township Council members and staff spent more than an hour on Jan. 20 discussing draft ordinance 25‑02, a zoning amendment that would regulate storage and parking of boats, boat trailers, recreational vehicles and commercial vehicles in residential districts.
The ordinance as drafted would limit commercial vehicles to a maximum width of 7 feet, a maximum height of 8 feet and an overall length of 20 feet; it would allow one boat up to 18 feet long to be stored on a property (hull length only), and would permit one RV per property plus its associated trailer. Boats and RVs would be required to be stored on paved driveways and screened from view by fencing or vegetation, and human‑powered small craft such as canoes and paddleboats would be exempt, the planner said.
"Instead of regulating trucks by weight, it seeks to regulate trucks by outside dimensions, length, height and width," Township Planner Joe Burgess of Burgess Associates said while presenting the draft. Burgess told the council the planning board had twice endorsed versions of the ordinance and that the draft grew to include RVs and boats after initial work on commercial vehicles.
Police Chief John Calamari said the police department does not generally enforce property‑maintenance rules and that code enforcement would likely handle complaints on private property. "I take no position for or against the ordinance. It's more of a property‑maintenance type ordinance, which, generally, the police department does not enforce," Calamari said, adding he had received the draft that afternoon and would need time to review enforcement implications.
Council members and members of the public raised practical concerns. Councilman Sears asked whether boats must be stored in the rear yard and how trailers would access rear yards with limited side setbacks. Burgess said the draft required boats to be placed in the rear yard where feasible and to be on paved surfaces, but the council discussed amending that to allow storage in a side yard when rear access is impractical. Burgess also said the 18‑foot limit applies to the registered hull length and does not count external motor brackets.
Public commenters flagged enforcement, equity and unintended consequences. Kevin Burns, a resident, asked whether commercial vehicles parked in public roadways would still be handled by police; town officials replied police handle public‑right‑of‑way issues while zoning handles private‑property storage. Resident Bob Stickel said the proposed screening requirement (6‑foot shrubs or fencing) could create safety or visibility issues on short driveways and noted many common personal cargo vans and long pickups would not fit the ordinance as drafted.
Council members repeatedly asked staff to clarify several points before adopting any ordinance: which agency (code enforcement or police) would enforce each element; how many complaints the township has received in recent years about boats, RVs or commercial vehicles; whether preexisting vehicles would be grandfathered; and whether the registration‑based definition of "commercial vehicle" (a vehicle registered by any state DMV as commercial) would create loopholes if residents use private registration to avoid limits.
Administrator Mark DeCarlo agreed to ask the zoning officer to provide the number of complaints for the past five years. Burgess and Chief Calamari agreed to review the enforcement language and return with recommended edits. Council President DeSano proposed a simple amendment to the draft to explicitly allow storage in either a side or rear yard when practical; Burgess said staff would prepare that change.
No vote was taken on the ordinance on Jan. 20; councilors agreed to delay final action pending written feedback from the chief and the zoning officer and a tally of recent complaints. The item will return to a future meeting for further consideration.
Ending
Councilors said they want a clearer enforcement plan and numerical data before moving forward. Staff committed to supply the police chief's enforcement recommendation, the zoning officer's complaint history for the past five years, and a revised draft that would explicitly allow side‑ or rear‑yard placement where necessary.
