Council makes move against junkers in yards

Thursday, Aug. 7, 2003 | 9:55 a.m.

The Las Vegas City Council introduced an ordinance Wednesday that would allow law enforcement officers to ticket people who store vehicles on gravel surfaces of residential front yards.

No action was taken on the measure. Instead, a public hearing was set for the Aug. 18 Recommending Committee meeting in the city manager's conference room on the eighth floor of City Hall.

Ward 3 Councilman Gary Reese is co-sponsoring the measure with Ward 1 Councilman Lawrence Weekly to attempt to clean up city neighborhoods where front yards covered in rocks are being used as auto junkyards.

"We are seeing this problem in our older, urban neighborhoods," Reese said outside the meeting, noting that in the last week he has spotted examples of front-yard car storage in neighborhoods off Eastern Avenue and along Mojave Road.

"This ordinance is just one effort among others to clean up our neighborhoods."

Although the problem is primarily an urban blight issue, if passed, the ordinance would affect cars and recreational vehicles parked in nondriveway portions of yards within the boundaries of the entire city.

Reese said because police, under current ordinances, can ticket and order the removal of junk cars that are parked on streets, residents in some neighborhoods are taking advantage of a loophole in city ordinances that allows them to park on gravel or small decorative gravel called "chat" that surrounds their paved driveways.

The proposed ordinance better defines what an "approved driveway" is and prohibits the storage of wrecked or unlicensed cars on unpaved surfaces in front yards.

Reese said the proposed ordinance is not designed to affect residents who use their back yards or garages to restore vehicles or those who do minor repair work to their working, licensed vehicles on their paved driveways.