Medford Oregon Parking Ban

[floridaguy]

Every year or two a local community, sometimes at the urging of a campground owner takes issue with RVers overnighting at Wal-Mart. I was reading Nick Russell's Gypsy Journal blog and he reported Medford, Oregon is enforcing a parking ban at their local Wal-Mart. Nick has added Medford on his RV Unfriendly Cities list. He posted the City Manager's email for anyone that wanted to contact them. CMO@cityofmedford.org You may recall a few years ago Lake City, Florida also banned RV parking and a massive amount of emails and press coverage resulted in a change. I emailed and received a reply that because of undesireables, and acts of lawlessness, including shop lifting, that Medford at the urging of the Wal-Mart manager enacted the parking ban. We all know that the "one percenters" abuse all rules including respectful parking at Wal-Mart, but I find it hard to believe this was instigated by Wal-Mart.

[Old-Biscuit]

Cottonwood AZ.....brawl with Walmart employees with family of squatters turned into shootout with cops.

Town council immediately acted.....banned overnighters in parking lots

Now I can feel safer when shopping at retail stores in Cottonwood AZ.
Thank you Cottonwood Town Council.

Now the 'stealth campers' are hanging out by Thousand Trails and dirt area west of I-17/260 (Fast Food Junction)

[down_home]

westernrvparkowner wrote:

down home wrote:
There are some Retired and other RVers that do stay a night at a Wal Mart or Truck Stops. They have nice RVs but it helps to balance their books. Guess what: they spend money for groceries, etc and even fuel at some, of them.
No way we can address those who have been kicked out of their jobs and homes etc and now use their RV, only thing left, to live. Very unfortunate. Remember the great things free trade has done.
When we stop at a WalMart we usually end up spending several hundred dollars, on supplies, even fuel for coach and towed, at the few we can get in.
I spend an hour or two or three at the coach while she shops. Like at Deming New Mexico. One acceptable campground up the road but don't believe the rates etc. The sign remained unchanged for years.
Didn't know it and were too tired, at that point, so we, with the blessing of security, and directed, to one area, of lot, set up for the night. Unhooked towed and went to find a place to eat. Turned out Border Patrol and Military ate there.Mexican Food was blech and desert simply terrible but they had Mexican Coca Colas, a memorable taste but still half flat.Got the oil changed from were Freighliner,in Tn overfilled our coach by thirty quarts,and ruined our dipstick and it greased the rear of the Mh and probably the road from there through Miss, La, Tx and New Mexico and Az.
There have been several planned stops for supplies and to eat someone else's food ruined when we turned toward a Wal Mart and a big piece of pipe hanging over the entrance, in Jackson, Tn, in La and some others. They didn't get the few hundred dollars we probably would have spent. The Cities didn't get our sales taxes either or fuel sales, or restaurant revenues either. Why would I seek out a run down RV park in these places that thing RVers should be forced to provide them a retirement. That attitude will come through at their Parks as they generally too cheap to hire good people and or run it themselves.They are miserabl people and make others miserable.

What in the heck are you talking about? Did Walmart or an RV park suddenly buy Freightliner? If not, what does that have to do with anything in this thread? How can you overfill the oil pan by 30 quarts? Why would that ruin the dipstick? Why is your dinner ruined if you can't stop at Walmart, does their greeter prepare your meals? If you can't stop at Walmart, you don't buy fuel, food or supplies? Would the rundown, too cheap to hire good people RV parks not make you and others miserable if they served Mexican Coca Colas?
Yes, some of what you pay me in site fees does go to my retirement. What you did for a living provided you with a retirement, why shouldn't what I do for a living provide the same?

It is just, a note in the story, or reason we ended up there not part of it and could have been left out.
Earn the business you get, don't expect government, to legislate it.
We always stay at RV Parks except this instance and one other at a Flyin J years ago, if it matters.
I once reported on an incident of a Campground Owner's trying to get another campground many miles away to get some law passed to force RVers that were supposedly staying at Truck Stops somewhere and a Walmart somewhere, in FT Smith, an hour away to stay at his run down, screw in the fifty amp plug and so on campground. He bought a Campground in good shape and tried to improve profitability, or cut corers and lost business.

[bfast54]

The person I quoted......ASKED FOR an ACTUAL example...

I presented one.:)

[Dog_Folks]

floridaguy wrote:

dons2346 wrote:
I find it hard to believe that the ban on parking came about because of complaints from campgrounds.

Can anyone show proof of such a thing or is it the "I heard it from a friend's grandmother's uncle"?

More than likely it came from the city council when they took a look at the situation and decided the parking lot looked like krap with a bunch of nesters there

Lake City reversed their position: Lake City

Yep, almost four years ago now, but they remain on Nick Russell's list of "RV unfriendly cities." Boy once you get on his list.........

