Almost like home Almost like home (January 13, 2006)

Hundreds of RVs on display at Alameda County Fairgrounds

If the names "Winnebago" and "Airstream" trigger your wanderlust with the lure of the open road, you may want to take in the final weekend of the RV Show and Sale going on now at the Alameda County Fairgrounds.

From the luxury of the Pace Arrow Fleetwood with its well-appointed interior, comfortable living space and all the latest in technology bells and whistles, to the spare utilitarian essentials of the bullet-shaped silver Airstream, there are recreational vehicles, both trailers and motorhomes, to suit every taste and budget. One downside: If you like to soak in a hot, steamy bath, RVs typically come equipped with showers only.

Those who already own a recreational vehicle or boat may be interested to know there may soon be limits on where they can park them. A new city ordinance prohibiting the parking of trailers and boats on public streets is being studied.

Mayor Jennifer Hosterman said she's received several complaints about large trailers and boats parked on the street in residential neighborhoods. With council support, she said she has asked staff to research the possibility of enacting a no-parking on public streets ordinance.

According to Senior Code Enforcement Officer Jeff Bretzing in the office of Planning and Community Development, there is no city code or state law that prohibits the parking of RV's or boats on a city street. However, state law prohibits the parking of any vehicle (including boats and RVs) on a city street for more than 72 consecutive hours. Bretzing said, "The intent of this law is to allow for the legal removal of an abandoned vehicle from our city street and our police department does enforce this law. Residents who park their boat or RV on the street in front of their home for a few days at a time are not violating the law. When they are stored there for longer periods of time they are in violation."

Bretzing adds that the city ordinance does prohibit the parking or storing of any trailer or boat (not motorhome) on private property in public view. The proper location for these vehicles, he said, is in the garage or in the side or rear yard behind a standard six-foot fence. A motorhome is treated like any other vehicle, so can't legally be parked on a city street for more than three days.

At the Fairgrounds, the RV show is billed as one of the largest indoor shows on the west coast. The event includes a food court and reduced adult admission today of $8. Children 6 and under get in free today through the 16th. For more information, call 931-1890 or visit www.rvshow.net. -Carol Bogart

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