VENTURA : Banning Boats From Yards to Be Debated

A proposed law that would ban large boats from residential yards in Ventura will be debated at a public hearing May 7, the City Council decided Monday.

The ordinance would prohibit boats weighing more than 9,000 pounds--trailer included--from being stored on private property for more than 72 hours, unless they were fully garaged or otherwise enclosed.

The law also would ban more than one boat regardless of weight in the open on private property. If the vessel is stored in a driveway, it could not block access to any parking spaces in the property, including garages.

The ordinance, which was tentatively approved by the council March 2, was rewritten after city officials realized it contained erroneous information, Community Development Everett Millais said.

To match a legal definition already in place in the city’s Vehicle Code, the new version of the ordinance defines a “large boat” by its weight, whereas the previous draft used length as the measure of size.

Millais said the ordinance was written in response to citizen complaints against neighbors who parked big boats in driveways and on lawns to do repairs, creating what they considered an eyesore.