Itasca extends RV parking season

A group of Itasca residents earned a long-fought victory Tuesday after village officials tentatively expanded parking permits for recreational vehicles.

Since last October, a handful of RV owners have asked the village to expand the time RVs, boats and trailers can be parked in residential driveways.

For years Itasca allowed such vehicles to be parked from May 1 to Oct. 1. But last fall, residents Jeff and Karen Helmig, along with several others, asked officials to extend that period from April 1 to Oct. 31.

The RV owners said the ordinance didn't match the travel seasons. Karen Helmig said they use RVs as vacation homes and lose out on their investment by storing the vehicles in faraway facilities, such as in Antioch or near Rockford, while the weather is still warm.

This spring, Itasca's plan commission held a public hearing for residents to air concerns on both sides of the issue. And on Tuesday a committee unanimously recommended following the commission's recommendation to grant the extension.

Trustee Jeff Pruyn assured the RV owners in Tuesday's audience that the measure would be approved at a future village board meeting.

This was not the first time the issue came before the board. In 2007, RV owners asked for a longer parking season but a community survey found little support for the measure.

But the Helmigs also gathered a petition in 2007 with roughly 1,000 signatures in favor of altering the ordinance.