
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, May 13, 1993                   TAG: 9305130482
SECTION: NEIGHBORS                    PAGE: E-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: NANCY BELL
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

DISABLED VINTON MAN, TOLD TO MOVE FROM TRAILER, DIES

John Aikins, the Vinton man who was told to move from a trailer on relative's property because Town Council refused to grant a variance to the zoning ordinance, has died.

Aikins, 63, had lived in a recreational vehicle in the 500 block of Tinker Avenue on property owned by his daughter and son-in-law, because they helped him with medical problems after his wife died.

Aikins, who suffered from crippling rheumatoid arthritis, said in August that he was shocked when council refused to grant his 90-day temporary-use permit to live on the property. It was the first time in seven years the permit was denied.

For the first time, council had opposition to Aikins' request. Neighbors objected because Aikins had replaced his camper with a used house trailer after the camper was washed away during the April 1992 flooding.

"My situation will exist until I pass on . . . I have no other place to go," Aikins told council in August.

Council, however, denied Aikins' request because of the size of the new dwelling and its proximity to the road.

Aikins, who died May 3 in a Roanoke hospital, had planned to move to Shenandoah Homes, a Roanoke retirement facility, in September 1992. But a Shenandoah Homes staff member said Aikins never moved in.

Family members could not be reached for comment.

by CNB