Council to examine RV ordinance
BY PHIL REYNOLDS SOUTH JETTY REPORTER

City council members, when they meet tonight, Thursday, June 19, will again face the decision of whether to allow recreational vehicle owners to camp on all areas of the beach, or restrict RV camping to certain areas.

When the council considered the question in May, it sent the matter to the Planning and Zoning Commission, asking the commission to hold hearings and make a recommendation to the council.

That recommendation: That the council eliminate the wording in the city ordinance that limits RV camping on the beach, thereby allowing camping anywhere.

But commissioners told the council it should keep that part of the ordinance that limits RV camping to three days in any three-week period.

The question arose when Sunny Castor, representing the Newport Beach and Golf development, complained to the council that RVs were blocking the views of potential property buyers in the development.

Castor said developers had agreed to a proposal to limit camping to between beach markers 27 and 34 - right in front of Newport - only until lots in the development went up for sale.

While the commission did hold a public hearing at its May 27 meeting, the only person who spoke at the hearing was City Councilman Keith Donley. Donley told the commission he believes eliminating the restriction on where RVs can camp would only exacerbate the problem.

"I can tell you that on numerous occasions I have had to ask people who have parked in front of where I live to quit doing their laundry in the swimming pool," said Donley, who has a beachfront condo.

In its recommendation to the council, the commission was unanimous in believing that RVs should not be limited to one specific area, and in saying that RVs should be limited in the number of days they can camp in one spot.

Asked if RVs should be allowed to camp on the beach at all, only Commissioner Hugh Lancaster voted "no."

On the recommendation to the council - to amend the current ordinance - Lancaster also voted "no."

The proposal in front of the council is in the form of an ordinance amending the earlier ordinance, so it would be subject to the same three-readings requirement of most other ordinances. That would mean even if the council agrees tonight to amend the current ordinance, it would be late August, at the earliest, before any removal of an area restriction of RV camping could take effect.