At the February 28, 2017, City Council Meeting, the City Council received an informational report on recreational and oversized vehicle parking in Garden Grove and directed staff to conduct additional research on other cities’ policies for further consideration by the Traffic Commission. Per City Council’s direction, staff researched the parking policies of additional cities’ in Orange County, and presented the findings to the Traffic Commission in order to receive recommendations for the City Council. 

At the Traffic Commission meeting held on May 2, 2017, staff presented a report outlining the recreational and oversized vehicle parking policies of cities in Orange County, including information on Garden Grove’s existing policies. Upon receiving the report, the Traffic Commission discussed the public safety and aesthetic concerns associated with the parking of recreational and oversized vehicles on City streets in order to provide the City Council with a recommendation for addressing the issue.

Ultimately, the Traffic Commission approved a motion to recommend banning all recreational vehicles from parking on any street in the City. However, taking in account the policies of several neighboring cities in Orange County, the Traffic Commission also approved a secondary motion allowing for certain exceptions to this ban. They agreed upon the following three exceptions:

1. Residents shall be able to apply for 48 hour parking permits for the sole purpose of loading and unloading before and after travel so long as the vehicle is parked in front of the residence that applied for the permit, does not have any hookups attached to it, and does not have any trailers or fifth-wheelers that are detached from the tow vehicle and left on the street.
2. Residents shall be able to apply for guest exemptions for up to four (4) non-consecutive weeks within one (1) calendar year – January 1 through December 31 – so long as the vehicle is parked in front of the residence that applied for the permit, does not have any hookups attached to it, and does not have any trailers or fifth-wheelers that are detached from the tow vehicle and left on the street. In other words, each permit should not exceed 7 calendar days, with at least one day between the second through fourth permit issued in any calendar year.  No more than one guest exemption permit shall be issued at any given time.
3. Residents with recreational vehicles that do not fit in their driveway (the concrete pad stretching from the physical structure to the apron or sidewalk) shall be able to apply for an annual on-street parking permit that would allow the vehicle to be parked in front of the resident’s home so long as the vehicle was purchased prior to the enactment of the new municipal code, is registered to the address in question, does not exceed thirty six (36) feet in length, does not have any hookups attached to the vehicle, is drivable under its own power, is not parked closer than thirty (30) feet to any corner, and does not have any trailers or fifth-wheelers that are detached from the tow vehicle and left on the street. This exemption shall not be transferable.

Staff Impact and Additional Considerations

Should the City Council choose to adopt one or more of the recommendations of the Traffic Commission and direct staff to move forward with an amendment to the existing ordinance, there are additional considerations. In particular, the impacts of creating a new permitting system and how it will affect City staff. Amending the City’s existing ordinance on RV parking to include a permitted parking component will not only require City staff to create and implement a new permitting system, but will also require City staff to manage the ongoing responsibilities associated with a permitting system (i.e., information verification, system maintenance, customer service, etc.).  Beyond this, there are additional staff impacts associated with the enforcement of an ordinance.  Should the City Council choose to adopt a permitting system with special exceptions, such as those found in exception number 3 of the Traffic Commission’s recommendations, both enforcement and program administration are likely to become increasingly difficult. What’s more, allowing annual on-street permits may actually exacerbate the issue rather than address it.

Lastly, the City Council may want to consider setting a limit to the number of loading and unloading allowances available to residents on an annual basis. While the Traffic Commission recommended a cap for the number of guest exemptions allowed to residents, they did not set a limit for the number of loading and unloading permits. Thus, in order to avoid the possibility of individuals taking advantage of a system with unlimited loading and unloading allowances, the City Council may want to establish a limit. With all this in mind, staff has been researching the permitting systems of neighboring cities throughout Orange County and working with the IT Department to determine the best model for Garden Grove. Based on a survey of other cities’ permitting systems, staff has determined that an automated online permitting system requiring minimal staff time could be integrated into the services managed by one of the City’s permit counters, and that 12 loading and unloading allowances per calendar year should be sufficient.

There is no financial impact to the City at this time.

It is recommended that the City Council:

• Consider the recommendations put forth by the Traffic Commission; and

• Provide direction moving forward.

By:  Shawn Park, Administrative Analyst