Sun City West Owner Members will be asked during March’s Governing Board Election if they want the Recreation Centers of Sun City West to continue enforcing CC&Rs related to street parking.
The Rec Centers currently enforces RV, boat, trailer, utility and other long-term vehicle parking on our streets. The state Legislature passed a new law this year that will remove that authority, unless residents reaffirm it.
Without a positive vote by a quorum of members, the Rec Centers and its CC&R Department will have no jurisdiction over whether RVs and other large vehicles can remain parked on the streets indefinitely.
The new law, Arizona Revised Statute 33-1818, states:
- Notwithstanding any provision in the community documents, after the period of declarant control, an association has no authority over and shall not regulate any roadway for which the ownership has been dedicated to or is otherwise held by a governmental entity.
According to HB 2298, the House Bill that put the change into effect, Sun City West and other communities that were recorded before Jan. 1, 2015, also will lose enforcement ability, but unlike the newer communities, they have an opportunity to override it. Communities like Sun City West must hold a membership vote prior to June 30, 2025, allowing members to decide if they want their communities to continue enforcing CC&Rs related to roadways. If the election is not held by that date, or if residents do not pass the measure, then the Rec Centers will be forced to stop enforcing street regulations.
The question will be put to members alongside the Election for Governing Board Directors on March 25. Information about registering to vote, early voting and other details will be announced closer to the Election.
We need restrictions
I agree.
Yes we need to vote to keep the parking clause in our CC&R’s. We then need to enforce it. If we don’t vote for this, I can see people leaving their RV’s etc on the street all winter to keep from paying the fee to store it. It will be a mess as I believe it will increase the amount of accidents.
Excellent point.
We need to follow restrictions! Voting is a must send email or by mail!
Very true!
How will an RV parked on a street cause more accidents?
Hi Mary, having an abundance of RVs and commercial vehicles parked on the streets throughout the community makes it more difficult to see pedestrians, especially if walkers, bikers or even pets come out quickly from behind an RV, and a passing driver does not see them. Our streets are quite wide, but it becomes more difficult to navigate if both sides have large vehicles parked on them.
I have lived here almost 30 years. I can tell you that we must help pass this restriction. We have a great community so let’s keep it that way.
Many streets are narrow and the type of vehicles that are prohibited now take up space. Accidents would definitely increase, especially if utility trailers do not have correct decals that can be seen at night.
It narrows the available road space. In addition, electric cords placed across sidewalks are a hazard to walkers.
The problem would be too many vehicles always left on the streets would make it more difficult especially at night to drive. Most streets are not especially wide. Always having to look around edges of the permanently parked vehicles for people or for animals would be hazardous and time consuming. And this area would begin to look like a trailer park. That’s not good. There is a park provided here for the RVs. What was it built for if not to use?
Please vote to keep regulations – imagine going down Alleppo with a maze of campers to maneuver & I don’t want to see the pick up camper on the corner of Franciscan sitting there 365 days & it will w/o restrictions & enforcement!
Or we can become like Portland, LA, Seattle and have homeless campers parked on our streets, be sure to vote
Definitely 100% Agree!
Excellant point.
Absolutely an important issue to vote on. We have someone on our street with a massive travel trailer and they complain about the storage costs. Honestly, would someone want their travel trailer, motor home, etc., sitting in front of their home 365? Doubt it, but there will be that person(s) who would not care – think it was funny and do it to aggravate neighbors … remember, there are those people that live among us!
What will prevent people from renting out trailers, or motor homes parked on the street indefinitely?!
Whatever time restrictions there are, they should only be for residents or visitors of residence.
No restrictions at all would mean that anyone visiting Phoenix could park on front of our homes instead of paying to stay in an RV park.
Is it possible to have residents sign petition for this matter.
I would be willing to work as advocate to get the word out on this upcoming vote. Anyone have any ideas?
