(12/15) The future look of Carroll Valley was the focus of discussion during December’s Borough Council meeting.
Borough Manager David Hazlett submitted proposals to the Council that included increasing the number of trailers allowed on a property while limiting their visibility and prohibiting disabled vehicles.
An ordinance adopted in May permitted residents to have only one trailer on their land if their plot was less than two acres. Hazlett said the rule was restrictive and affects a lot of residents. Council President Richard Mathews expressed concerns about lots with many trailers.
"You can find boats on trailers, jet skis on trailers, cars on trailers, trailers with nothing on them; all at the same place," Mathews said.
Councilman Bruce Carr questioned whether trailers are the problem. "I don’t know if it is the offender or the offended that we need to worry about," Carr said.
Hazlett’s proposal stated additional recreation vehicles, such as trailers, can be stored on lots if they are on a paved area that is fenced in so they cannot be seen from neighboring properties.
Hazlett said abandoned vehicles are a "much more significant" issue for the borough. He knows of one vehicle that has been on a property "since I was in diapers" and fears of it and others contaminating residents’ water supplies.
Hazlett’s proposal would prohibit inoperable or heavily damaged vehicles from being stored on properties in the borough. Vehicles being repaired would be allowed if the work is being done inside of a structure.
"We have to have codes, we have to," Hazlett said. "If we don’t start to have certain types of codes, the type of community you have is going to degrade slowly over time."
Hazlett added Carroll Valley was often listed in real estate magazines as a premiere place to live but he fears that rating will decrease if items that could be deemed to be eyesores and harmful to the environment are allowed on properties.
"It is kind of your responsibility to make sure you are helping them (residents) protect their investments and make sure you are providing them a great quality of life," Hazlett said.
Councilwomen Kari Butterbaugh suggested borough leaders gather input from citizens before changing any rules.
"I am a firm believer that if the public is interested, you try to involve them," Hazlett concurred.
However, he said the planning commission has discussed the rule changes for several months and received little input. The Council has also had difficulty filling a vacancy on the planning commission.
"There might be a lot of people with an opinion but there are not a lot of people who want to voice their opinion," he said.
The Council decided to delay further action on the trailer and abandoned car proposals. If The Council decides to move forward with expanding the trailer rules, a public hearing will be required since it is part of the borough’s zoning law. Disabled vehicle rules would not require a hearing since it would be enacted by ordinance, but the public would have a chance to share thoughts at a council meeting before The Council acts.
