By Moses Leos III
The concern over boats, trailers and RVs parking in the right-of-way of Kyle streets has city officials contemplating an ordinance restricting where they can be parked.
But with the prospect of opposition, City Manager Scott Sellers said the city aims to find a balance to the possible new law.
“There are certain ordinances that are tough to enact. This would be one of them,” Sellers said. “No matter what we put forward, we will try to make it beneficial for the citizens as a whole.”
Council member Damon Fogley first brought up the issue during a July city council meeting. Citizens had informed him that boats, RVs and trailers were parking in neighborhood streets and obstructing the right-of-way.
Steeplechase resident Sherry Aery voiced her concern during public comment at the Aug. 5 city council meeting. Aery’s concerns extended to the “degradation” of neighborhoods, and pointed to boats and large trailers parked on streets as one example.
Aery said large boats and trailers could obstruct the view of drivers, which could lead to dangerous situations.
According to Fogley, the problem is citywide; the issue is most prevalent in neighborhoods east of IH-35 in Kyle.
While he said some homeowners associations attempt to enforce rules on what can be parked in driveways, they have no enforcement when it comes to city streets.
The danger extends to those vehicles obstructing traffic and possibly causing accidents. He said it’s heightened in neighborhoods with narrow streets, such as those in Plum Creek.
“I think it’s part of somewhat cleaning up the city,” Fogley said. “I’d like to see something like this passed. I’m seeing a lot of it in the city, but it’s not enforced.”
While the city is working on drafting language for the possible ordinance, Sellers said the city would look at restricting certain types of vehicles from parking on city right-of-way.
While he hasn’t received any opposition, Fogley anticipates there could be blowback caused by a possible ordinance. It could stem from persons who must use a large trailer to haul equipment for work.
A current ordinance has language that permits industrial vehicles to park for a time on city streets, but not personally owned trailers, boats or RVs.
Fogley anticipates the city talking with residents, and possibly crafting language pertaining to specific time frames.
Sellers said he anticipates Kyle to craft its ordinance based on similar laws in other cities. Fogley referenced ordinances restricting the parking of large vehicles and boats in Killeen and Temple. He said similar ordinances usually undergo a “good vetting process” prior to passage.
While he said the measure could have a detrimental impact for some citizens, he anticipates hearing from and working with those citizens.
“This issue is not unique to Kyle,” Sellers said. “It’s a much larger issue that most cities deal with.”
Fogley said he expects an ordinance to return to council by October.
