A proposed ban on theparking of boats, motor homes and trailers in one Fairfax County community has met with local opposition.
Proponents of the measure say there is broad popular support for setting up a community parking district that would restrict certain large vehicles along state roads in the eastern part of Kingstowne, which is in the Lee District. Such a ban is already in place in more than 20 areas in the county.
Mike Stollenwerk, whose father owns a camper, has launched a campaign opposing the ban.
“I just don’t think it’s rational,” said Stollenwerk on Monday, before setting out to distribute fliers to neighborhoods. “You have this sort of irrational fear that a single camper parked in a neighborhood is going to ruin everyone’s life. I think that’s just absurd.”
Fairfax County has seen a steady stream of requests for the parking districts, and a recent increase in the number proposed, said Ellen Gallagher, a Fairfax County Department of Transportation official. She said supporters point to aesthetic and safety benefits; the vehicles often block the view as motorists pull out of their driveways.
The Board of Supervisors will consider a number of community parking districts in June, including the Kingstowne ban. Some opposition to the districts, Gallagher said, has been heard before in Signal Hill in 2005 and Riverview in 2003.
A petition garnered 468 signatures in support of setting up the Kingstowne parking district, according to the Department of Transportation.
“Quite frankly, we believe that is how the majority of people still feel,” said Kathleen Snyder, president of the local homeowner’s association.
Stollenwerk said he’s had success in convincing some residents to withdraw their support from that petition.
The eastern Kingstowne ban would be applied to Greendale Village Drive, Castlewellan Drive and Horgan Court. It would be the second of three phases for the area, where campers, boats and trailers are already restricted on private roads.
