Commission recommends conditional use permit for 144-space RV park on Dairy Road with conditions

The City of Temple Planning and Zoning Commission on Jan. 6 recommended City Council approve a conditional use permit (CUP) for a proposed 144-space RV park on approximately 24.83 acres north of State Highway 53 on Dairy Road. The commission vote was unanimous.

Principal Planner Jason Deckman presented the application and site plan, describing a phased development with 54 pull-through and 86 back-in spaces, a clubhouse, picnic pavilion, splash pad, playground, and required recreational open space. Deckman said the proposal complies with Chapter 31 (RV park standards), noting the developer’s density of 5.8 spaces per acre is below the code maximum of seven. He told commissioners the applicant proposes septic service and a detention area for drainage; a subdivision plat and site-development review will be required to address utilities, fire protection and detailed drainage design.

Deckman said staff’s recommended conditions include compliance with the submitted site plan, recording park rules as Exhibit B (including limits on length of stay consistent with current code), compliance with Chapter 31 requirements (guest register, 8-foot solid screening fence), subdivision plat review, and continued coordination with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) for turn-lane and State Highway 53 intersection improvements. Deckman also summarized traffic estimates and a crash-history review and recommended a condition that the applicant coordinate any required TxDOT turn-lane work.

Public comment included concerns about sewer and flood risk from Alan Lytle, who manages Little Flock Cemetery adjacent to the site; Lytle asked for assurances that septic design and drainage would prevent sewage or floodwater from reaching the cemetery. Deckman and the engineer present said detailed drainage and septic design will be reviewed at subdivision, Bell County Health Department and TCEQ, and that those reviews must demonstrate compliance before permits are issued.

Commissioner Carney moved, and Commissioner Smith seconded, a recommendation that City Council grant the CUP subject to staff conditions; the motion passed unanimously. Deckman said the item is scheduled for City Council first reading on Jan. 16.

The commission’s recommendation includes a requirement that significant changes to the approved site plan return to the commission and council; minor variations may be approved by the planning director.