Longmont officials in 2021 began dealing with the aftermath of a city council decision to ban recreational and sleeper vehicles from the city’s public streets and rights-of-way.
Longmont City Council in 2020 voted for the ordinance that blocked RVs, camper coaches, camper trailers and motorhomes from parking on city streets, alleys and other public rights-of-way. The new rule replaced a more lenient law that allowed sleeper vehicles to be parked on city streets as long as the vehicles were moved at least 600 feet every 48 hours.
Police and code enforcement officers said a tougher ordinance was needed because of a surge in the number of junked and abandoned RVs in Longmont streets.
City staff members in 2021 along with several other local groups and agencies geared toward helping the homeless find shelter, began an education program to reach out to RV dwellers.
The efforts — including bilingual flyers explaining the ordinance — appeared to be working as there were fewer RVs reported in typical “hot spots” in the city, Eliberto Mendoza, project coordinator for Longmont Community Services, told the city council in January.
Longmont and Boulder County are spending $456,000 in one-time funds to help people experiencing homelessness or who are living in RVs and looking for brick-and-mortar homes, according to the city of Longmont.
