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Miami County commissioners discuss narrowing dust-control requirement for Youth Front camp CUP
Summary
At a Miami County study session in February, Youth Front officials asked commissioners to narrow a planning-commission condition that would require the camp to pay annual dust control “upon any future development,” saying the phrase could trigger a recurring $15,000 annual expense even for minor improvements.
At a Miami County Commission study session in February, Youth Front officials asked commissioners to revise a planning-commission condition that would require the camp to pay for annual dust control “upon any future development.” Topher Phil Green, executive vice president of Youth Front, said the phrase could prevent harmless improvements such as moving an entrance or replacing a pool without triggering a roughly $15,000-a-year dust-control obligation.
The planning commission had approved Youth Front’s conditional use permit but added a dust-control condition. Jennifer Kane, assistant planning director, described the condition on the record as: “Dust control shall be applied annually at the cost of the applicant along Turner Fifteenth Street and Spring Creek Road — from Sunflower Road to the main entrance — upon any future development.”
Why it matters: The condition would require the camp to fund annual application of dust control for the mile-and-a-half stretch identified in the condition any time “future development” occurs, a phrase Youth Front says is overbroad. Green told commissioners that dust-control pricing Road and Bridge obtained was about $1.30 or $1.40 per foot; for a mile-and-a-half, that produced the camp’s estimate of roughly $15,000 per year.
Green asked the commission to change the trigger language to something narrower such as “new structures” or “anything that changes traffic counts,” saying: “The words, any new development, if I follow them means I can't plant a tree. I can't build a lake. And probably most importantly, I can't move the entrance to a safer location because of those words without also contemplating raising $15,000 a year for dust control.”
Commission discussion focused on how to balance public-safety concerns about dust and traffic with the camp’s fundraising realities. One commissioner said it was reasonable to tie the requirement to actions that increase traffic or occupancy rather than any change to the property. Lucas (assistant county administrator) said staff would bring two draft resolutions to the next study session: (1) the condition as written and (2) a version with narrower language.
Outcome: Commissioners agreed to study both alternatives at the next Wednesday morning study session to seek consensus on an appropriate trigger for the dust-control requirement. No formal policy change was adopted at the session.
Clarifying details: Road and Bridge staff previously provided per-foot pricing for dust control; Youth Front said the length affected is about a mile and a half. Youth Front reported annual attendance around 6,500 across multiple facilities and said the single site under discussion expects to raise roughly $15,000 annually for dust control if required.
Next steps: The county will present two draft resolution options at the next study session for commissioners to consider and, if directed, place the chosen language in the final county resolution related to the Youth Front CUP.
