East Hampton to hold public hearing on overnight truck parking

After trying for months to deal with the problem of trucks parked in residential neighborhoods in Springs, the East Hampton Town Board has set a public hearing on legislation that would ban trucks with commercial plates from parking overnight on any street in town.

The board also voted to hold a second public hearing on a related resolution, which defines light trucks as weighing 10,000 pounds or less.

That resolution, made necessary because the town board discovered earlier this year that there was no legal definition of a light truck in town code, created controversy because it contained a provision that would allow truck owners to keep two trucks of up to 14,000 pounds in their driveways and yards.

While much of East Hampton’s residential neighborhoods are zoned for one house per acre or one house per two acres or more, areas of Springs — developed decades ago — have zoning that allows four homes per acre.

Residents complained repeatedly to the town board that trucks parked on lawns and driveways were turning their neighborhoods commercial. When the town board tried earlier this year to pass a law to ban those trucks, it found out there was nothing in the town code to define a light truck.

A public hearing has been set for Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. on the two proposed laws.

David Buda, a founder of the Concerned Citizens of Springs, said the proposal to define trucks by weight and allow two commercial trucks to park on driveways and yards was “a last-minute resolution drawn up haphazardly,” and would do nothing to help solve the problem. “They’re taking one step forward and two steps backward,” he said.