(Danville) — City staff is exploring a code change to stop people from parking cars and trucks in their front yards.
The request came earlier this week from Anne Evans, a member of the Danville Planning Commission. “I want to look at creating an ordinance to ban parking of cars on front lawns,” Evans said. “We’re a destination city now and I don’t think it looks very nice if we have cars parked on the front lawn.”
Danville Planning Director Renee Burton says parking your car on the front lawn doesn’t violate the city code—provided certain conditions are met. “It’s not a specific code violation. It would be a violation if you drive over a curb to park on your front lawn,” Burton told the Commission. “But if you use a driveway or a curb cut to access the front yard then it is not a specific violation.”
Burton adds that inoperable vehicles cannot be on someone’s front yard, as per city code.
Other members of the Planning Commission say the problem appears in other forms in some Danville neighborhoods. “When people park on the median along Virginia Avenue that would be illegal because they have to drive over a curb,” said Commission member John Ransom.
Burton and staff will draw up a proposal for planners to review at a future meeting.