Loudoun County supervisors are set to rid the county of “eyesore” commercial vans and trucks in residential neighborhoods, a hot-button topic that some have tied to the larger issue of blight in the county.
At its first business meeting since July 15, the Board of Supervisors plan to vote on whether to curb the presence of trucks and vans in residential areas by more narrowly defining “commercial vehicles” and “trailers.” Proposed legislation also would impose a new fine of $40 for trailers left in residential zones.
“These trucks are not just an eyesore, but a hazard to traffic,” said Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio, R-Sterling. “It’s a safety issue for children — you don’t want to encourage people to walk in the street in order to be seen.”
A commercial vehicle would be defined as any vehicle with more than two axles or weighing more than 3,000 pounds and having a sign identifying it as a commercial vehicle, which would apply mainly to vans and white box trucks. Trucks with Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles license plates also would qualify.
The proposal is intended to limit the extent to which workers who drive their commercial vehicles to work can be punished for parking them at home, said Keith Nusbaum, spokesman for Board of Supervisors Chairman Scott York, independent-at large.
It also would attempt to assuage residents’ complaints that commercial trucks and trailers are unsightly for residential neighborhoods.
In a May meeting of the Public Safety and Human Services Committee, Supervisor Andrea McGimsey said the county would need to find alternative places for commercial vehicles to park if the legislation passes. The county landfill in Leesburg was suggested as a possibility, but it was noted that the site would be difficult to access for those from eastern Loudoun.
The board has provided a list of private parking locations in Sterling, Herndon, Ashburn, Reston and Chantilly that could be used for commercial parking.
“We have a lot of people who drive their commercial vehicles on the streets and leave them out there,” Delgaudio said. “What it comes down to is, how do you allow for 18-wheelers in residential areas? If we have to store these in residential areas, then there’s something wrong with the Board of Supervisors.”
