item 5 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

2B N SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2002 • WWW.TWINCITIES.COM ■ ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS WHITE BEAR LAKE Neighbors spar parkingof work vehicles over BY MARISA AGHA said. big enough to store the trucks Pioneer Press Not so, said City Manager IF Y 0 U GO and bringing them home saves_ Mark Sather, who said city their employers'money. A debate over the parking leaders needed to revisit an "'The garages are too short of commercial vans and trucks "ambiguous" definition of The White Bear Lake " and too narrow," said Dan in neighborhoods has pitted commercial vehicles. The City Council will take up O'Rourke,a plumber who lives aesthetics against lifestyles in city's existing code states that the commercial vehicle on the same street as Feffer. White Bear Lake. homeowners could have one issue on Feb. 12 with a O'Rourke said that he finds Now city officials must commercial vehicle parked in public hearing on Feb. Feffer's concern about proper- decide which they consider a garage,unless it belonged to 26. Both meetings are ty values "preposterous" and more important to residents. a visiting worker. at 7 p.m. at White Bear if the city bans outdoor park- The issue came up about a The question, said Sather, Lake City Hall, 4701 ing of his van,he will lose time year ago when resident Tony is whether the code defined Highway 61. with his family by having to Feffer complained to the city vans with racks and pickup commute to his shop in down- about the outdoor parking of trucks as commercial vehicles. town St.Paul. arercial vehicles overnight Some sport utility vehicles,for posal, which goes before the "It's my livelihood," dlnoin weekends in his neigh- instance,have racks. City Council this month. O'Rourke said of the van. _ borhood. Several of his neigh- That's when city officials That still leaves Feffer Neighbor Peter Hall, a pip- bors work as phumbers, elec- began devising new defini- where he started. - efitter, has a two-stall garage, tricians or painters and use tions and rules, including a "The issue is put your coin- but says that he doesn't have company vans or trucks that proposal that would allow the mercial vehicle in the garage," room for his half-ton work_ they are allowed to take home outdoor storage of one pickup Feffer said. "Why do we have truck. He was among a group after work. truck or van with roof attach- to look at that?" of residents who received a Feffer,a real estate consult- ments — like ladder racks — His motives are not rooted letter from the city in Decem ant, looked up the city's zon- per household. Whether or in\elitism or personality, he ber that they were violating ing code and told the city that not the vehicle sported a cora- said. Preserving property val- current code. his neighbors were violating mercial logo would not matter.- ues and environmental quality "Obviously, I want to be city code by parking the vehi- The city's planning coin- in the neighborhood are his able to park my own work des outside. The city was not mission this week recom- concerns,Feffer said vehicle in my driveway," Hall . enforcing its own laws, Feffer mended approval of that pro- "Typically, our homes are said."Where are we supposed our biggest investment," Fef- to live?" ---i fer said. "The aesthetics is ' In the meantime, Feffer very important to the value of says he fears that he's been your property I take my pride painted as a "bad guy" and in my property. That's what worries about his family's I'm all about." safety. He reported an alleged Feffer also worries that the stalking incident to police workers'vehicles are exposed after this week's planning to chemicals or other potential commission meeting. pollutants on job•sites that Ultimately, the community could hurt the neighborhood. has to decide what it values, ' Neighbors who drive and Sather said. park the commercial vehicles "All we want done is to say their garages often are not have it clarified,"he said. •