Board denies rezone for Yucca campground after neighbors cite unpermitted operations, fire and road concerns

The board denied a rezone application (Item 56) seeking to convert an A R‑36 parcel to commercial‑recreation to validate and permit an existing campground operation in the Santa Fe Ranch/Yucca area. Planning and Zoning had unanimously recommended denial; the board upheld the denial after extensive neighbor testimony.

Neighbors described ongoing, unpermitted campground activities on the parcel and said the owners did not live on site. Speakers told the board they were concerned about off‑site impacts — increased traffic on privately maintained roads, campfires during high‑fire danger periods and the absence of on‑site utilities and septic permits. "Placing a campground in the middle of a neighborhood would be a train wreck," said Gary Heckman, who said the owners had not sought county permits for toilets, septic or utilities and had not consulted the property owners association.

Planning staff told supervisors that a portion of the site’s improvements lacked permits and that staff was addressing code complaints. The chair read the public’s and Planning & Zoning’s recommendation into the record; the board denied the rezone by voice vote.

Why it mattered: residents said the use had already altered neighborhood character and created safety and maintenance liabilities for owners of private roads. The county denied the zone change, leaving unpermitted activity subject to enforcement and requiring the owners to pursue zoning and permit compliance through the standard processes if they wish to continue a commercial campground.

What’s next: staff said outstanding code complaints remain under investigation and that the applicants may seek to reapply through the standard zoning and permitting channels or bring the site into formal compliance.