I have noticed over the years that this is more of a warm climate issue.
Folks up here in the snow/rust belt see no overnight street parking usually for 6 months out of the year or alternate day/side parking, so the snow plows can clear the streets...LOL
I have been involved in the RV industry for many, many years. I RV myself and own a 31' TT and a PUP. I keep the in-new-condition PUP parked beside the house behind a fence.
A few doors down from me, there is a guy who has had a non-operating 1970 AMC Javalin parked in his driveway for the 15 years I have lived here. It sits right outside of his large 3-car empty garage.
Up at the other end of the street sits a 1963 Shasta trailer that has yet to be restored with outside panels missing and insulation hanging off.
When we moved here, it was a pretty nice up-scale neighborhood but since housing prices have dropped and former renters can now afford to purchase, many have moved into the area along with their crappy cars and RV's.
After 30 years in the business, I am all for RVer's rights, to a certain point. That point is when someone decides to park junk in the driveway, parks an RV in the driveway, be it new or old, that hangs out over the side-walk, parks an RV in the driveway with the slides out and the entry step down and being used for a guest room, and dis-abled cars, trailers, utility trailers and boat/motorcycle trailers that have needed a paint job for years.
I applaud reasonable HOA's that have the best interest of EVERONE in mind when it comes to this blight that affects many neigborhoods.
We don't pay up-wards of three-quarters of a million dollars for a home to have to live in the midst of slobs that obviously have no concept of the meaning of "Pride-Of-Ownership"!!
I am also for signs such as posted at all of the city limits in Simi Valley California that state "No Vehicles Over 6' Tall Allowed On Public Streets After 11:00PM". This then keeps out those people that think the streets are solely for them to live on in their converted vans and school buses.
A good comprimise, I have always felt, was the city ordinances that allow parking of RV's on the street for a limited time, enough for the average camper to load and un-load.
* This post was
edited 07/25/08 10:59am by javaseuf *
Steve
2007 Springdale 291RKL
2003 F150 King Ranch
2001 Dodge Van w/Wheelchair Ramp
1991 Palomino Mustang PUP
Eureka Timberline Tent
Yamaha IF2400isc
Yamaha EF3000iSEBC "Politically Incorrect And Proud Of It"
"The hazards of large vehicles blocking views of those driving or walking down the street have been overblown. We got this from a County traffic engineer."
That can hardly be the case. Safety is the only real issue, aesthetics is simply in the eye of the beholder but backing into the street, entering the street from side streets when the view is blocked by over tall vehicles is clearly a hazard--even if the vehicle is far from the intersection.
It is a concern for pedestrians as well and for children playing on the sidewalks.
If a driver backing into the street from a driveway that has a view blocked by an RV parked on his or neighbor's property then safety is compromised.
We have this problem in our older established neighborhoods in my city and frankly trying to cross or enter and intersection can be dicey when you cannot see oncoming traffic.
One of the most basic responsibilities of a municipal or county government is public safety and RVs parked on a public street are detrimental to public safety and not something a non-RV owning resident should have to tolerate. I include SUVs and pickups in this as well.
Bubby's RV
good job organizing... I wish you nothing but success...
Steve
there should be laws that prevent things like you mentioned, most areas of size do have more than enough protection in the form of laws... maybe enforcement is the issue...
you should check yours and see if these are violations... if so the governing body is required to act on a complaint...
HOA's often turn into a busy bodies club and can reek havoc on the community they are supposed to be helping... most people that like HOA's have other reasons for liking them... if they work for keeping the neighbor hood clean, fine, but their rules shouldn't supersede the state, county, or township laws... often they think they do...
no one neighbors rights are not being denied by another that parks a truck or van in their own driveway... what if I don't like the color of your car??? what if most don't, SHOULD the HOA even be able to entertain the idea of restricting it...
I know one HOA that did force or attempt to force a homeowner to change colors of his 1.5m dollar home... (still in court)... one property owner was being kept from building his home because the same HOA didn't like his plane... (all homes on air strip)...
HOA's can be good, but can be plane evil when controlled by the wrong people...
Love my mass produced, entry level, built by Lazy American Workers, Hornet
JJBIRISH wrote: Bubby's RV
good job organizing... I wish you nothing but success...
Steve
there should be laws that prevent things like you mentioned, most areas of size do have more than enough protection in the form of laws... maybe enforcement is the issue...
you should check yours and see if these are violations... if so the governing body is required to act on a complaint...
HOA's often turn into a busy bodies club and can reek havoc on the community they are supposed to be helping... most people that like HOA's have other reasons for liking them... if they work for keeping the neighbor hood clean, fine, but their rules shouldn't supersede the state, county, or township laws... often they think they do...
no one neighbors rights are not being denied by another that parks a truck or van in their own driveway... what if I don't like the color of your car??? what if most don't, SHOULD the HOA even be able to entertain the idea of restricting it...
I know one HOA that did force or attempt to force a homeowner to change colors of his 1.5m dollar home... (still in court)... one property owner was being kept from building his home because the same HOA didn't like his plane... (all homes on air strip)...
HOA's can be good, but can be plane evil when controlled by the wrong people...
JJ, aren't most of these HOA rules predetermined when the subdivision is developed? A resident, purchasing a home in an area with a HOA should know, going in, what the rules are for vehicles, RVs, etc.
