Columbia County workshop debates tighter rules for RV parks and campgrounds

Columbia County commissioners and staff spent a workshop session reviewing proposed revisions to the county's Land Development Regulations that would restrict where RV parks and campgrounds can be built and how they must be serviced.

The memorandum and slide presentation outlined changes including a minimum park size of 20 acres in agricultural areas, a possible 5-acre minimum for parks in commercial areas that have public water and sewer, a 50-foot vegetative setback and buffer, a move away from individual septic systems toward centralized water/sewer or package systems for park operations, and a 60-amp electrical cap for mobile/movable accommodations. County staff and the county attorney said they are drafting updated ordinance language for a future adoption hearing; no ordinance was adopted at the workshop.

Why it matters: the draft would substantially narrow where new RV parks and campgrounds can be established and would push higher-density facilities toward locations with utilities. County attorney Mr. Foreman warned commissioners that adopting the draft as written would transform the county's current, permissive environment for RV development into a much more restrictive regime. "It is my opinion that if you adopt this ordinance as presented, you will go from having an extremely permissive environment for RV parks and campgrounds to having a very restrictive environment for RV parks and campgrounds," he said.

Key proposals and staff explanation

Staff described seven principal areas of change under consideration. Current campsite lots are 1,200 square feet in the county's Land Development Regulations; the draft would (for movable accommodations) raise a proposed minimum site area to 4,500 square feet (45 feet by 100 feet) while leaving other campsite categories at 1,200 square feet. The draft also would require a 50-foot setback from park boundaries with a required natural vegetative buffer and would bar campgrounds on property that adjoins a platted subdivision where individual plat lot sizes are 5 acres or smaller.

The draft would, in most cases, require either connection to a public utility or a centralized wastewater and water system permitted by the Department of Health to serve the park. Staff said the practical effect of that requirement would be to concentrate future parks where public utilities exist, because package treatment plants are costly to build and operate.

Health department preemption and enforcement limits

Multiple speakers, including county staff, emphasized that state law gives the Department of Health broad authority over campgrounds once a park is permitted. Mr. Foreman and public-health staff warned that the county's control is concentrated "on the front end" through land-use permitting; after the county issues a permit, Department of Health rules typically govern campground operation, water and sewer sizing, dump stations and who may reside there. Sally Ford of the county health department said the department has not routinely permitted private package plants in Columbia County and that septic-based solutions remain common for smaller sites.

Commissioners' concerns and points of debate

Commissioners debated competing objectives: restricting clustering of small, long-term lots and limiting visual impacts versus allowing commercially viable parks near interchanges. Commissioner Ford argued parks function increasingly as permanent housing in some cases and raised equity concerns for long-time county residents who cannot place a temporary RV on their own property without following permit procedures. Commissioner Hollingsworth and other commissioners highlighted the practical enforcement challenge and repeatedly returned to an electrical-capacity rule as a policy lever: limiting each RV/movable-site to 60 amps, they said, would make full-time living in many RVs uncomfortable and therefore reduce the number of long-term residents in parks.

Other discussion points included: - A proposal that commercial parks with city water and sewer be allowed at a 5-acre minimum (commissioners said a commercial site without utilities should not automatically qualify). - Keeping agricultural-area parks to a minimum of 20 contiguous acres if they rely on wells and septic. - A suggested countywide prohibition on new campgrounds sited within 5 linear miles of an existing campground (the board did not reach consensus on using a 5-mile spacing rule). - Distinguishing movable accommodations (RVs, legal park models) from immovable/site-built cabins and yurts; the latter would be permitted when built and permitted to building code and might be allowed different electrical service levels. - Requiring that park-owned "park models" be owned by the campground operator (to avoid privately owned park models becoming de facto permanent residences). - Prohibiting permanent improvements on individual sites other than a pad and utility hookups (to discourage sheds, fixed porches and other long-term structures at individual sites).

Public comment and examples

Two members of the public spoke. Edward Ottinger said he is developing a smaller, shade-oriented campground and described an 18-acre parcel he is assembling for that purpose. He said his plan is for 30 sites and facilities including laundry and bathrooms. "I have been in the process of working on my campground a couple of years," Ottinger said.

Scott Gove, owner of Red Rooster RV Park, described his operation and said it maintains two-week stays and does not host permanent residents: "We are a campground. No one lives there permanently," he told the board.

Direction to staff and next steps

No formal vote or ordinance adoption occurred. Staff recorded a list of consensus items and will prepare amended ordinance language for public inspection and an adoption hearing the board set as the next step. Commissioners instructed staff to circulate revised language in time to meet public-notice deadlines; staff said additional LDR amendments will be prepared to address emergency temporary-permit situations (for example, when a resident's house burns and the property owner needs temporary power and occupancy while rebuilding).

What remains unresolved

The board did not resolve every issue: the proposed 4,500-square-foot movable-site minimum raised practical questions from the health department (wastewater sizing uses a per-unit gallons-per-day standard) and some commissioners worried that larger lot dimensions could be circumvented by multiple RVs connecting to the same dump. The suggested 5-mile spacing rule for new parks drew interest but not consensus. Commissioners also asked staff to refine definitions and enforcement language to reduce unintended consequences for long-time residents and to clarify how variances would be handled.

Ending note

Staff and the county attorney said they will circulate a revised draft of the ordinance language reflecting the board's workshop direction and return the draft for the scheduled adoption hearing so commissioners can consider amendments and formal motions at that public meeting.