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Bryan Lloyd From: Don Munson Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 10:38 AM To: Bryan Lloyd Subject: FW: Living in RV's at Single-Family Homesites -----Original Messaqe----- From: Don Munson Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 10:32 AM To: Bryan Lloyd Cc: Gerry Proulx; Tom Trooien; Thomas Paschke Subject: Living in RV's at Single-Family Homesites Concerns regarding approving Interim Use Permits that will allow Roseville resider.r_s to live in a Recreational Vehicle, parked on a single-family property, while they perform construction on their principal dwelling: Building Division staff are strongly opposed to this practice for the followi.ng reasons: - Health and safety: - Recreational vehicles are designed for short occupancies, not extended, month(s) long stays. - Sewage disposal is a concern. Will they properly pump the sewage holding tank? Staff has no way to verify. Temporary connections to the city sewer lines are not allowed because they don't guarantee sanitation. Residents don't want to pay for proper connections (RV Park type) because of cost. In winter these systems freeze and do not function properly. - Safe water is a concern. Typically the water connection is from a garden hose laying over the ground. These connections and hoses are often damaged over time by the construction activities on-site and can result in polluted water within the RV. In the winter time these hoses get wrapped in unsightly insulation blankets or they freeze. - Electrical connections are typically wires laying on the ground. These wires can be run over and damaged by construction activities resulting in dangerous conditions for residents, workers and children. - Most RV's are not built to operate during Minnesota winters and should not occupied at these times. The heaters are not adequate and sanitation facilities will not function. - RV's are not as safe as homes. They typically do not have smoke detectors, escape size windows and they are not anchored to withstand roll-over from strong winds. - Neighborhood Impact: - City staff receives complaints about these situations (as we did about the person on Parker Avenue last year who was given permission to live on-site in an RV). This results in additional time commitments by an already busy staff. Both the building inspector and the landuse inspector spent a considerable amount of time fielding complaints and discussing the situation with the resident as he did not remove the RV when anticipated (as construction took longer than anticipated, which is usually the case). - If these are approved, other residents will see this occurring and will also wish to follow this practice. We will see more and more of these occurrences, resulting in more complaint calls and additional burdens on staff time. - If these are approved, residents will feel it is allowed to have relatives and others visit and live on-site in motor homes for extended periods. Again resulting in complaints and staff commitments. - Other options available to residents: - Residents who wish to vacate their home to perform construction always have the option to rent an apartment nearby. This has been the standard practice in years past. Their wish to save money comes at the expense of additional City commitments and the comfort and livability of the neighborhood. - Recommended Conditions of Approval if these situations are to be allowed: • 1 •