Moses Lake moves ahead with vehicle storage ordinance

Defines types of vehicles and where to park

MOSES LAKE - The Moses Lake City Council moved ahead with an ordinance concerning what type of vehicles can be parked on certain parts of private property on the first reading Tuesday night.

A second reading of the ordinance is required before it's official. The next council meeting is scheduled for Feb. 12 at 7 p.m.

The ordinance was first considered when Councilmember Bill Ecret requested to be allowed to park his 6-by-12-foot commercial trailer in front of his residence. The request came in September 2007, after he learned he was out of compliance with the ordinance following notification from a citizen.

Ecret voted in favor of amending the ordinance, which would legally permit him to continue parking his commercial trailer in his driveway.

After several council meetings discussions and study sessions concerning the issue, council unanimously approved the ordinance but will reconsider the guidelines if it doesn't prove helpful to most citizens.

"Vehicles such as cars, pickup trucks, motorcycles, recreational vehicles or one enclosed utility or cargo type trailer with dimensions of no more than 6-by-12 feet that are licensed for use on public roads may be parked in a front yard only on an approved designated driveway or on a city approved surface parallel to a designated driveway," according to the pending ordinance.

Up to three vehicles including recreational vehicles, enclosed utility or cargo type trailers, boats on trailers and other trailers can be parked on a driveway, an improved parking surface parallel to the driveway or on the side or rear of an improved parking surface. The ordinance allows for one of each type of vehicle to be parked on each of the approved parking areas.

According to the pending ordinance, an improved parking surface is defined as concrete, asphalt, pavers and brick. Gravel and crushed rock can be used on side yards and back yards but not in the front yard. The parking area must be continuous to the driveway and at least two inches thick.

Before the ordinance was approved, Councilmember Richard Pearce said 6-by-12 foot trailers may be too small. He said an 8-by-16 foot trailer would accommodate the needs of most citizens.

Pearce made a motion to approve the ordinance allowing the larger trailer.

Mayor Ron Covey said he was not in favor of the larger trailer.

"You're talking about a huge rectangular box there," he said.

Covey said he was concerned about large non-discrete commercial trailers entering residential areas by allowing the larger trailer size. He said he did not think Ecret's commercial trailer was an issue and said it was discrete.

Pearce's motion to allow a larger trailer size failed.