City municipal codes are being revised in LaVergne that will impact both parking and storage allowed on properties. The Board of Mayor and Aldermen will vote after a second reading regarding property maintenance regulations and parking rules on Thursday, March 8th at 6:30 p.m. The board meeting will be held in the Board Room at City Hall.
The first ordinance updates property maintenance regulations. An example of the change includes open storage rules where it will be unlawful for the owner or occupant of a building, structure or property to use the premises for the open storage of any abandoned motor vehicle, ice box, refrigerator, stove, glass, building material, building rubbish or similar items.
The second ordinance will amend the parking regulations so cars can only be parked on a paved, concrete, rock, or gravel driveway. However, owners or occupants of property may park in a side or rear yard on residential lots if the area is fully enclosed by fencing at least six feet high that is either a wood privacy or an opaque fencing material.
Recreational vehicles – including boats with trailers, ATV’s campers, and yard-related vehicles such as lawn mowers – may be kept in back yard without a fence and without a driveway or surface.
“This primarily keeps people from habitually parking in their front yards, which turns lawns into rutted eyesores for neighborhoods. It also tracks mud from yards into the roadways,” said Derek Beard, Director of Codes. “The codes are designed to help preserve property values for residents and should help keep the appearance of a neighborhood maintained.”
Beard was named the Director of Codes in early February, 2012. The codes department enforces building codes and certain municipal codes regarding zoning, property maintenance, safety, and general appearance of the city.
“We have had a huge number of complaints about multiple cars parked on front lawns,” said Mayor Senna Mosley. “As a board, we asked our codes department and city recorder to examine our current regulations to address these issues. These new codes are very comparable to what other local municipalities now have in place.”
The Board of Mayor and Aldermen will cast their final vote on the measures during the meeting on Thursday.
