Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parking And Zoning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council debates allowing boats and larger work vans in townhomes but fails to send ordinance draft to staff
Summary
After residents and councilmembers pressed changes to parking rules, council declined to direct staff to draft a partial rewrite that would allow boats in townhomes and raise the commercial‑vehicle weight threshold; debate highlighted safety, enforcement and the $1,000 variance process.
Council members on June 6 debated whether to loosen rules that now prohibit boats, recreational vehicles and larger commercial vans in townhomes and some multi‑family zones. The discussion focused on three proposals: permitting boats in townhouses where they fit without blocking sidewalks, raising the commercial‑vehicle weight threshold (currently 2,000 pounds) to about 4,000–5,000 pounds to accommodate work vans, and clarifying the variance process for unusual cases.
The council heard residents who said the rule prevented longtime owners from keeping boats they had parked for years. One resident said some townhome owners store small boats without obstructing neighbors and argued a blanket prohibition is unfair. Council members raised contrasting concerns about parking scarcity, sight‑line safety when backing out of driveways, and the administrative burden such changes might create for the police and code enforcement.
City staff explained the current code treats vehicles above 2,000 pounds or those with commercial branding as commercial vehicles. A planning attorney noted the 2,000‑pound threshold reflected older vehicle classes and that many modern work vans exceed that limit. Staff and council discussed the existing variance path: an applicant receives a warning and 60 days to “cure” or may apply for a variance (administrative fee of about $1,000) that is evaluated case‑by‑case by the planning and zoning board and, ultimately, council. Council members stressed that a variance runs with the property and that blanket exemptions could create legal or enforcement problems.
Councilman Lewis Rodriguez moved to direct the law department to draft an ordinance allowing boats in townhomes; the motion failed for lack of a second. A later effort to advance drafting on boats and the weight threshold also failed to secure majority support. Several council members recommended residents seeking relief use the existing variance route while staff and council consider whether to revisit the ordinance as separate, narrower proposals to avoid unintended consequences.
The council did not adopt policy changes at the meeting. Staff said any future change would be presented as a formal ordinance (first and second readings, public notice), and applicants may still use the variance process now in place.
