I had a really uncomfortable conversation with one of my neighbors last night (“I’m just the messenger!”), coming as a Delegate from a whole group of neighbors who have apparently been complaining in a group text about my bus being parked on the street for the last six months or so. Complaints range from ‘it invites homeless campers’ and ‘it’ll increase crime in the neighborhood’ to ‘it’s blocking the light on my planter boxes’ and ‘it’s just so big and ugly’.

The conversation was prompted by me moving the bus from the street to my apartment’s parking lot so I could reach a power outlet and use my angle grinder for a bit. I was planning to move back after I was done, but the neighbors put their vehicles into its place to keep me from going back (they all have driveways to park in, mind you, and don’t need the street parking per se). According to The Messenger, they are now afraid to move the vehicle that’s parked there out of fear that I’ll move the bus back. Which, frankly, yeah I probably will.

So, anyway, now my bus is in a small parking lot where my landlord has already once before told me to ‘get it off the property’, so I know it won’t be long before he’s demanding that I move it as well.

I know in both cases that the law is on my side here. The vehicle runs, is not broken down or in disrepair, my contact info is clearly visible inside the windshield so it’s obviously not abandoned. Right now in PDX the police are not prioritizing vehicle crimes, so even if I’m able to move it back to the street I don’t feel like I need to worry about getting a ticket or a tow warning (though the neighbors did threaten to start calling the police about the bus every day from now on if they see it parked out there again).

I just really don’t want to be on the wrong foot with all these neighbors. I get it, I mean I decided I was doing this without checking with any of them first, I can see how they consider it a blight on their neighborhood. But my position is, I live here too damn it, why can’t I use the street to park my vehicle just like the rest of them?

So, long story short, I’m looking again for an inexpensive place where I can park a 40′ school bus while I continue working on converting it. I’m into the actual construction phase now, and I hope that I can have the project finished in about another year or so. The bus is currently not registered or insured, so a commercial RV storage facility is not an option.

Any tips or leads on a spot with a skoolie-friendly owner would be much appreciated.