SOUTH BETHANY, DE -- South Bethany's town council discussed creating an ordinance to regulate RVs and boats on neighbors' properties at Friday's council meeting.
The potential ordinance could have regulated things like how long vehicles could be on properties, or how many vehicles could be on properties. However, some local boaters tell us they showed up at the town council meeting to oppose the inclusion of boats in the regulations.
"We're a boating community. 65% of us live on the canal, and we all have boats, and basically we need somewhere to put them in the winter to store them," Michael Maxwell, a South Bethany neighbor who owns a boat but could not attend the meeting, said.
Town leaders said that, due to public feedback against the boat discussions, council members decided to table that portion of the conversation. A decision, Maxwell said, he agrees with.
"If you ever come down here in the wintertime, it's a ghost town. The boats are not blocking anybody's views," Maxwell said. "For years, we've been able to park our boats. I see no reason to change that."
Maribeth Livingston, another South Bethany neighbor, said she would have supported some regulations on boats.
"There are a lot of boats that basically live in a lot of people's front yards, and it's really an eyesore," Livingston said.
However, Livingston said she hopes town leaders create regulations for RVs.
"Recently we've had a huge RV up here that's blocking people's view of the canal and blocking our view out," Livingston said. "The RVs have become an eyesore for those of us who have paid a premium to be on the water."
Livingston said she hopes town leaders create a regulation for how long an RV can be on someone's property.
South Bethany officials said, while boats are no longer part of the conversation, town committees will begin looking at possibly adding RV regulations to the town's code.