I think it would be a safety issue to allow campers & RVs to park on these streets. 1. More break ins by vagrants we all know live nearby. 2. Many of the streets here are too narrow for this and there would be an increase in accidents as a result. 3. It would really look ugly here with that, and then it would decrease our property value – just sayin…
Keep the parking restrictions.
I was told by the Rec.Center R & R that Maricopa County has no restrictions for Sun city West. That is NOT TRUE!!! They have restrictions in Sun City Grand. I have lived here since 1988 & every year the policies are getting more liberal!!!
Sun City Grand is not comparable to Sun City or Sun City West. Grand is just a development in Surprise. It is not a “city” at all.
Keep the restrict
ionsWe don’t need long term parking on the streets for RV’s. BUT when the Temp. outside is well over 105* and the owner is well over 70 there is no safe way to unload your RV with out having a heat stroke or worse. We are not in our 30’s or 40’s. Your pace slows down so you can enjoy your remaining years. A lot of people are disabled and over 70 that can still function a little. So what is wrong with making parking 7 days straight instead of 3 days?
I will be voting to keep the enforcement here. Thanks for the notification.
We must keep our restrictions in place.
PLEASE make sure the wording for this is in a way that is not confusing to voters. I have seen many referendums worded to LOOK like you are voting AGAINST the referendum, when in actuality you are voting FOR it.
Thank you Mary. We have not actually seen the petitions, let alone verified that there are enough signatures. If the petitions are validated and an election is called, we will ensure it is clear what a Yes or No vote means.
So to be clear,
We vote YES to keep our CC & R in force
Enforcement Control of Parking Large Vehicles, Boats/SkiDoo’s on Trailer, Motor Home, Semi-Trucks, etc, is one many reasons we moved from Surprise to Sun City West. In our prior neighborhood off Cactus/Reems road, we literally could not see down the street because so many of those vehicles or Toys were parked on every street. Dangerous, Inconvenient and hard to travel around- Absolutely! Lets not go backwards and lose those protections here in SCW.
I agree! It looks awful and wil lbring down property values!
I strongly agree that we must vote to keep the parking clause in our CC&R’s & enforce it!
I don’t think the regulations are currently enforced, as a complainant must sign a form of complaint! No one wants to get into a dispute with a neighbor, so they don’t sign the form, as the effected party can learn who complained!
I tried to find out who filed a complaint against us one time and they would not tell me.
Please keep the restrictions in place and keep our property values up. It will look absolutely awful in Sun City West to have campers and motorhomes and trailers and what not in front of your house. Please keep the restrictions in place and enforce them
I hope it restricts the vehicle must be within their property lines.
Our restriction help the home owners as well as the RV Owners. I would vote to keep our rules.
So what exactly do we do to ensure these restrictions remain in place? I do not see a link here to sign anything.
Hi Debra. Owner Members will be able to vote on this during the March Election. Please check this web page for more information, deadlines and details on how to vote. More details will be released soon.
So why is it in this day and age, we can’t simply vote online? Why do we need to jump through the hoops of going down to the office and picking up a members packets, filling it out and then returning it. Seems like it’s unnecessarily time consuming.
Debra, the voting is online (or in person if you want). Those who want to run for the Board come into the office to pick up a packet and instructions on what they need to do to get their names on the ballot. We will announce details on voting online or in person closer to the election. The main issue is to ensure you have a valid email address on file with Membership (and that you are not sharing that email address with anyone else as each Owner votes separately).
Vote is in March
Definitely need to keep restrictions on this! We don’t want our beautiful community streets becoming a storage lot for RV’s and junk cars!
Please tell every sun city west resident you know to vote YES that there should be continued enforcement. Friends of ours in california have to put up with streets full of RV’s and trash and I certainly dont want the same to happen here, and it could happen quite easily if this is allowed to pass. Some will be tempted to say no dont enforce because they want to park their own RV. Even you should vote for enforcement, because you will still have the ability to park and load your RV and this measure is about PERMANENT parking. Imagine 10 RV’s parked outside your house with homeless living in them. This is what happens in places likeCalifornia and we cant let it happen here. Please get out and vote, and tell everyone about this.
