Coral Gables has spent more than a quarter of a million dollars upholding an ordinance it is now considering to change. 

Back in 1960, the city banned pickup trucks from public streets and residential areas overnight. 

During the day, drivers could only park a pickup truck for one hour. 

Over the decades, there have been some changes, including a 1965 "garage exception" that allowed homeowners to conceal their pickup trucks in a covered garage. 

The rule was considered similar to other zoning codes restricting items, like a home's color or the height of a hedge. They are examples of legislating aesthetics. 

But then, Lowell Kuvin came along. 

He was a renter and law school student in 2003 when he decided to challenge the decades-old law, claiming it violated his rights. 

The city, after a $253,000 investment, prevailed in court. 

It was money well spent, argued City Attorney Craig Leen, because it secured the city's legal right to adopt these kinds of strict ordinances. 

But, the ongoing legal battle opened the door to change. 

During this time, the city had not been enforcing the ordinance, and the pickup truck market has morphed into a luxury market with some trucks fetching more than some high-end sedans at prices upwards of $90,000. 

Resident Robert Burr said it is time for the city to modernize. 

"If Ernest Hemingway were alive today, he'd probably drive a pickup truck," Burr said. 

But, Vincent Damian was one of many who felt like losing ground on this issue could hamper the city's future power to enforce high aesthetics standards. 

"It's the proverbial slippery slope" he said. 

One option commissioners had considered was to punt the issue to voters this November. 

This is something the mayor supported. With it still unclear how the majority of residents feel about the issue, he thought perhaps it was best to let voters put this matter to bed and make a final decision. 

After that idea was initially voted down, there was then a discussion on if a change is to be made, which version do officials like best? 

The planning and zoning board drafted new language this year and previously in 2005. 

The current proposed changes include the following:

One unmodified pickup truck with two axels and four wheels would be allowed on private property as long as it was covered and facing the street with no commercial signs posted on it or commerce-related items sticking out of it.

Bike racks, they said, would not be considered a "modification" in terms of this change. 

The 2005 suggested change preserved the language of the original ordinance but added several exceptions for noncommercial pickup trucks: 

Empty bed exception: The truck bed contains no property/cargo/material.

Cargo box cover exception: A cargo box covered by a rigid cover, does not include tarps.