Hollister planners prefer ‘status quo’ on RV, boat parking

Hollister planning commissioners Thursday appeared to prefer keeping a status quo with the city’s ordinance on boat and recreational vehicle parking.

That ordinance under review Thursday restricts where and how long residents can park RVs and boats. It bars any parking of the vehicles in the public right-of-way and restricts the amount of time they can be parked in driveways to 14 days per year. It also does not allow human habitation in RVs or boats.

“It sounded like everyone wanted to keep it status quo,” said Bryan Swanson, development services director. “I also heard that they wanted us to investigate covering the RVs if it’s in the side or rear yard. We’re going to look at a couple ordinances, but that would be the only change.

Swanson clarified that the commission didn’t take action. The panel, meanwhile, acts as an advisory panel to the city council, which would take any final action.

Commissioner David Huboi, however, wasn’t in favor of all the current restrictions. He called the rule allowing the vehicles to park for a maximum of 14 days “unenforceable.”

Huboi said the ordinance is meant to remove blight, and argued parking it in the driveway is not blight.

“We’ve got more important things to do,” Huboi said.

Huboi noted that if an RV is too large for the driveway, residents should have to find somewhere else to store it other than a public street.

“If the RV is too large that you can’t park it on your private driveway, then you end up parking it on the public street,” he said. “You can’t just leave it parked in a public street.”

City of Hollister Municipal Code Section on Boat/RV Parking

Chapter 10.10 RECREATIONAL VEHICLES AND BOATS

Definitions.

Public right-of-way—Parking and storage of recreational vehicles prohibited. Private property—Parking and storage of recreational vehicles prohibited.

Definitions.

For the purposes of this chapter:

“Boat” means a vessel for transport by water.

“Public right-of-way” means a street, alley, municipal parking lot, or public property belonging to the City of Hollister.

“Recreational vehicle” means and includes the following:

1. Auxiliary Dolly. A vehicle, not designed for carrying persons or property on its own structure,which is so constructed and used in conjunction with a semitrailer as to support a portion of the weight of the semitrailer and any load thereon, but not permanently attached to the semitrailer, although a part of the weight of such dolly may rest on another vehicle.
2. Bus. A motor vehicle designed for carrying more than ten persons including the driver and used or maintained for the transportation of passengers.
3. Commercial Coach. A vehicle, with or without motive power, designed and equipped for human occupancy for industrial, professional, or commercial purposes, including a trailer coach.
4. Mobile home. A trailer coach which is in excess of one hundred two (102) inches in width, or in excess of forty (40) feet in overall length measured from the foremost point of the trailer hitch to the rear extremity of the trailer.
5. Motor Home. A vehicle, with or without motive power, designed for human habitation for recreational or emergency occupancy.
6. Motor Truck. A vehicle, designed, used or maintained primarily for the transportation of property and which has an unladen weight in excess of six thousand five hundred (6,500) pounds.
7. Semitrailer. A vehicle with a gross weight of more than six thousand (6,000) pounds, designed for carrying persons or property, used in conjunction with a motor vehicle, and so constructed that some of its weight and that of its load rests upon, or is carried by, another vehicle.
8. Tent Trailer. A vehicle, with or without motive power, designed for human habitation for recreational or emergency occupancy.
9. Trailer. A vehicle designed for carrying persons or property on its own structure and for being drawn by a motor vehicle and so constructed that no part of its weight rests upon any other vehicle and which has a wheel base in excess of four feet.
10. Truck Tractor. A motor vehicle designed and used primarily for drawing other vehicles and not so constructed as to carry a load other than a part of the weight of the vehicle and load so drawn.

“Unladen weight” means the weight of the vehicle equipped and ready for operation on the road including the fenders, body, equipment required by law, any special cabinets, boxes or body parts permanently attached to the vehicle, oil in the motor, radiator full of water, with five gallons of gasoline or equivalent weight of other motor fuel. (Ord. 1091 § 2, 2012)

10.10.020 Public right-of-way—Parking and storage of recreational vehicles prohibited.

No person shall abandon, park, store, leave, keep or maintain, or permit to be abandoned, parked, stored, left, kept or maintained, any recreational vehicle or boat upon any public right-of-way. No habitation or occupancy of the recreational vehicle or boat shall be allowed at any time that the recreational vehicle or boat is located on the public right-of-way except when a person is actively loading or unloading the recrea- tional vehicle or boat. (Ord. 1091 § 2, 2012)

10.10.030 Private property—Parking and storage of recreational vehicles prohibited.

1. Nothing in this section shall prohibit the parking or storage of a recreational vehicle or boat on any private property in a garage or structure that fully encloses the recreational vehicle or boat. For purposes of this section, “fully encloses” means that the garage or structure provides coverage of the recreational vehicle or boat on all four sides so that no part of the recreational vehicle or boat can be seen outside of the garage or structure.
2. The recreational vehicle or boat shall not be used for human habitation or occupancy at any time that it is located on private property as permitted herein.
3. Except as provided herein, no person shall abandon, park, store, leave, keep or maintain, or permit to be abandoned, parked, stored, left, kept or maintained, any boat or recreational vehicle on private property.
4. One recreational vehicle and one boat may be parked, stored, left, kept, or maintained at a single- family residence if the recreational vehicle and the boat comply with all of the following conditions:
5. The recreational vehicle and the boat are each thirty (30) feet or less in length, less than twelve (12) feet in height, and less than eight feet in width
6. The recreational vehicle and the boat are located in the legally permitted rear yard or the legally permitted side yard pursuant to Chapter 17 of the Hollister Municipal Code;
7. If the recreational vehicle or boat is less than eight feet in height, it must be located at least eighteen (18) inches from any property line, at least five feet from any building used for human occupancy and at least five feet from any building overhang attached to a building used for human occupancy;
8. If the recreational vehicle or boat is more than eight feet but less than twelve (12) feet in height, it must be located at least five feet from any property line, at least five feet from any building used for human occupancy and at least five feet from any building overhang attached to a building used for human occupancy;
9. The recreational vehicle or the boat may be parked, stored, left, kept or maintained in the driveway for a total of fourteen (14) days in each year. The vehicle or boat may not extend into the sidewalk or public right-of-way. (Ord. 1091 § 2, 2012)