Planning Commission approves expansion of Thousand Trails RV park in Gilroy with conditions on trees and lighting

The Santa Clara County Planning Commission on June 26 approved a land‑use application to expand the Thousand Trails (Morgan Hill) recreational vehicle park near Gilroy, authorizing 44 additional RV stalls, a 1,401 square‑foot restroom building, interior roads, bioretention ponds and site landscaping. The approval included adoption of a revised mitigated negative declaration and a mitigation monitoring and reporting program.

County principal planner Rob Salisbury told the commission the project proposes a 7‑acre expansion (reduced in later submittals to about 4 acres developed) at 12411 Merriman Lane, directly south of the existing park. Salisbury reported the grading quantities as approximately 2,319.89 cubic yards of cut and 1,966.04 cubic yards of fill; the expansion would add 44 RV sites and 48 vehicle parking stalls (two accessible). Existing utilities—sewer, water and power—would serve the expansion; the applicant does not propose new employees beyond the existing 16.

Salisbury said the county prepared a mitigated negative declaration circulated for 20 days and that, after plan revisions, three previously proposed conditions were deleted because the design no longer involved development within the flood hazard area and therefore related requirements were unnecessary.

Representing the owner/operator, Amanda Lucy Burdell (applicant agent) and Mike Zukal of Equity Lifestyle Properties described the site and revisions. Burdell said the expansion is concentrated in the meadow interior of the property and that the project was redesigned to reduce the number of stalls from an earlier 57 to 44 and to pull development farther from Eubice Creek. “The development will occur in the middle where it's mainly a grassy area,” Burdell said. She said the expansion preserves roughly two acres along Eubice Creek and that only a single ordinance‑sized oak tree will be removed; the landscaping plans call for replacing the removed tree with four oak trees.

Commissioners pressed on several topics: the arrangement and accessibility of vehicle parking adjacent to RV stalls; whether the interstitial surfacing would be decomposed granite (DG) and therefore permeable; landscaping and whether replacement species would be natives; and impacts to the riparian corridor and oak woodland. Commissioners also asked about biological oversight and the biologist selection process for preconstruction surveys. County staff said applicants hire qualified biologists but that the county maintains an approved list and reviews submitted surveys; for some biology reports the county contracts directly with peer reviewers paid through applicant funds.

Commissioner Rausser disclosed an ex parte site visit and described recent onsite wastewater system improvements; the applicant said the park has recently installed a BDP wastewater treatment system (two shipping‑container units, one for solids settlement and one for aeration) that aims to reduce nitrogen in effluent compared with the previous septic system.

Several mitigation measures and conditions were discussed and clarified on the record. During deliberations, Commissioner Rausser moved to adopt the revised mitigated negative declaration (revised Attachment B), make CEQA findings, adopt the mitigation monitoring and reporting program, and grant the concurrent land‑use approvals (grading, major modification of a use permit, and architectural and site approval), with amendments to require that replacement trees be native to California and to require timers for proposed lighting adjacent to environmental areas. The motion also adopted revised Attachment A (conditions) and revised Attachment B. A friendly amendment clarified the lighting timer requirement should apply to property edges abutting both the riparian corridor and the oak woodland. The commission called the roll and the motion carried unanimously.

The approved project includes mitigation measures for air quality, biology, cultural resources and noise, and the county will require submission and county sign‑off of construction‑phase plans such as spill prevention and control measures before grading permits issue. The county will monitor compliance through the adopted Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program.

The file number for the project is PLN21‑032 (ID 125092).