Richland board considers stricter rules for long‑term RV storage and residential placement

Board members discussed how to handle RV and camper storage on private property, focusing on balancing neighborhood character and property rights. Councilman Larry Atkinson summarized current practice: campers parked closer than permitted setbacks must seek a variance, and adjacent vacant parcels count as separate lots unless the owner requests the assessor combine them; structures within five feet of a property line can trigger firewall requirements that complicate placement.

A proposed provision would treat a recreational vehicle left unused on a property for more than three years as a violation, akin to junk‑vehicle rules, but the board agreed to include a "good cause shown" exception — for example, illness — that would permit temporary nonuse provided the RV is maintained and registered. The board asked the town attorney to draft the exact legal language and review the interaction with state law and zoning variance practice.