By Ashley McLeod, Senior staff writer
Jun 20, 2016, 12:27
Residents filled the council chambers in Colonial Heights on Tuesday night to get a chance to speak about a proposed ordinance change involving commercial and recreational vehicles in the city.
The ordinance change has been a hot topic for citizens, who have packed council chambers each time the matter has been on the council’s agenda. During a work session last week, as well as at the meeting on Tuesday, an overflow of local residents and business owners listened to council members through a speaker system in the hallway.
The ordinance, which has been in place for more than 15 years, spells out what can and cannot be parked at homes in the city, as well as limiting the number of recreational vehicles, the size of the vehicles or trailers and where exactly they can be parked.
According to local officials, the current ordinance in place is outdated and rarely enforced, which is why council is visiting changing the terms. Many citizens have filed complaints with the city in regards to commercial vehicles lining neighborhood streets, which is not allowed under the current code.
“It came out of a number of complaints that we received from residents specifically about some vehicles, most particularly commercial vehicles,” said City Manager Thomas Mattis. “We’re trying to be responsive to citizen’s request to improve aesthetics and the appearance of properties in the city, and for the city to do what it can in the way of code enforcement to try to achieve those goals.“
The ordinance states that only one commercial vehicle, weighing less than 10,000 pounds, may be parked at a residence, and it must be parked behind the front line of the home. The ordinance also states that any vehicle or trailer weighing more than 10,000 pounds is not to be parked in residential areas at all.
During a work session last week, council members discussed proposed changes to the ordinance, which were brought to council by the Planning Commission.
The council decided during the session that there should not be a limit on the amount of recreational, non-commercial vehicles at each residence and that there also should be no limitation on the size of the vehicles.
The question of commercial vehicles was left up in the air at the end of the work session, as well as whether or not recreational vehicles must be parked behind the front plane of the house.
For some citizens who spoke at the meeting, the main problem seemed to be commercial vehicles in neighborhoods, complaining about noise and safety issues.
“There’s always congestion, and noise is a factor. They’re coming and going at all hours of the night,” said Michael Doran, who lives on Norwood Dr., down the street from where tow trucks are parked.
Another resident, Tom Crockett, echoed Doran’s concerns about the trucks coming and going, and called the trucks a ‘hazard’. Crockett has lived at his residence in Colonial Heights since 1974 and stated that he has seen a negative change in the city.
“Our neighborhood has slowly changed, dramatically,” said Crockett. “The value of the city seems to be headed downward.”
Eloise Ward, a long-time resident, also commented on the safety of having the large trucks parked where children play, and how those trucks may discourage young families from moving to the area.
“This is a very critical time for our unique little village. The appearance of our neighborhoods can attract or discourage people to move to the city,” said Ward.
But it seemed that more residents came out in support of the commercial vehicles that these citizens spoke about.
“All I’m doing is trying to make a living,” said Lewis Waskey, a sentiment that was repeated throughout the night.
Waskey, who moved to Colonial Heights 20 years ago, has trailers and work trucks, which he parks on his property, for safety reasons.
“They’re full of tools. If the tools are gone in the morning, I got guys who can’t work,” said Waskey. “They stay in my yard because I chose to live in Colonial Heights twenty years ago, and I don’t have to worry about anyone breaking into the trailers in my yard.”
Waskey added that if it came down to it, and he was required to move his vehicles, he would comply with the ordinance and relocate them. He also said that if it came down to it, when it became impractical for him to have his trucks elsewhere, that he would move his business outside of the city.
Tricia Palmer, a resident who owns a towing company in the city, and parks her trucks at her residence, was upset by some of the things she heard at the meeting.
“It’s neighbor against neighbor,” said Palmer.
Palmer and her husband both drive trucks for the company, going out at all times of the day and night to tow vehicles. She stated that the previous day, she had worked 20 hours.
Palmer said she started her company a few years ago after buying a truck from Colonial Tire. After fixing and painting the truck themselves, the couple opened their towing business, which she says is now the largest towing company in Colonial Heights.
“I pay my personal property taxes to this city. I shouldn’t be penalized because what I do for a living has to come home with me, just like a plumber, just like an electrician,” said Palmer.
Having the trucks elsewhere would cause longer response times from the drivers, and could possibly cause more harm to citizens, as Palmer described in a hypothetical situation to the council.
“Imagine your own daughter or son and having them drive their car to the top of the Enon bridge on 295,” said Palmer.
Pull up behind them, have them park in the middle lane, and take their keys and their phone, and leave them there.
“They’re all alone; they’re sitting in the middle of a major highway,” said Palmer. “Do you want me to be there in 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, or an hour?”
Having the trucks parked at her residence would allow her to get to the stranded vehicle quicker, and to help a stranded citizen faster, with less chance of incident.
Another towing owner, Christy Palmer Archileti, spoke about her company, Palmer’s Towing and Recovery, and had the same idea as Palmer.
“If we have to move vehicles somewhere else instead of our house, you are going to hold up the quick response time that we have to free up the emergency services that are waiting for us to clear roadways,” said Archileti.
“We have coexisted with the Colonial Heights community for over 25 years. We know what it’s like to be in a neighborhood,” said Archileti.
She also parks her towing vehicles at her residence and takes careful care to be respectful to her neighbors. She said they turn off their air brakes and emergency back up alarms at night, so try and eliminate any extra noise they would cause. She also said that she had asked her neighbors several times about the noise, and not once have they complained.
Many small businesses park their vehicles at their residences and need those vehicles to be there in order for their business to answer the calls of citizens in need, whether it’s a towing company, an electrician, or a plumber.
Waskey proposed to council that instead of gunning for small businesses with the ordinance, to accommodate them.
“If they’ve got to park it in their front yard, who cares? If they have to park it in the street, and it’s not going to create an accident, who cares?” said Waskey. “It’s their property; let them put it there.”
Twenty-one residents spoke at the public hearing, and even more sat in the audience and listened. Many attended the work session last week as well.
After the public spoke, the council spent a few minutes speaking on the subject but tabled the ordinance vote until they could figure out exactly what the rules and regulations were to be. The ordinance will likely be talked about again by council in its July work session.
