CITY MULLS BAN ON CARS PARKED ON FRONT LAWNS; RESIDENTS COMPLAIN OF BLIGHT.

Byline: Teresa Jimenez Daily News Staff Writer

Area residents who have been using their front lawns as parking lots won't just be shunned by neighbors - they also will be cited by the city if a proposed ordinance is passed in the coming months.

After receiving complaints from residents about people parking cars where landscaping should be, the Santa Clarita City Council asked staff members to find a solution.

As a result, the city's Planning Department has drafted an ordinance that will be considered next month by the Planning Commission. It could be recommended to the council and approved as early as March.

Under the ordinance, parking on the front lawn would be an infraction and those cited would be fined $100 the first time. A second citation would increase the fine to $200 and a third citation would amount to $500, said Jeff Hogan, assistant planner for the city.

The idea behind the ordinance is to get cars, motor homes and other vehicles out of sight - or at least on a driveway. Even tucked away in a back yard would be acceptable, Hogan said.

``A vehicle would have to be on a driveway,'' Hogan said. ``If it's stored somewhere on dirt and it can be seen, it won't be allowed.''

That doesn't mean a resident can pave the front yard and declare the whole area a driveway, Hogan said. The city has requirements regarding front yards, including a 20-foot setback from the sidewalk, he said.

The driveway must be a defined area, and there must be a landscaped area, Hogan said.

Circular drives would acceptable for parking cars as long as the whole area is not used, he said. In addition, large-lot homes, such as ones in Placerita Canyon, can use the long drives leading up to their homes as a parking area, Hogan said.

``It's not totally restrictive where they can't park anywhere,'' Hogan said. ``But it's something to clean up the area a bit. Some people have big lots with a paved path to their house, and that's OK. But if they're calling their whole front yard a driveway, that's not allowed.''

The ordinance fines are similar to existing city laws that do not allow residents to fix vehicles in their driveways or store inoperative vehicles outside, Hogan said.

Not all areas of the city have a problem with residents parking cars in their front yards, Hogan said. In areas where homeowners associations monitor neighborhoods, residents are already restricted from parking on their lawns, he said.