No matter what side you sit on this argument, it is clear that the law is unclear;
The city made a handshake agreement barring overnight RV parking into the permits for both stores, Cooper said.
“If you’re going to occupy a vehicle such as an RV overnight, you are required to be in a campground,†Cooper said. “We have licensed campgrounds and truck stops within the city limits for overnight parking.â€
There’s a catch to this “requirement,” however, in that there isn’t actually a “requirement” in a strictly legal sense. There is no ordinance prohibiting RVs in commercial parking lots.
In my opinion, handshake agreements with a municipal government just doesn’t fly. Instead of having Walmart decide who can and cannot park in their lots, the city should either implement a city wide ordinance that RV camping in retail parking lots is prohibited, or have NO ordinance at all.
Either way, I personally think it should be prohibited. We have truck stops, camp grounds and rest stops for that reason. I remember one time I drove past the WM on Louise, and an RV was parked in the lot, they had out their lawn chairs and were BBQ’ing next to the RV. This is silly. How would you feel if you pulled into the HyVee lot and you saw a tent setup with people sleeping inside? How is that any different? It’s not. Community’s have campgrounds for this reason.