Forget about not being able to see residents, the real problem will be people living in them, with all their trash,and stealing from your property and surrounding houses.
Check out this youtube. this is what could happen especially when people realize there are a lot of empty houses, around when snowbirds are away. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C09ka7TzMKY
The New “SCW MOTOR HOME and RV PARK” all are welcome, and park anywhere. Yes, it will ruin the view in front of your neighbor’s home. O well no will care except you! The good news… no rent charge for the space to park and no charge spoiling your neighbor view! I had a 22-footer parked across the street for three weeks…until I complained. I got a serious feel what that was like…and it really sucked!! I felt like I was living in a RV Park. Also, good luck selling your house with a Moter home parked permanently across the street. Next thing you know, will have campers camping in our neighborhoods!
Maybe I’ll park a couple or so out front of my place…”FOR SALE” ??? Now, that’s a thought.
Please Vote!!
What’s the point? My experience has been that the current rules aren’t enforced anyway.
The point is you cash file a compliant now. SCW is reactive in enforcing the rules versus proactive. But if the current rules regarding parking of RV vehicles are no re-authorized or voted to stay in place, there will be nothing SCW can enforce.
Untrue, unless arbitration is in process. I believe
Scare tactics and just one more power grab by the Rec-center management. The Rec center took over the CC&R oversite from PORA and because of that you are now PAYING them to hire more staff, and buying new cars to enforce existing county laws. They are trying to scare you into thinking that there will be no restrictions on parking and that people will start to park oversized RV’s and Boats forever in our neighborhoods. You should know that Maricopa County already bans the parking of RV’s and Boats parking on our streets for more than 72 hrs. You can read the county restrictions here: https://maricopa.municipal.codes/MCC/10.20
Hi Greg. You are correct that Maricopa County has some parking regulations that can be enforced if RCSCW can no longer enforce that portion of CC&R restrictions. (Your link shows the city of Maricopa’s code, not the county’s.)The county does not restrict overnight parking of boats, utility trailers or utility trucks (work trucks). The code only refers to no RV parking for more than 72 hours. So the smaller work trucks, trailers, vans, etc., would be allowed to park on the streets overnight moving forward. RCSCW would continue to enforce parking on private property as directed by the CC&Rs. Perhaps more importantly, is whether Maricopa County has the resources to begin enforcing these restrictions on all the county roads once these HOAs lose the ability to enforce. Maricopa County is the fourth largest county in America. That is a lot of ground to cover! We have reached out to county and state officials, as well as our representatives, and so far can not find that anyone has a plan in place to take this on. In fact, many are unclear on how this will be enforced.
Much better to have enforcement here in SCW than having to reach out to Maricopa County for violations. Plus the county has narrow restrictions that would exempt commercial vehicles and cars. We have garages and driveways. Let’s use them.
I think you should rethink you thoughts. If this does not pass to stay in place our neighborhood could be like all other places throughout the US that are having problems with homeless parking anywhere they choose because it’s there right and there is nothing you will be able to do about it. The personal RV boat or trailer is not the real problem here it’s the homeless will be able to park in SCW that’s why this is up for vote in the first place
if you look at house Bill 2298 it allows for these changes to happen.
The parking enforcement should stay in the CC&R’s.
What are the inforcement rules for mericopa county if this vote does not pass. Can a boat,trailer or motorhome be parked on the street indefintly?
Hi Jeffrey. This would fall under Maricopa County Ordinance No. P-5. Please note section 302. The Association will need to request from the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors that all streets in Sun City West be posted. This would need to be done before the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office can enforce the P-5 Ordinance. Unfortunately, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office is extremely busy with more pressing issues and parking issues will be of a lower priority and most likely seldom enforced.
