Moses Lake to move forward with RV tenant evictions
RVs are currently parked in the stub outs - indicated in blue - but if they have not been moved by those living in them by May 25, the city of Moses Lake intends to impound them and remove those residing in them. The property outlined in Red on the map above is owned by Ted Yao.
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MOSES LAKE — The city of Moses Lake announced Thursday it will enforce a trespass request next week on any vehicles parked on private property along N. Central Drive between the Goodwill and Home Depot.
“Our hope is that people will follow the trespass order and they will be gone,” said Police Chief Kevin Fuhr. “But if not, we will take enforcement measures and impound the vehicles.”
The city issued 30-day eviction notices to owners of the vehicles, including RVs used as residences, on April 25, according to a city press release. The city will impound any vehicles remaining in the stub-outs on Thursday, May 25, and arrest anyone who refuses to move.
According to the press release, Moses Lake Police officers served individual notices and made contact with as many vehicle owners as possible. The city has also placed dumpsters on site and will clean the stub-outs once they are vacated, the press release said.
Once the site is cleared, concrete barriers will be placed to prevent future parking in the stub-outs, the press release added.
The use of the stub-outs along N. Central Drive for parking by residents without other housing has become a matter of concern for the Moses Lake City Council in the last few months, with council members considering alternative sites for temporary parking in order to get those RVs off city streets.
However, at the council’s May 9 meeting, council members determined that a 2021 decision by the Washington State Supreme Court did not require the city create an alternative parking place for RVs used as residences by those experiencing homelessness. Council members asked the city to enforce its ordinances against public camping and parking RVs on the city streets without a permit for more than 14 days.
The stub-outs along N. Central Drive were built with future development in mind and will be handed over to the city should that development take place, are currently private property owned by Ted Yao.
Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at cfeatherstone@columbiabasinherald.com.