Any changes to Georgina's recreational vehicle bylaw won’t happen for months.

Yorkregion.com
Aug. 20, 2015
By Heidi Riedner

Any tinkering with the town’s recreational “toy” bylaw will depend on a preliminary staff report expected to come back before council in October.

It will outline potential further steps regarding some of the issues raised after Keswick resident Dave Ostertag presented a 491-signature petition to council Aug. 12.

A number of residents weighed in on the petition, which asks the town to revise its bylaw regarding parking recreational vehicles on residential properties, as well as its overall complaint procedure.

Keswick resident Mike Oneill was one of a number of residents who addressed council during the meeting.

He wants the current bylaw kept intact, saying the issue is more than a “nosy neighbour” one that involves potential safety issues and has nothing to do with “ill will” between neighbours.

He also said all Georgina residents have a right to live a good life in a nice neighbourhood.

“We want good aesthetics for our properties. If we allow this to happen, it will drive our property values down.

“We should be getting stronger and tougher,” he added, suggesting a more proactive approach when it comes to bylaw enforcement.

Resident Matt Gallagher, however, echoed the sentiments of others, saying there must be a happy medium for an area that is on the southern tip of cottage country, with many residents owning boats, campers, trailers and other recreational vehicles.

He said many residents are “in the same boat” as he is, which is simply parking their recreational vehicles “between use” rather than “storing”.

Residents want a place to keep their “toys” while they work hard all week, without paying storage fees on top of already high taxes, he added.

Self-described “rule follower” Robert Sparling of Keswick said he stores his camping trailer because he can’t get it behind his house, but he is technically committing an offence when he parks it at his house to load and unload before and after weekend trips.

But his bigger concern relates to the complaint procedure.

“It takes one anonymous complaint with no reason stated. I think that’s wrong. There should have to be at least two written complaints ... One is just sour grapes.”

The preliminary staff report will outline potential further steps regarding some of the issues raised during the meeting last week.

They include safety, property standards and parking factors, as well as various options when it comes to the complaint procedure, enforcement and what other waterfront municipalities have put on their own bylaw books to deal with the matter.

Director of planning and building, Harold Lenters, as well as manager of municipal law enforcement, Ryan Cronsberry, agreed the issue is complicated, with potentially far-reaching implications that need to be comprehensively examined before any recommendations could be made either way.

Lenters suggested public meetings should also be thrown in to the mix when considering any potential changes to the town’s current bylaw, which allows three recreational vehicles and/or trailers to be stored either in a rear or interior side yard on lots less than an acre in size, but not on driveways.

If the town decides to move forward after the preliminary report, a more detailed examination of the issue most likely wouldn’t be back on the council table before the new year, CAO Winanne Grant advised.

“That is a very comprehensive exercise that would involve a matter of months rather than weeks,” Grant said.

“It’s not an easy issue,” Mayor Margaret Quirk agreed, adding one of the main topics raised during the recent ward chats held through Georgina was the matter of more proactive, rather than less, bylaw enforcement.

“We’re not trying to make our neighbourhoods look like a trailer park, but it is time for change, Ostertag said. “The bylaw is outdated.”