East side towns decree: You can live in your RV in your driveway, for now 

Residents of some east side suburbs now have the option to self-quarantine in a camper or recreational vehicle in their driveways or backyards, under executive orders from their town supervisors.

Brighton, like many Monroe County communities, has laws on the books that require residents to store camper trailers, recreational vehicles, and motor homes in enclosed buildings, and restrict their presence in residential driveways or backyards to three days. 

But Town Supervisor Bill Moehle signed an emergency order Thursday lifting some of those restrictions, as well as limits on the size of the vehicle.

His order states that “camping trailers and recreational vehicles may be parked in a rear yard, but not within 10 feet of a lot line and in driveways of residential property for the purpose of providing temporary residence for household members residing thereat until the State of Emergency declared in the Town of Brighton related to the COVID-19 pandemic has ended.”

Moehle declared a COVID-19 state of emergency on March 16.

The change, according to a news release Moehle’s office sent out with the order, was intended to support the practice of self-quarantine.

“The ability to self-quarantine is of particular importance to people with family members at higher risk for COVID-19 and our front-line workers in healthcare, law enforcement, or other essential services,” read the news release.

The order followed a similar decree from Pittsford Supervisor Bill Smith, who suspended the town’s restrictions on RVs parked in driveways on April 3.

“There are doctors, nurses and other healthcare providers here in Pittsford who are bringing their RVs home to stay in them, as a way of keeping distance from their families,” Smith wrote in an update on the town’s webpage. “That’s enough of a sacrifice already, on top of the other sacrifices they’re making for all of us. We don’t need to give them a hard time about parking their RVs.”

His post noted that St. John Fisher College is using dorms to house up to 13 Rochester Regional Health staff who are well, but want to avoid going home between shifts because they live with someone for whom coronavirus poses heightened risks.

The towns aren’t alone in ensuring that people have options if they want or need to quarantine themselves from family members. Monroe County, for instance, is providing hotel accommodations for people under mandatory quarantine, if needed.

Jeremy Moule is CITY’s news editor. He can be reached at [email protected].