Monday evening the Plymouth City Council heard the first reading of an ordinance regarding parking motor vehicles in residential lawn areas.
This is an ordinance the city council looked at in 2020 and is bringing it back up again. In recent years the Plymouth Common Council has heard many concerns regarding the parking of motor vehicles in lawn areas of residential properties. Those concerns included the deteriorating of lawn areas and the general aesthetics and property values of the city’s residential neighborhoods.
A committee made up of the mayor, city attorney, building inspector, police chief, and council members Robert Listenberger, Don Ecker and Greg Compton examined the issue of how other communities have attempted to restrict such parking while balancing property owners’ accessibility needs. The purpose and intent of the ordinance is to adopt restrictions on parking motor vehicles on residential lawns.
The proposed ordinance makes it unlawful to park in a lawn area of the front yard, of a side yard, or rear yard of lots zoned for residential use if such a lot abuts a public street where parking is permitted and would be deemed a public nuisance.
The parking restrictions would not be applicable to vehicles displaying a valid disability license plate or parking placard. Additionally, the parking restrictions would not apply from the Monday before Labor Day and through the Monday of Labor Day.
Each violation of the parking restriction would result in a fine of $25 to the owner of the vehicle. The Plymouth Police Department will be responsible for enforcement of the ordinance and will write warning violations from the date of passage until October 15th. After that date, the ordinance would be in full force and a fine would be assessed to the vehicle owner.
The City Council will consider the ordinance on second reading at their meeting on June 27th.