I know that most HOA rule modifications require at least 2/3 to 3/4 of all the residents approval to change or modify the restrictions which should protect most individual homeowners from arbitrary enforcement of the rules.
Matter of fact, I think most HOAs are governed by state law in most jurisdictions--how they operate is subject to fairly universal guidelines.
To save all of you speculating on HOA, if you read my first post, you would notice I didn't mention anything about local HOA. Just the oppopsite. I live in an older part of the county, and there are *NO* covenants. Have owned 4 RVs over the past 15 or so years without legal problems about parking.
Further info:
Montgomery County, MD is the largest county in the state with 1 mil population. Arguably the wealthiest as well.
I *do* know the legal process and how laws are made or changed. I was trying to reach out to OTHER RV owners in the county to get them "inspired" enough to show up, write, e-mail or shout and scream. If the bill becomes law, it will effect all owners, covenants or not.
The whole point of covenants is to protect those that want uniformity. The real "movers and shakers" behind this bill have no problem in their community due to covenants, but they do not like the aesthetics of RVs, commercial vehicles, boats etc *OUTSIDE* their community.
All the positive comments are well thought out and I thank you for caring enough to comment.
This advise and/or opinion is worth what you paid for it
Ziggy_the_BB wrote: .... I was trying to reach out to OTHER RV owners in the county to get them "inspired" enough to show up, write, e-mail or shout and scream. If the bill becomes law, it will effect all owners, covenants or not.
....
All the positive comments are well thought out and I thank you for caring enough to comment.
I can tell you from our experience that you probably won't get much response from other RV owners in your county via this forum. We found that it really takes a more localized approach, and unfortunately, a lot of work.
You are correct in that those who live in HOA-controlled neighborhoods try to control the rest of the area. Most, but not all, of the anti-RV crowd here lives in HOA neighborhoods. Then again, we have supporters in the HOA neighborhoods, including a really key supporter.
Being across the country, I can only give you advice.
JJBIRISH wrote: Bubby's RV
good job organizing... I wish you nothing but success...
Steve
there should be laws that prevent things like you mentioned, most areas of size do have more than enough protection in the form of laws... maybe enforcement is the issue...
you should check yours and see if these are violations... if so the governing body is required to act on a complaint...
HOA's often turn into a busy bodies club and can reek havoc on the community they are supposed to be helping... most people that like HOA's have other reasons for liking them... if they work for keeping the neighbor hood clean, fine, but their rules shouldn't supersede the state, county, or township laws... often they think they do...
no one neighbors rights are not being denied by another that parks a truck or van in their own driveway... what if I don't like the color of your car??? what if most don't, SHOULD the HOA even be able to entertain the idea of restricting it...
I know one HOA that did force or attempt to force a homeowner to change colors of his 1.5m dollar home... (still in court)... one property owner was being kept from building his home because the same HOA didn't like his plane... (all homes on air strip)...
HOA's can be good, but can be plane evil when controlled by the wrong people...
JJ, aren't most of these HOA rules predetermined when the subdivision is developed? A resident, purchasing a home in an area with a HOA should know, going in, what the rules are for vehicles, RVs, etc.
I know that most HOA rule modifications require at least 2/3 to 3/4 of all the residents approval to change or modify the restrictions which should protect most individual homeowners from arbitrary enforcement of the rules.
Matter of fact, I think most HOAs are governed by state law in most jurisdictions--how they operate is subject to fairly universal guidelines.
Chuck
that is the way things are maybe supposed to work...
I don't know the legal requirements from state to state or counties within a state, and isn't my point...
the cases I sited are in the West Palm Beach area and each development has different's rules... the real issue is the 1.5m home is a south west design and the residents don't like it, after approving all the plans and construction... the home owner has no problems with the rules he agreed to...
the guy that bought the property and so far has been stopped from building finds nothing in the covenants about his plane...
my BIL can't park his 40k+ truck in his driveway for more than 8 hrs. but a HOA board member has a licensed Hugo (looks ok) that hasn't run for a year in his driveway...
I friend must maintain his lawn at 2"... he installed a putting green and the entire lawn is professionally groomed weekly... they are attempting to force the removal of the putting green since it isn't 2"...
encouraging uniformity is one thing, if it is to protect the development from decline...
local gov. is just as bad, their only mandate is to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the community...
how then do they defend the use of eminent domain to steal ones private property, to turn it over to private developers for development and higher taxes...
some things are just wrong, and every development will find constant changing rules, some won't even come up to the level of stupid...
licensed vehicles are governed by the DMV and junk vehicle ordnances are legal and have stood up in court...
again should a HOA be able to tell anyone the color of their car, why can't one park a conversion van in their driveway, in my state they are station wagons not trucks...
as far as RV's, boats and the like being parked on private property if it isn't a safety concern, with reasonable upkeep should not be a concern of his neighbor, or the government...
we are losing and in some cases signing our liberties away, I think it is very short sighted...
We made sure that there were HOAs in place to keep people from parking on the street. Don't want to look at the golf course out the back and the neighbors crappy trailer in the front. From the looks of your rig, seems like you could afford a storage spot.
7th Cav
2004 Damon Intruder 350
Workhorse W22
1997 Ford Explorer Toad
Offline
 (WinCE) (Custom).jpg)
