14 - AMENDMENT TO THE RECREATIONAL AND OTHER SPECIAL VEHICLES ORDINANCE

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Item No. 14 memorandum TO: Mayor & City Council John Godwin, City Manager FROM: Alan Efrussy, AICP, City Planning Manager SUBJECT: DISCUSSION REGARDING THE POTENTIAL RESTRICTION OF PARKING RECREATIONAL VEHICLES (INCLUDING OTHER "SPECIAL VEHICLES ", AS DEFINED IN THE CODE OF ORDINANCES, CH. 22) OF CERTAIN DIMENSIONS WITHIN RESIDENTIAL AREAS DATE: August 8, 2017 BACKGROUND: Over the past several years, the city staff in conjunction with the Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council has amended certain city codes and ordinances to enhance the Paris single — family residential neighborhood's aesthetic quality, functioning, and integrity. For example, (a) The manufactured home (mobile home) requirements were modified whereby it would no longer be allowed to request a Specific Use Permit (SUP) within the One— Family Dwelling (SF -3) Zoning District for the placement of a mobile home; (b) As land is annexed it will simultaneously be assigned a zoning district consistent with the Paris Future Land Use Plan Map; (c) Stronger performance standards are now required for home occupations; and (d) Definitions of "cluster development" and "cluster subdivisions" have been approved by the city council; these residential design types can increase the amount of open space in residential communities. This discussion item regarding proposed new storage requirements for large recreational and other "special vehicles" (as defined in the Code of Ordinances) of certain dimensions is a further recommendation to support the design and integrity of single — family residential neighborhoods and uses within Paris. STATUS OF ISSUE: Over the past thirty years across the United States, many recreational vehicles (RVs) have increased in size to respond to market demand. Examples include the desire for larger "living areas" within the vehicle, air — conditioning systems, built in television, and expanded cooking and refrigeration facilities. These large RVs have oftentimes been parked/stored within single - family residential neighborhoods. This factor has led a number of municipalities to establish requirements whereby larger RVs (or "Special Vehicles ") would have to be parked/stored off the RV owner's residential lot. Again, the purpose of these regulations were and are to retain or enhance the aesthetic quality of residential neighborhoods and also to avoid the "visual intrusion" of these larger RVs (or "Special Vehicles ") in said neighborhoods,