North Cowichan is considering limiting some of the parking of recreational vehicles in the municipality.
At the council meeting on Sept. 3, Coun. Becky Hogg put forward a successful motion for staff to prepare a report on the implications of reducing the current 24-hour parking allowance for RVs to four hours in key commercial areas in North Cowichan during peak business hours.
She said many businesses are being impacted by RVs that take up parking spaces for long periods of time during business hours, limiting the parking available for their customers.
“There have also been instances, and I’ve seen them on Facebook, where grey water and even black water is being dropped on the streets,” Hogg said.
“I don’t want to take anything from people being creative and wanting a home, but just for them to have a bit of respect for businesses and free up some parking spots for their patrons. I’d like staff to come up with something that would work for everybody and to give bylaw [officers] a little more enforcement power in certain instances.”
Hogg said that adjusting the bylaw still offers RV users convenient short-term parking access during the day, while encouraging overnight or extended stays to occur in more appropriate locations.
“Overall, this [bylaw] amendment would be intended to balance the needs of RV owners with the broader goal of supporting our local business community and improving accessibility for patrons,” she said.
In 2023, after receiving numerous complaints from nearby residents and businesses, North Cowichan decided to take measures to deal with RVs parking illegally in two locations in the municipality where they were congregating; Croft Street in Chemainus between Mill Street and Alder Street, and Duncan Street in North Cowichan’s south end between University Way and James Street.
Council decided to limit RVs parking at those sites to a maximum of four hours.
Coun. Chris Istace said the measures taken by council worked well in the Croft Street area.
"While the parking of RVs was reduced down to four hours in that area, one area was designated for RV parking, and I think this change would work out well for everybody," he said.
