Town Board turns corner on RV parking

By Jeff Morris

The continuing discussion about possible legislation to ban or limit RV parking in Bedford took a turn on Tuesday, as the Town Board began to pivot away from earlier proposals and consider an alternative solution.

After opening a public hearing on the matter, the board heard from several residents who expressed strong reservations about the proposed action, though there was support as well.

Consideration of how to restrict or permit the parking of such vehicles first came before the board in December, after a series of complaints about a person with a large recreational vehicle parking in the town right-of-way, though moving it from place to place.

Current law restricts parking of a commercial or industrial vehicle; the board attempted to craft an ordinance that would apply to a recreational vehicle, while being broad enough to be useful to more than one specific situation. 

The town board had referred the matter to the planning and zoning boards, which both discussed it. The Planning Department sent a letter saying it had no objection to the proposed law, while suggesting a few revisions.

This public hearing opened with comments from Sally Corbett-Turco, executive director of Stepping Stones in Katonah. She noted that they occasionally get inquiries from visitors who ask where they can park if they're traveling by RV. 

“We have been in the practice of telling them, don’t park in residential neighborhoods; find a commercial or industrial area and then Uber or taxi in,” she said. “I read the draft, and I almost feel like I need somebody to read through it with me, because some of it’s a little confusing.”

Corbett-Turco asked if there was some way to accommodate day visitors who come to town, and provide some short-term parking in commercial and industrial areas.

The next speaker was the Rev. Martin McGeachy of Katonah Presbyterian Church, who was against the ordinance “simply because it appears to be a solution to a problem that is about one individual.” 

He said he knows that the individual is trying to keep a roof over their head, has gotten a job and is seeking a different path.

“This doesn’t seem the kind and caring way to solve this problem,” he said, and invited other residents to visit with him to talk about other solutions to help this individual “instead of passing a law to get rid of them, which doesn’t seem to me to be the most caring thing to do.”

Another Edgemont Road resident seconded what he said, stating she didn’t think the law was necessary. She suggested simply giving the individual a permit to park in a corner of the mostly empty commuter lot on Woods Bridge Road.

Gary McKendry, who said he lives next to the church, said the last thing anybody wants to be is unkind, but “I think the people on Edgemont have been living slightly differently than a lot of other people in the town.” He said there were actually two vehicles; that they’ve been coming for over four and a half months after there were assurances it was only going to last part of the summer; and they’ve been staying overnight on occasion. He said if it gets out that Katonah lets anyone park on their streets at any time, “you’re going to be swamped.” It is blocking access and parking, he said, and “the local people are kind of worn down by it.”

An Indian Hill resident had general comments about the legislation, saying he thought it needed more specificity, clearer definitions and an explanation of limitations.

Supervisor Ellen Calves noted they had crafted a definition of an RV, though it was “a little clunky” and probably overly broad. Town Attorney Suzanne Volpe said there is a definition used by the town of Greenburgh that may be more suitable. 

“There are ways to narrow what has already been proposed,” she said.

Calves added more specifics about rules for obtaining permits and restrictions regarding use of town lots.

Board member Stephanie McCaine then weighed in. 

“When this came up, I did suggest that I felt like I didn’t want to do legislation that was targeting one person or one incident, and I also think that there are multiple issues that make this feel more urgent,” she said. “It’s not just the parking, it’s also the living, and I do think that’s something that’s not going to be addressed by the legislation that is being proposed.”

She said the response had been that this is about safety, so the question is when is it safe for an RV to be parked on any public street, when there are narrow roadways. 

McCaine, who acknowledged being familiar with RV culture because of her in-laws, said RVers are not doing things randomly; they are looking at maps and making a plan, and are not “just going to happen to be here” without knowing what their options are. 

“If we’re going back to safety and looking for simplicity, is it possible we just don’t allow people to park RVs on our roads?” she asked.

Calves wondered if they were to not permit RVs on the streets for safety, would that pertain only to RVs over a certain size? McCaine acknowledged RVs come in different classes, and said they can discuss that. “It seems like it could be easier if we just said you can’t park on these streets, if in fact the concern is safety — because it’s really about ensuring emergency vehicles can get through.”

“I like that,” said Calves. “I think it solves a lot of the questions that we just had.” 

Volpe said it also provides for some commuter lot parking; Calves said it eliminates the need to have another permit, and following the regular rules of the lot makes sense. She said they would redraft the proposal and leave the public hearing open.

Calves added that they’ve been “trying very hard to get this person the support services that they need” and there has been “more communication than you can imagine with this person.” 

She said because the person has not been willing to accept some of the options that were offered, there have been a lot of residents upset about it. 

“We can’t let this go on forever,” she said, and wondered if there were any private residents with a large property who are willing to accommodate an RV, or if any emergency shelter partnerships with which the churches were involved could accommodate one. 

“I’m certainly not interested in kicking someone out of town,” she said, “but the way that it’s happening now, moving the car every four hours and getting ticketed, eventually that vehicle’s going to get towed for having too many tickets.”

The board continued discussing aspects of the existing parking lot rules which allow free parking from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. and on weekends, and the possibility of striping specific spaces where such vehicles can be parked. Board members acknowledged there will need to be a separate future discussion about whether people are allowed to sleep in their vehicles; Tom Catoliato noted the special striping would allow the town to know where such vehicles are.

Calves said a resolution will be drafted prioritizing safety — stressing all the narrow roadways — identifying larger class sizes and weights more in line with industrial vehicles, which parking lots they can go to, and prohibiting them on residential streets. The board voted to continue the public hearing at their next meeting, 6 p.m. Feb. 3.