/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/localcommunities/clarington_this_week/news/council/2021/07/14/a-bumper-crop-of-rvs-in-clarington-without-parking-to-match/10433032_CZRVstorage.JPG)
Campers need more places to park their recreational vehicles (RVs) and trailers, and there could be more choices available in Clarington.
“I personally use trailer storage in Clarington and a lot of my friends do. I know there’s a dark cloud looming over them, because they’re afraid it’s going to be shut down,” Jarrett Gagnon said to Clarington council members.
The municipality has been looking at the demands and challenges of storing RVs since a resident asked Clarington council members to reconsider the rules earlier this year.
A recent study found the rules vary across municipalities. For personal storage, the limits are set by the number of RVs and trailers, or the size, or the lot coverage.
“It seemed as if many of the other municipalities had more accommodating rules,” said Clarington Mayor Adrian Foster about personal storage.
In Ajax, RVs are permitted to park — from May 1 to Oct. 31 each year — provided that they are not over one tonne in capacity or over seven metres in length.
In Pickering, there are size restrictions and setbacks for boats, RVs, or campers parked in the front yard or side yard of a residential lot.
In Whitby, only one RV can be stored at the owner’s house. Inside a private garage, there are no limits on the number of RVs or trailers that can be stored. There’s no parking of RVs on a lot without a main building.
In Clarington, it’s one RV allowed in urban residential zones and up to three allowed on private property in rural areas. RV storage businesses are currently only allowed in industrial areas, not on prime agricultural or environmentally-protected lands.
An emailed statement from Durham's Owasco RV Centre said they haven’t received customer complaints on storage shortages, but they do receive numerous complaints on campground shortages.
However, Clarington’s RV study found a demand for storage. The residents who responded owned an average of 2.07 RVs or trailers — which is greater than what is currently permitted to be stored outside in the urban area. The vast majority (86.4 per cent) of respondents said they store at least one RV or trailer somewhere that is not their personal property.
“I have seven different trailers I need to store. So yes, I’m a person with a dark cloud,” said Gagnon.
Most Durham municipalities only allow commercial RV storage on industrial zones. Jeff Kelso uses a portion of his Clarington farm land for an RV storage business. He said there are many RV storage facilities in Clarington, most of which are on prime agricultural land without proper zoning at this time, and only a few that would be considered legal.
“This is my property, this is my livelihood. I am extremely concerned,” said Kelso.
Clarington council is considering changing the rules to allow this under "on-farm diversified uses." They asked the Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington for their input on what the guidelines for such uses should be.
“I would support having buffers from the street so you can’t see the trailers. Restrictions on the number of trailers based on the size of the property,” said Kelso.
He recommends changing the rules to allow storage in the “White Belt” or lands slated for future development as a nearly immediate solution to the issue.
“Where do you think the RVs will go when those sites have been developed?” asked Coun. Ron Hooper.
Clarington will consider the solutions in the RV storage study — options ranging from allowing personal RV storage based on lot size in the country to allowing storage at RV sales and service businesses.
STORY BEHIND THE STORY: A recent study on storing RVs in Clarington found the demand is high. Clarington looked at how their rules compare to other municipalities and could end up opening to allow more places for RVs to park.
A bumper crop of RVs in Clarington, without parking to match - Toronto Star
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