| Author | Message | ||
| john (192.9.25.11) Rating: |
Inspired (frightened) by Neil's comment in the other thread, I went to my town's web page, and lookie what I found. See below for an excerpt from the web page under the building/zoning department. I'd appreciate comments on how to interpret the phrase "within any required front or street side yard". After re-reading several times and pondering a bit, I'm hopeful that this can be read as "don't park it in the front yard, or in any part of the yard that faces a street ('street side yard')". If that's the right interpretation, I'm golden because I've got a side/back yard (not 'street side') that I can use. This seems like a reasonable interpretation if the goal is to prevent eyesores. Or is this wishful thinking on my part? I've tried phoning the department to discuss this, but I just get a recording to leave a number and they'll call back. I'd prefer to remain anonymous until I get a better handle on this law. Excerpt follows: No mobile home, trailer, boat, bus or unmounted camper shell can be parked or stored within any required front or street side yard in any residential district except under the following conditions: (1) It is acceptable for loading or unloading, and it is not to exceed 24 hours before or after a trip. (2) It can be for accommodating visitors who are traveling in the vehicle, and it is not to exceed one week. No motor home, in excess of 20' in length and 7' in height, can be parked or stored within any required front or street side yard in any residential district except under the following conditions: (1) If the motor home is the only vehicle registered to, and customarily used by, the owner or occupant of the residence. (2) It is acceptable for loading or unloading, and it is not to exceed 24 hours before or after a trip. (3) It can be for accommodating visitors who are traveling in the vehicle, and it is not to exceed one week. No motor home, mobile home, trailer, boat, bus, or camper (mounted or unmounted) is to be occupied for living, sleeping or any other purpose while stored on any property other than a recreational vehicle park, as long as the visitors traveling in any such vehicle may live or sleep in the vehicle for one week maximum. | ||
| madbrit (216.67.211.252) Rating: N/A |
John, it appears that you may have to park the motorhome with it all behind the rear wall of the house, in otherwords, in the "backyard". You can drive it out via the side and front yards, but not park it there permanently. Thinking this out further, the only thing I am not sure of is the use of the term "required" when refering to the front and side yards. If you have a "non-required" front or side yard, can you park it there? From that I mean that if your local zoning "requires", for example, a 10 foot building set back from your neighbor's fence/property line, and a 30 foot set back from the street, you can't park in those areas but what if you have 20 foot between you and your neighbor's fence or a 70 foot deep front yard, you may be able to park in the extra "non-required" footage. This would require you to still leave the 10 foot and 30 foot "required" set backs but it would now be between the bus and the neighbor's fence or street. What they maybe trying to achieve here is basically stopping an encroachment on the setbacks by what is, to all intents and purposes, an item the size of a small house, the bus. This will only work if you have enough side yard or front yard to allow enough extra space for the bus. The only person that can actually tell you is the zoning inspector or go online to the City or County website and look up the zoning law for your area and see if you can find out what exactly they mean. Remember to be very diplomatic with these officials, if you don't like their reply, don't get in a stand-up shouting match. Just go away and try someone or something else another day. Hope this helps. Peter. | ||
| john (192.9.25.11) Rating: N/A |
Just thought I'd post a follow-up after my talk with a "city planner" today. She interpreted the law as: "required street side yard" is something that applies to corner lots -- these have the "front" yard (i.e., where the front door is: the street that appears in the address), and a "street side yard" facing the other street. She further confirmed that since I don't have a corner lot, I can park in any side or back yard, as long as the bus doesn't extend into the front yard. The front yard extends back 20 feet from the property line, which is 2 feet behind the sidewalk. So as long as the bus doesn't sit within 22 feet of the sidewalk, I'm OK! I'm pretty sure I clear this with room to spare, but I can't wait to get home and measure tonight! She even mentioned "the neighbors may not like it, but that's not our concern". Not that I'm interested in making war with the neighbors (to the contrary, I intend to tell them ahead of time about my plans and do my best NOT to annoy them), but it was somehow reassuring to me that the law is on my side even if someone decided they didn't like my bus! Hooray - another major obstacle cleared! |
