On July 12, Lacombe City Council approved an amendment to the Community Standards Bylaw which prevents any motor vehicle, recreational vehicle or trailer from being parked on the front yard of a property except where there is a properly constructed and surfaced driveway.
The change to the bylaw will include an educational period which will allow time for resident compliance. This includes extending the grace period for trailer owners to Oct. 1, 2022, as moving a trailer to a permanent location requires more preparation and planning than moving passenger vehicles to street parking.
The city states that all non-compliant passenger vehicles will be given a warning for a reasonable timeframe to move a car or truck from the front yard and a ticket will be issued and continued enforcement if the violation extends past the warning period.
“Our Community Standards Bylaw is an important tool Council has to ensure Lacombe’s quality of life is maintained at a high level,” Mayor Grant Creasey said.
“This amendment will ensure properties in our community meet at a consistent standard, and that our Bylaw officers have clear guidelines when enforcing legislation.”
The amendment comes after a consultation phase which allowed the public to provide input on several community standards topics including: trees in alleys and over sidewalks; classification of weeds to be enforced; length of grass and weeds; vegetation in sidewalks; noise from commercial snow clearing and unsightly premises enforcement.
The city says that more amendments to the Community Standards Bylaw will be considered by council at future meetings.