What is the name of your state? Ohio
I have an ongoing battle with my local village officals about parking my commercial vehicle, Semi Tractor (NO trailer),on my own property. I have been parking here for the last 16 years and it has never been an issue, until recently.
A little background...Originally the property was zoned Business/Residential when purchased 16 years ago. Sometime within the last 5 years it was rezoned as Residential, without any notice given to myself or others. Picture a one square block area, three residential streets border it on the North, South and West sides, while the East side is an Ohio State Route. And directly in the center of this block runs an alley from East to West, from the State Route to the residential street. The property on the North side of the alley is now zoned Business and the property on the South side is now residential. My property borders that alley on the South side and the residential street to the West.
The village officials enacted a new ordinance that states; "No commercial vehicle may be parked upon or alongside of a residential street except for the purpose of making pickups or deliveries". My vehicle has never been parked on or alongside any residential street. It has always been parked behind my residence alongside the alley. And this alley is used by commercial vehicles daily for deliveries to the businesses that sit on the North side of the alley.
So the local police inform me that I can no longer park here because my property borders a residential street. We argued the verbiage of the ordinance until they finally gave in and agreed that I was right that an alley is not a residential street and that as long as I travelled from the State Route into the alley to my residence and returned back the same way there would be no violation. So I made improvements to property so that the vehicle could be turned around to comply with their order.
Now the police are knocking at the door once again stating that my vehicle is overweight to be traveling in that alley! They came by stating a new ordinance that had been adopted by the Ohio Basic Revised Code concerning commercial vehicles and that I could no longer park there. I told them to provide me proof, I wanted to see it in writing for myself. They did not. I researched the "NEW" ordinance and found that it was an excact copy of a law already on the books in the Ohio Revised Code, only change was it gave local law enforcement the right to enforce it instead of only county and state authorities.
You can only imagine the aggravation and humiliation this has put me through, having police officers knocking on my door several times a day whenever I am home. Police cruisers parked in front of my house all the while, then the phone calls from the neighbors and remarks made regarding it all! I am so sick of it.
My questions are these...How can they prevent me from parking on my OWN property? If I have been doing this for 16 years isn't this considered a "known practice" and shouldn't I be "grandfathered" from any such ordinance? My vehicle weighs less than any of the delivery vehicles using this same alley, why allow them and prevent me? And isn't this harassment on their part?
I really look forward to any advice or insight that you can provide me on this matter and "Thank You" in advance for taking the time to read this post!
ASHLAND
"If you got it, a truck brought it!", "Without trucks, AMERICA STOPS!"
I have an ongoing battle with my local village officals about parking my commercial vehicle, Semi Tractor (NO trailer),on my own property. I have been parking here for the last 16 years and it has never been an issue, until recently.
A little background...Originally the property was zoned Business/Residential when purchased 16 years ago. Sometime within the last 5 years it was rezoned as Residential, without any notice given to myself or others. Picture a one square block area, three residential streets border it on the North, South and West sides, while the East side is an Ohio State Route. And directly in the center of this block runs an alley from East to West, from the State Route to the residential street. The property on the North side of the alley is now zoned Business and the property on the South side is now residential. My property borders that alley on the South side and the residential street to the West.
The village officials enacted a new ordinance that states; "No commercial vehicle may be parked upon or alongside of a residential street except for the purpose of making pickups or deliveries". My vehicle has never been parked on or alongside any residential street. It has always been parked behind my residence alongside the alley. And this alley is used by commercial vehicles daily for deliveries to the businesses that sit on the North side of the alley.
So the local police inform me that I can no longer park here because my property borders a residential street. We argued the verbiage of the ordinance until they finally gave in and agreed that I was right that an alley is not a residential street and that as long as I travelled from the State Route into the alley to my residence and returned back the same way there would be no violation. So I made improvements to property so that the vehicle could be turned around to comply with their order.
Now the police are knocking at the door once again stating that my vehicle is overweight to be traveling in that alley! They came by stating a new ordinance that had been adopted by the Ohio Basic Revised Code concerning commercial vehicles and that I could no longer park there. I told them to provide me proof, I wanted to see it in writing for myself. They did not. I researched the "NEW" ordinance and found that it was an excact copy of a law already on the books in the Ohio Revised Code, only change was it gave local law enforcement the right to enforce it instead of only county and state authorities.
You can only imagine the aggravation and humiliation this has put me through, having police officers knocking on my door several times a day whenever I am home. Police cruisers parked in front of my house all the while, then the phone calls from the neighbors and remarks made regarding it all! I am so sick of it.
My questions are these...How can they prevent me from parking on my OWN property? If I have been doing this for 16 years isn't this considered a "known practice" and shouldn't I be "grandfathered" from any such ordinance? My vehicle weighs less than any of the delivery vehicles using this same alley, why allow them and prevent me? And isn't this harassment on their part?
I really look forward to any advice or insight that you can provide me on this matter and "Thank You" in advance for taking the time to read this post!
ASHLAND
"If you got it, a truck brought it!", "Without trucks, AMERICA STOPS!"