GROVELAND TOWNSHIP – Some would call it another attempt to keep peace among neighbors. Ernie Combs calls it an attack on his freedom.
“You’ve heard of Megan’s Law? This is Ernie’s Law.”
Combs referred to a proposed off-street parking ordinance that is the subject of a public hearing at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28.
Combs is no stranger to conflict with township officials. He has been in court more than once to answer citations concerning the number of vehicles on his M-15 property (he has a dealer’s license), and for a fence he said he erected to keep neighbors from coming onto his property.
Those conflicts have come under existing township blight ordinances, and Combs believes the proposed new ordinance is worse. While he is no longer selling cars from the property, he said he is legally driving cars with dealer’s license plates and he fears further harassment from township officials.
“This is beyond ludicrous,” he said of the proposed law. “There’s so much potential for citizen abuse.”
Supervisor Bob DePalma has a different view. The motivation for the new ordinance has nothing to do with Combs, he said, but came from residents “on the other side of the township” who complained about a neighbor with too many cars parked on the property.
Those residents approached the township planning commission, and the process went forward.
“They did a very nice job,” DePalma said, including designating a spokesperson for the group. The commission took it from there, and the proposed language is now subject to feedback at the public hearing.
“They came up with language with reasonable restrictions on how many cars can be parked outside,” he said.
The proposed restrictions include a prohibition of “outdoor storage” of motor vehicles (with some exceptions) and stipulations concerning indoor storage. Some restrictions depend on the zoning of the property.
DePalma who owns nine cars himself, said he is sensitive to the concerns of classic car collectors and others with multiple vehicles.
“Most car enthusiasts would not park their cars outside,” he said.
What about concerns about overzealous government regulations conflicting with private property rights?
“I don’t have an easy answer for it,” DePalma said, noting issues such as farm animals. He denied trying to make a priority of such things in a rural township. “There’s no active patrolling for those problems.”
A root issue is conflict between neighbors and, since the township is growing, so are the conflicts.
“The more people out here, the more potential there is for disagreements,” DePalma said.
Combs agrees there is a disagreement, but his opinion in this case is more straightforward.
“This is directed at me,” he said. “They’re way out of line.”