Neighbors urge city action after large school bus parked on private driveway; petition submitted

Two neighbors asked the Minnetonka City Council on Monday to investigate a large, nonoperational school bus parked in a residential driveway that they contend is a public nuisance.

Gary Cohen, a longtime resident on Salisbury Avenue, said a gaudily painted full-size school bus has been parked in a neighbors driveway since mid-May, does not run and presents a visual and neighborhood nuisance. Cohen said code enforcement indicated the vehicle was being treated as an RV if registered as such.

Bernadette Powers presented a neighborhood petition signed by the majority of homeowners on the no-outlet block and handed a packet to council members documenting code contacts, photos and claims that the vehicles license class changed from H-class to F-class in one day. Powers said the Department of Motor Vehicles does not weigh vehicles or question reclassifications and asked the council to pursue additional review and enforcement.

The acting mayor reminded attendees that this portion of the meeting is a limited public forum; staff said the council will not take immediate action but may refer the matter to code enforcement for follow-up.

No council action was taken at the meeting; staff contact and follow-up were implied as the next step.