BRUCEDALE – Amendments to Guelph/Eramosa’s property standards bylaw prohibit parking on unstable surfaces and add limitations on outside storage and water drainage.
Parking
Bylaw enforcement and property standards officer Ivan Lunevski said the amended bylaw will prevent people parking on grass and other surfaces prone to erosion. He said appropriate parking surfaces include crushed stone, gravel, asphalt, concrete and brick.
These surfaces must be:
– stable and treated to prevent erosion and the raising of dust and loose particles; and
– graded and drained to prevent the pooling of surface water or the flow of surface water onto adjacent lots.
Storage
Where zoning allows stacked outdoor storage materials, the amendments prohibit this storage from:
– exceeding the lesser of 2.44 metres (8 feet) or the height of a surrounding fence; and
– unsafe or unsightly conditions out of character with the surrounding environment.
Drainage
Regarding water discharge, the amendments prohibit:
– draining roof discharge onto walkways, stairs, or adjacent lands;
– draining swimming pools, ponds, or other water on to abutting properties.
The amendments require:
– storm water, sump and swimming pool discharge, and other water be drained from the yard to prevent recurrent ponding or the entrance of water into a basement, cellar, or adjacant lands; and
– adequate drainage be installed where there is excessive ponding caused by surface water.
Council voted unanimously to approve the amendments on Oct. 2.
