Ken Schroeder does not like seeing recreational vehicles parked within 5 feet of his property in Antioch.
But it has been that way for more than a quarter-century, according to the owner of the Parrot’s Cover Resort & Bar, the 28-vehicle park that is the subject of Schroeder’s discontent.
Schroeder was among about 50 people who spoke out recently during a public hearing of the Lake County Zoning Board on a proposal to crack down on the parks.
“I live adjacent to a park in Channel Lakes,” Schroeder said, referring to Parrot’s Cove. “There are campers practically in my backyard.”
Schroeder spoke in favor of one aspect of the latest proposal, which would require RVs to be parked at least 50 feet from residential property.
Other proposed restrictions would require RVs to be occupied on only a seasonal basis, that RV park visitors keep their noise level below 60 decibels, which is roughly the level of a normal conversation, and that RVs be kept 50 feet from public roads.
Some County Board members have been vocal in their opposition to the county’s RV parks. Board member Larry Leafblad (R-Grayslake) has described some of the RV parks as “Dogpatch” after the ramshackle hometown of Li’l Abner in the comic strip by the late Al Capp.
Support for the restrictions is far from universal, however.
Pat Diebold, who owns Parrot’s Cove, suggested the proposed restrictions are unnecessary.
“The Cove has been there since at least 1974,” Diebold said. “I don’t even know Mr. Schroeder. He didn’t talk to me about his problem.”
The County Board is considering proposed amendments to ordinances that regulate the county’s 29 RV parks.
One of the most contentious issues at the recent hearing was how to determine whether some parks should be exempt from the proposed restrictions.
The board is considering a grandfather clause that would exempt most parks.
Parks not in compliance with existing standards, however, would have to meet new standards by 2004 or face losing their licenses.
Tom Davis of Antioch asked the board what standards it would use to determine which parks should be covered by a grandfather clause.
“What about illegal parks?” Davis asked.
Board member Judy Martini (R-Antioch) said the board had yet to determine which parks are in compliance and, therefore, exempt.
“What if a high number of parks are operating without a permit?” Martini asked.
Zoning Board Chairwoman Gloria Helke said applying the proposed restrictions to any park other than a new park could be a “nightmare.”
“How do we qualify a park as legal or illegal?” she said.
Diebold agreed it is impossible to know which parks are legitimate, given the lack of definition and enforcement of current laws.
“Should park owners be punished for years of non-enforcement by the county?” she asked. Most of the RV parks, she said, existed long before the houses that now surround them.
The hearing will be continued on Dec. 4.
