CONIFER, COLO. -- Clem Smith says he was homeless for six years, but he doesn't consider himself homeless anymore, because he lives in a motor home with its own address.
The RV is parked on property, in Conifer, that he purchased in March with an inheritance from his mother's estate.
Of the $214,000 inheritance, he spent $125,000 for the property and put the rest into improvements for a power connection, water well, septic drawings, septic engineering and road engineering.
He said he's planning to build a house and spend the rest of his life there. It's his ultimate dream.
But that dream is falling apart.
There is a group of community members who have come together to try to help Clem. If you'd like to join, the Public Group is here:
www.facebook.com/groups/250392315477066
My Mountain Town Community Calendar
- filter events by Category, date, or keyword to easily find events of interest. Add your community, church, or non-profit event to the calendar yourself! Click here
to access the submission form. Businesses: please contact us for more information on adding your events! Questions? Email
CONIFER, Colo. (CBS4) – Clem Smith’s dream home in Conifer has become a nightmare.
“I’m going to be broke conforming to their wishes,” he told CBS4’s Tom Mustin.
Under Jefferson County zoning codes, the storage container and RV are considered “accessories” unless a home is actually being built. Smith has been told to remove the items or face several thousand dollars in fines – money he no longer has.
“I want to make Clement’s Law. It’s wrong for them to put people back on the streets if they have property. I don’t want to go back to parking my motor home at Walmart.”
My Mountain Town Community Calendar
- filter events by Category, date, or keyword to easily find events of interest. Add your community, church, or non-profit event to the calendar yourself! Click here
to access the submission form. Businesses: please contact us for more information on adding your events! Questions? Email
For Clem Smith, home isn’t just where the heart is. Home has been the streets, home has been his car, home has been an RV parked at a campground or in a Walmart parking lot in any number of cities and towns across Colorado and other states. Earlier this year, home took another form when Smith used inheritance money from his late mother’s estate to purchase 11 ½ acres of land just south of Conifer with the intent to build a house of his own — the first real home he’s had as an adult.
Zoning inspectors determined that Smith was in violation of one or more provisions of the Jefferson County Zoning Resolution, including storing or allowing the outdoor storage of miscellaneous junk, trash and debris; storing or allowing the outdoor storage of a recreational vehicle and a shipping container on vacant land where prohibited; and allowing someone to live in said recreational vehicle and shipping container.
...Smith ultimately failed to comply and the county moved forward with a formal complaint and legal summons in June. A July hearing date was rescheduled for August, at which point Smith will be arraigned and given a trial date — but only if he is still in violation of county zoning regulations.
Smith said he’d like to see a law created that allows low-income or homeless people who don’t necessarily have the means to pay for permits up front to remain on property they’ve purchased for up to a year.
Smith is expected to appear in court Aug. 10, where he will be formally notified of his violations and the possible penalties for failing to correct them. According to court documents, the county has asked the court to impose a civil penalty on Smith of $500 to $1,000 for the violations, as well as a continuing penalty of $100 per day for each day that Smith remains noncompliant after the initial penalty.
Contact reporter Sal Christ at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at 303-350-1035
Canyon Courier is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Evergreen, CO, and the surrounding area.
www.canyoncourier.com
Subscribe
to help support your local news!
