The Parking Zone – May 2024

Over the past year or two, federal and state governments have been ramping up efforts to address the national truck parking crisis. Local governments, on the other hand, continue to hinder progress.

A good example is a case in a town called The Acreage in Palm Beach County, Fla. Although the county always prohibited vehicles larger than 12,500 pounds on residential property, professional drivers have been parking their trucks at home for decades. That leniency has come to an end.

Last year, truckers started getting fined for parking their trucks on their personal property, sparking a call to change the ordinance. At one point, county commissioners were poised to adopt a rule allowing trucks at agricultural-zoned homes. However, the NIMBY crowd convinced the commission to keep the ban in place.

Commissioner Sara Baxter offered two exceptions: allow two 80,000-pound trucks on each lot or grandfather in existing truckers. In addition to local truckers, many residents of The Acreage supported accommodations to truck drivers. The commission struck down both proposals.

The commission decided to raise the maximum gross weight of vehicles on residential properties from 12,500 pounds to 16,000 pounds. Residents with larger trucks have until July 1 to figure out what to do with them. A lawyer for two truckers is considering filing a lawsuit against the county.

No truck stop for this Florida town

Moving up to the northern portion of Florida, the Lake City Planning and Zoning Board decided unanimously that a truck stop is not wanted in the city. Currently, a Circle K sits right off Interstate 75 and U.S. 90. The gas station owner wanted to add three diesel fueling stations and six truck parking spaces with no overnight parking.

Although this hardly could be considered a “truck stop,” several residents and business owners spoke out against it during a nearly five-hour Planning and Zoning Board hearing. Apparently, three fueling stations and six short-term truck parking spots would result in too much traffic.

Illinois city strikes down terminal expansion

Meanwhile, in Crystal Lake, Ill., the city council unanimously denied NVA Transportation’s bid to expand its truck terminal. In addition to service bays, offices and a warehouse area, the plan included creating more than 300 truck parking spaces.

The standard NIMBY arguments were made opposing the plan. In this case, opposition was well-organized and well-funded, with a website dedicated to blocking the project and a formal legal argument signed by two law firms submitted to the city.

However, traffic, environmental impact and home value studies all concluded that the project would not have a negative impact on the city. Regardless, city officials based their decision on the vocal opposition.

Citywide truck parking ban

About an hour south of Crystal Lake, the city of Plano in Illinois has established new ordinances that ban truck parking on city streets. The rule applies to all vehicles weighing more than 16,000 pounds. First offenses will cost $55, second offenses $150 and third and subsequent offenses $250.

However, recreational vehicles are allowed to park on city streets up to 48 hours, sending mixed messages regarding safety and large vehicle parking. If parking along city streets is causing problems, a 48-hour allowance for RVs is generous, considering truckers park for maybe 10 hours at most.

Lawsuit reverses city council’s truck parking denial

Not every developer will take “no” for an answer. In Graham, N.C., a truck parking facility will be built after the developer sued the city for denying a request for a special-use permit.

Last July, the Graham City Council denied the developer’s permit request to turn a 5.5-acre vacant lot into a truck parking facility with 122 spaces. That decision came despite the city’s planning board voting to recommend approval after finding the project met all city policies.

According to The Alamance News, the developer filed a lawsuit against the city after the permit denial, arguing that state court precedent establishes that a permit is entitled if substantial evidence shows that a project complies with all city ordinances. Recently, the Graham City Council voted to settle the lawsuit. The settlement allows the truck parking facility project to move forward.

Surprise!

While there are numerous cases of local governments resisting truck parking, there also are examples of municipalities that address the issue in a positive way. Surprise, Ariz., is one such city.

Like many cities across the nation, Surprise recently enacted a truck parking ban on city streets. But unlike most cities that ban truck parking, Surprise decided to create spaces where truckers can park legally.

The city recognized the reason truckers park on city streets is that they have nowhere else to go. So logically, it is giving them somewhere else to go. Three sites across Surprise will be used for this purpose, supplying a total of 40 truck parking spaces and thereby addressing most of the average parking demand.

“Of all the cities that are limiting truck parking, we know of none that are actually going out and providing alternate locations for trucks to park,” Assistant City Manager Tracy Montgomery said during a council meeting. “I think that’s significant, because it sends a message that you all want to send: ‘We don’t just want to send you away; we want to give you a place to park.’” LL