One of the major reasons we chose Sun City West was for the beauty, cleanliness and consistency throughout the community. Let’s keep our streets safe for bikers, walkers and golf car drivers. Vote to keep parking restrictions to keep up property values and maintain the safety and beauty of our community.
What is the ruling of SCW today? Can these vehicles park for so many hours and then must be moved? And who is enforcing the rules now in place, the Posse? Sheriff’s Department? Are we taking on additional manpower, for this enforcement? I believe we need to have these questions answered before voting yes on something we don’t know about. The State changed the ruling, but what is happening today?
Hi Tom,
The current parking enforcement is overseen by the Rec Centers’ CC&R Department. Regulations are covered under the CC&R parking policy that states:
“No mobile home, boat, recreational vehicle, trailer of any kind, remodeled bus, or other types of recreational vehicles, or commercial vehicles of any types shall be kept, placed, maintained, parked, or repaired upon any lot, common area, tract or street (public or private) within the subdivision; provided, however, that the provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to minor vehicle repairs, cleaning, loading or unloading and short term parking which shall be permitted for a cumulative period not to exceed seventy-two (72) hours in any calendar month”.
If the House Bill 2298 vote is “NOT” passed, enforcement would fall under the Maricopa County Ordinance No. P-5 (view online). Please note that the P-5 Ordinance has very limited restrictions, as well as requiring signage covered in section 302 regarding “ordinance posting”. The Association will need to request the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors that all streets in Sun City West be posted. This would need to be done before the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department can enforce the P-5 Ordinance. Unfortunately, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department is most often occupied with more pressing issues and parking issues will be of a lower priority and most likely seldom enforced.
“quorum” of members” what is that number based on?
Hi Dave. State law says that for an organization our size, a quorum is 1,000 members or 10 percent of the membership, whichever is less. 10 percent would be about 2,600, so 1,000 serves as the quorum.
If this does not pass to stay in place our neighborhood could be like all other places throughout the US that are having problems with homeless parking anywhere they choose. We will be unable to do anything about it. The personal RV boat or trailer is not the real issue here it’s the homeless will be able to park in SCW that’s why this is up for vote in the first place because the law is changing across the US to allow parking anywhere someone choose because it’s there right because of a homestead act that passed a few years back and it all started in Portland Oregon and we all know what there streets look like. This allows for these changes to happen. One of the best things about SCW is that it looks new and the homes are clean and there are no cars trucks and RV’S boats etc. parked in the street or next to homes. This community is one of the cleanest places to live in the US and the homes are 30 years old. Keep the streets clear and let’s keep our community looking great Thank you to everyone for keeping your homes and landscaping up I notice it everytime I go out and anytime I have guest come to SCW that’s the first think everyone says how nice and clean everything is. Thank you Vernon
when do we vote I am so confused on when and how
Hi Don. If you wish to vote online, just make sure you are registered for online voting by Wednesday, March 13 at 3 p.m. You can register by sending an email to vote@suncitywest.com with your name, rec card number and email address. Online voting will begin at 8 a.m. Monday, March 18 and run through 3 p.m. Thursday, March 21.
If you prefer to vote in person, just stop by the R.H. Johnson Library’s Data Resource Center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Election Day, Monday, March 25. Make sure to bring your rec card with you.
More info on the election is available online at suncitywest.com/2024election.
How do you vote online?
Hi Laurie. To vote online, first make sure that you are registered for online voting. To do that, send an email to vote@suncitywest.com with your name, rec card number and email address. Deadline for registering for online voting is Wednesday, March 13 at 3 p.m. Your ballot will then be emailed to you when online voting begins at 8 a.m. Monday, March 18. You’ll have until online voting ends to cast your vote, which is at 3 p.m. Thursday, March 21.
For additional details, we highly encourage you to visit suncitywest.com/2024election and bookmark the page so it’s easy to access throughout this election.