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Flossmoor board overturns truck parking ban

Flossmoor residents can now legally park pickup trucks in their driveways after the Flossmoor Village Board voted Monday to change a decades-old ban.
 
The vote was unanimous among the six trustees. Mayor Paul Braun, who abstained from voting, called the vote a “landmark” decision for the community.

Flossmoor residents can now legally park pickup trucks in their driveways after the Flossmoor Village Board voted Monday to change a decades-old ban.
  Flossmoor’s village code has
  contained some form of
  restriction for pickup truck
  parking since 1957. 
  
(Stock photo)
 

The vote was unanimous among the six trustees. Mayor Paul Braun, who abstained from voting, called the vote a “landmark” decision for the community.

“This will change a longstanding ordinance here in the community regarding pickup trucks,” he said. “We are the last community, I think, in the United States to have a restriction on overnight parking of pickup trucks.”

A survey conducted by Scott Bugner, Flossmoor’s inspectional services administrator, in early 2018 indicated that the village was the only community in the U.S. that still prohibited pickup truck parking in residential areas.

The Flossmoor Plan Commission sent along a recommendation in support of amending the ordinance after hosting a public hearing Dec. 20 where several residents spoke in favor of lifting the ban and one spoke against it.

Those in favor cited the growing popularity of pickup trucks and the financial burden of being asked to build bigger garages to accommodate them, while the opposing resident wanted the community’s aesthetics maintained.

A November referendum indicated 62.59 percent of voters (3,266) were in favor of lifting the ban and 37.41 percent (1,952) were against it.

Braun said the referendum was important in gauging public opinion before the board took action on the issue.

“There’s a number of us on the board that aren’t in favor of trucks, but we’re also cognizant of listening to the residents, and we represent the community, not our own personal views,” he said.

The board also adopted commissioners’ recommendation that the restriction of 8,000 pounds or less be changed to reflect a vehicle’s curb weight instead of its gross weight. Curb weight measures the truck’s weight without any additional load or materials and will allow more flexibility with similar looking trucks.

Village code first regulated parking in 1957 when off-street residential parking was restricted to passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles weighing less than 2,000 pounds.

In 1975, additional rules prohibited commercial vehicles from parking at a residence except while making deliveries or providing services. Storing commercial vehicles was prohibited even in garages, which remains in effect today.

Regulations were not relaxed until 1989 when distinctions were made between commercial vehicles and personal use trucks. From 1989 to present day, certain personal use trucks weighing 8,000 pounds or less were permitted to be parked inside closed garages only.

With the amendment approved Monday, non-commercial, Class B or similarly sized trucks with specialty plates weighing 8,000 pounds or less can be parked in residential driveways, excluding commercial vehicles.

Other conditions include that the vehicle is not designed to carry more than 10 passengers and that there are no items in the bed of the vehicle unless covered (cover must be designed for/fitted to the truck).

The vehicle also must have no more than four wheels, be no taller or wider than eight feet and have no part of its exhaust system installed above its frame.

 

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