Driveway ‘toy’ bylaw must change, Keswick resident says

YorkRegion.com
July 9, 2015
By Heidi Riedner

Some residents think it is high time people can park their recreational “toys” in their own sandbox, without breaking the law in Georgina.

And more than 400 of them have added their name to a petition asking the town to revise its bylaw and complaint procedure regarding parking recreational vehicles on residential properties to make it happen.

“Georgina is a recreational town and residents should be able to park their recreational items in their driveways,” Keswick resident Dave Ostertag said.

Ironically, the bylaw Ostertag hopes to now change isn’t even the one that was transgressed in the first place, kickstarting the whole petition process.

That stemmed from a visit from a town bylaw officer a few weeks ago after a complaint was lodged against a derby vehicle parked in Ostertag’s Natanya Boulevard driveway in advance of the Sutton Fair & Horse Show next month.

“That issue is covered by a completely different bylaw altogether, but I thought this is crazy that while we live in a recreational town, people can’t park recreational vehicles in their own driveway.”

Under the town’s current bylaw, three recreational vehicles and/or trailers may be stored either in a rear or interior side yard on lots less than an acre in size.

A maximum of six can be kept on bigger lots. Boats may not exceed eight metres in length and must meet yard setbacks if they are larger than 2.5 metres in height.

But that doesn’t really work in subdivisions with barely enough room for a lawnmower, let alone a full-size trailer or boat to fit between neighbouring houses.

“I could fit my car in my backyard, but I don’t have the room on the side of my house to get it there,” Ostertag said, adding he doesn’t think people should have to in the first place, especially in close-quarter neighbourhoods such as subdivisions behind the Ice Palace, off of Biscayne Boulevard and in Simcoe Landing in Keswick.

“We want the town to update this bylaw to allow residents to park these items in their driveways without worrying about the bylaw department giving tickets,” Ostertag said.

In addition, the petition asks the town to revise its complaint-based enforcement formula so that it takes more than one person to complain to warrant a visit from a bylaw officer.

“There should be at least two or three complaints registered maybe within a two-week period to ensure there is a legitimate complaint rather than a personal issue driving the whole process,” Ostertag said.

Since the petition was circulated online, some residents around the Biscayne Boulevard area in Keswick have reported receiving letters encouraging them to complain to the town in an effort to “prevent our neighbourhood from looking like a trailer park”.

According to the letter’s anonymous author, a “vocal minority” should not be dictating how and what bylaws are passed and enforced.

Ostertag doesn’t agree, however, with either the sentiment or the characterization.

“That’s a far cry from what it looks like in any of these neighbourhoods. I counted close to 100 trailers in my neighbourhood last week and it doesn’t look like that at all.”

And Ostertag doesn’t see any reason why homeowners shouldn’t be allowed to park their “toys” and trailers, just like their vehicles, in their own driveways, especially if they can be easily accommodated in the available space.

“I understand people may have issues with oversized vehicles and trailers rotting in place or strewn across front yards, but not for those that are being used on a regular or seasonal basis that are just basically being parked between uses,” he said.

He also thinks expecting taxpaying residents to pay extra for off-site storage rather than using their own driveways where possible is unfair.

Still gathering steady online support, the petition may have to switch gears before making a formal appearance before town council and staff.

Accepting online petitions was debated after a procedural error called into question the validity of a petition against development in the North Gwillimbury Forest back in 2013.

Despite that, Ostertag was informed he would be required to submit a petition in the traditional signed/signature format.

He is advising anyone who has already signed the petition online, or wishing to do so, to still check the online change.org site for updates and add their name or comments.

In addition, Ostertag contacted Ward 2 Councillor Dan Fellini and spoke with Mayor Margaret Quirk.

Town staff will meet to discuss the matter further, communications manager Tanya Thompson confirmed Tuesday.