RV parking still an issue

BURBANK — The Traffic and Transportation Committee on Thursday will resume a public discussion about whether city codes governing the parking of recreational vehicles on city streets are due for a change.

The committee, which acts as an advisory body to the City Council, was examining in May the possibility of tighter restrictions on recreation-vehicle parking, in response to residents' concerns that the large, often bulky vehicles were unsightly in residential neighborhoods and posed traffic hazards.

The existing code allows RV parking for 72 hours in R-1, single-family residential zones, committee member Gary Bric said. Some of the changes that were proposed — which are strictly discussion items at this point, Bric said — include forbidding RV parking on public streets and alleys between the hours of 2 and 6 a.m. unless the vehicle owner obtains a 24-hour permit.

But at two public meetings on May 11 and July 13, RV owners turned up en mass to share their concerns with the committee.

"[The meetings] were very informative and that's why we're having another one," Bric said. "We want to make sure that we've reached out to everyone … and we're hoping for a large turnout."

Though some RV owners concur with residents' complaints — such as the public safety hazards for drivers caused by large vehicles parked near intersections — they remain skeptical about moves to limit access to their own vehicles.

"The placement of a motor home on that first house off a corner — I don't like the idea either," said RV owner Mao Kelman. "When you pull out or try to back out of a driveway, that can be dangerous."

But proposals to restrict the amount of time RV owners can park their vehicles on city streets to prepare for trips are irking RV owners, Kelman said.

"My big concern is limiting the use of getting ready for and returning from trips," he said. "The amount of time required you cannot cut it down to a 48-hour period, I don't believe. People have maintenance and loading to do."

Also among RV owners' concerns is the difficulty of finding storage for their vehicles away from their homes. Not only is storage costly, but options are slim, with a limited number of facilities in the area.

Since the last public meeting, however, a new RV storage spot has opened on San Fernando Boulevard in Burbank, Bric said.

Affordable Storage, which opened within the last two weeks and offers space for both boats and RVs, has 289 open spaces for storage, said employee Xandy Jacinto.

The public forum on Thursday, which will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Buena Vista Library, will gather input in hopes of reaching a balance between RV owners and residents who complain that vehicles pose problems in neighborhoods, Bric said.

"Sometimes they're an eyesore for the neighborhood and stuff like that and we're just trying to clean it up," Bric said. "We're not out to crucify the RV owners — we know they have a lot invested in their RVs — so we're just trying to make it beneficial for all the residents of Burbank, so that they aren't an eyesore and everyone basically abides by the law."