[floridaguy]

dons2346 wrote:
I find it hard to believe that the ban on parking came about because of complaints from campgrounds.

Can anyone show proof of such a thing or is it the "I heard it from a friend's grandmother's uncle"?

More than likely it came from the city council when they took a look at the situation and decided the parking lot looked like krap with a bunch of nesters there

Lake City reversed their position: Lake City

[bfast54]

dons2346 wrote:
I find it hard to believe that the ban on parking came about because of complaints from campgrounds.

Can anyone show proof of such a thing or is it the "I heard it from a friend's grandmother's uncle"?

More than likely it came from the city council when they took a look at the situation and decided the parking lot looked like krap with a bunch of nesters there

Yes...a few years ago. A Campground owner in BILLINGS MONT.......urged the City commission to BAN ALL R V parking in the town....(if you even STOPPED TO GET GROCERIES).....THE cops were right on it.

There was a GROUNDSWELL of Irate RV people..who FLOODED the Phone lines, Mail to city Council, Mayor....ETC.... WHO said "WE WILL NEVER visit Billings "....
(Mowermech lives there.)........I heard the City did an ABOUT FACE after a time passed, and they felt the effects..
Hopefully Mower Mech can speak to this.
So....yes there is Documented evidence (I also wrote to the city).

[TCW]

I actually looked up the Medford Municipal Code. There are several sections that could apply to businesses allowing habitation of their commercial property. However, Section 10.859, Location and Use of Movable Structures or Vehicles Outside of Mobile Home, Manufactured Dwelling, or Recreational Vehicle Parks is the most directly applicable. This is not a new ordinance. It has been on the books since 2000 and last amended 2013. It would appear that the City has been exercising prosecutorial discretion in regard to RVers at Walmart for sometime. Walmart has ignored the local ordinance even though their stated company policy is to only allow RV overnight stays in compliance with local laws. Perhaps the city's biggest mistake was choosing to take no action for 15 years. Now when enough RVers have caused enough problems to gather attention, its the city that gets blamed and labeled as RV unfriendly.

[nomad_289]

floridaguy wrote:
I've never seen any of the horror stories I'm reading about here

Fleming Island Florida: $100K family income

Medford OR: $50K Family income

tpi wrote:
It would have been preferable to enforce some kind of one night limit.

I think this is the right solution for Walmart, Cracker Barrel etc.
Overnight stop, buy supplies, etc.

[floridaguy]

bee_46 wrote:
Why should RVer's feel that Walmart or any other private business should have to open up their parking lot for free camping or be considered unfriendly?

I don't think anyone said Wal-Mart doesn't have the right to deny overnight parking. My opinion is that Wal-Mart should be able to decide if they want to allow RVer's to overnight. Personally, in 13 years of RVing, I've spent two nights in a Wal-Mart. I've never seen any of the horror stories I'm reading about here and the two times we did stop, I asked permission and they made me feel welcome.

[bee_46]

I have never gotten into this Walmart parking battle before, but I feel the need to put in my 2 cents worth. Why should RVer's feel that Walmart or any other private business should have to open up their parking lot for free camping or be considered unfriendly? I realize that many who use the parking lot for overnight "parking" purchase items in the store, but my guess is most would purchase from them anyway. I have never spent the night on a parking lot (Walmart or otherwise) and would never do so unless forced to by circumstances.
If someone is only stopping for 4-6 hours off the road, I don't want to be around them on the road. Even truckers have to stop for more that that. We have always stayed in a campground and try to be off the road for a least 12 hours, so we are well rested for the next day.

[jplante4]

Andymon wrote:
I would think that if you can afford a motorhome and the gas to drive it then you can afford to spend the night in a camp ground or RV park.

As long as it's not a KOA 😛

[nomad_289]

leeper wrote:
Maybe Walmart does not want the liability from a customer whom gets shot when there is a wild west shoot out in their parking lot. It has been in the news. It has happenedShootout.

[leeper]

Maybe Walmart does not want the liability from a customer whom gets shoot when there is a wild west shoot out in their parking lot. It has been in the news. It has happen.

[leeper]

jimh425 wrote:
Yes, a local government preventing a business from allowing RVs does make that local government non-RV friendly.

Btw, I'm ok with local governments choosing to be non-RV friendly. If there is a crime problem at Walmart, then let Walmart change their policy.

I did camp in a Walmart once in Washington and was turned away at an Oregon Walmart once. In case you are wondering, we would have gladly paid for a spot but didn't realize how little availability there was, but couldn't find a park open that had availability. That's in 20 years of RVing.

Like I said, Oregon campground owners don't need the Walmart people.