Ridgefield City Council adjusts RV parking regulations following backlash

Two weeks ago, over 100 Ridgefield homeowners were startled to receive a letter from the city explaining they would face a fine if their boats and recreational vehicles (RVs) remained parked in driveways in front of their homes.

At the Thursday, July 25, Ridgefield City Council meeting, many of these residents voiced their frustration as they had been parking their vehicles in the same location for years without any problem. Facing backlash and confusion from residents, Ridgefield’s City Council voted to make the parking of RVs and other large vehicles less restrictive.

Code enforcement and confusion

According to Ridgefield code adopted in 2017, people could not park large vehicles, including RVs and boats, in driveways in front of homes zoned for low-density housing — acreage with 7,500 square feet per home. According to those regulations, such vehicles could only be parked in side yards with a flanking street or behind the property if not put in storage. Additionally, RVs could not be parked on the side of the road for more than two weeks.

At the meeting, many residents claimed they had never heard of this regulation before receiving a letter from the city.

This was not known by many of the residents who had received letters from the city.

One resident, Judy Russel, received a letter from Ridgefield asking her not to park her trailer on her driveway, despite living on a private road not maintained by the city. Russel and several residents who spoke said they chose their neighborhoods specifically to avoid those types of restrictions, typically imposed by homeowners associations (HOAs) and were surprised to learn of the city’s ordinance.

“One of the reasons was because we didn’t want an HOA [is] we didn’t want anyone to tell us what we could do in our driveway,” Russel said. “If I had to move my trailer behind the [front] of my home, it would impede the driveway that leads to my shop.”

Coincidentally, the council was already scheduled to consider revising the code to permit residents living in low-density housing zones to park large vehicles in their driveways during the summer months, from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Neighbors including Rolande Williams argued that the code restricting driveway parking should be removed entirely, rather than having it restricted most of the year.

She questioned whether one city councilor had ulterior motives regarding RV parking, noting that Councilor Lee Wells is in the process of building an RV storage facility on Tim Road, which has been under construction and permitting since 2023. She noted that the timing of the city’s letters and the threatened enforcement on large-vehicle parking was suspicious as it could be seen as a way to drive business to Wells’ enterprise.

“You might say that it’s just a coincidence that a member of the council [is opening] an RV storage [facility]. I call it a conflict of interest and suspicious. [The code] needs to be gone, dead and no more,” Williams said.

Community Development Director Claire Lust noted the complaints about RVs and boats filed with the city, prompting the letters to be issued, had no known connection to Wells or any members of the council. Wells did not attend last week’s meeting due to potential conflicts of interest and was excused.

Lust further clarified the numerous complaints, which affected homes in various low-density neighborhoods around Ridgefield, came from one person. Before this wave of complaints, the code had only been enforced 11 times in the past two years.

City Council response

In response to the residents’ concerns, council members including Jennifer Lindsay suggested making the code less restrictive for Ridgefield homeowners.

“I’m of the opinion that if they’re not in an HOA, and they want to park one boat or trailer in their driveway, they can do that [as] most of the people are able to solve their problems amongst their neighbors … This is a rarely used code,” Lindsay said.

Mayor Ron Onslow proposed maintaining the current code with the proposed amendment allowing driveway parking between Memorial Day and Labor Day. He said the ordinance should remain as a solution for future disagreements between neighbors.

“We’ve had 11 complaints in two and a half years… None of the people who were [recently] complained against were complained by a neighbor of theirs… Memorial Day to Labor Day [is] when most of the fishing [and] movement in an RV for vacationing [takes place]. I’m fine with it the way it is, with the amendment.”

The City Council ultimately voted, 4-2, to adopt Lindsay’s suggestion, permitting one RV or similarly sized vehicle to park in the front driveway of homes in low-density residential areas. For residents in higher-density zoned districts, motor homes, RVs and utility trailers may be parked in their driveways provided they are not positioned in front of the building’s street-facing side.