Flossmoor officials may reconsider the village’s long standing restrictions on personal pickup truck parking.
At Monday’s village board meeting, officials discussed taking a new look at the truck parking restrictions, which have been in place for several decades. Under Flossmoor’s zoning ordinance, personal pickup trucks must be parked within enclosed garages. They are not to be parked on driveways. There are also restrictions on the size and type of trucks that are allowed on residential property.
Mayor Paul Braun asked Police Chief Michael Pulec to give the board a breakdown of how many tickets for pickup truck parking have been issued in the recent past, and how many fines have been collected.
Trustee James Mitros said it may be time to reconsider the truck parking restrictions, originally approved to enhance appearances in an affluent, attractive suburban community. Today’s pickup trucks, he said, are often expensive vehicles that are not seen as eyesores.
Flossmoor officials approved the truck restrictions long before the advent of sport utility vehicles, many of which have striking similarities to trucks.
The officials were responding Monday to a question from resident William Harrison, who lives on Cambridge Avenue. He recently received a ticket for his pickup truck and asked the board if there was any way he would be allowed to park his vehicle outside his house. Harrison said he was not aware of the truck parking restrictions when he moved to Flossmoor.
Harrison said both he and his wife are disabled military veterans. She attended Monday’s meeting in a motorized wheelchair. He showed board members pictures of his truck, a Ford F-150 that has been specially modified so that she can travel in her wheelchair.
Board members agreed that Harrison will receive no more tickets while they are considering whether changes in the truck parking restrictions are needed. Any changes to the zoning ordinance must first be approved by Flossmoor’s plan commission.
According to the village’s zoning ordinance, personal use pickup trucks are to be parked in garages except for when they are being loaded and unloaded. Trucks are not to exceed a weight of 8,000 pounds and can be no more than seven feet high. Dual wheels on the rear axle are not allowed and racked or staked bed vehicles are not permitted.
Flossmoor received national attention for its truck parking restrictions in 1989 after resident Jim Minx, an Illinois State Police trooper, received several tickets for parking his vehicle on the driveway. The controversy was covered by a number of media outlets including the New York Times, which published a story in November of that year.
Originally, Flossmoor did not allow residents to park pickup trucks on their property. That restriction was changed in April 1989 so that personal use trucks could be parked in garages.