Yard parking ordinance one step closer to passage

WASHINGTON — An ordinance adjusting time limits for cars and trailers parked in residential yards is just one public reading away from being enacted, after a 4-1 vote in favor of the changes at last week’s city council meeting.

The amendment to city code would allow vehicles to park in back or side yards, either on an all-weather surface like pavement or gravel, or on the grass for up to 72 consecutive hours. Front yard parking outside of driveways, however, would be banned under the new proposal if the vehicle stays in place more than 24 hours, unless it’s in a driveway.

That’s a change from the current code, which allows indefinite backyard parking but limits side and front yard parking to areas with an “all weather surface” like gravel or cement, and even then, never for more than a day at a time. It’s also a far cry from an earlier amendment draft, which would have banned commercial vehicles and mobile homes in residential areas, and limited the number of trailers on a residential property to two at a time.

Mayor Millie Youngquist said the earlier version was sent to a committee for revisions in March, since it had, “no staff or council input,” adding, “We needed to consider it carefully, and so we tabled it.”

The latest revisions are disappointing to a vocal minority of Washington residents, who argue that members of the neighborhood who store trailers in their yards create an eyesore for everyone else. That’s the main argument of the Minick family, which offered public comments at last week’s meeting.

“We have trailers that are parked there, and they are there for days, weeks — months, sometimes — and never move,” Mary Ann Minick said of her neighbor’s yard. “Washington invests a lot of resources in various community improvement programs … at the same time, you’re apparently willing to let the boundaries of town clutter creep, one property to another, toward a more-like Ghetto atmosphere.”

A first reading of the changes to city code’s Chapter 50 and Chapter 51 passed unanimously on July 2. But at last week’s meeting, the tally was 4-1, with Council Member Fran Stigers voting no.

The council member said he’d thought it over since the first vote, now worrying the amendments allowed too many vehicles to park in yards and created an incentive to lay down concrete or gravel, which would get rid of green space. Still, he doesn’t expect his vote alone to prevent the amendment’s final enactment at the next council meeting.

“You could have a parking lot in your backyard if you want to, as long as all it goes on a hard surface or on gravel,” he said. “You could look like a junkyard … that’s not what backyards are for, backyards are not made for storage, or side yards.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com