Brooksville board recommends reclassifying 'camps' as conditional use, requires ADA restrooms and sewer

The City of Brooksville planning board voted to recommend Ordinance 1,009 to City Council after staff said the change would align use tables with existing Article 4 regulations and add health-and-safety requirements for camps.

Steve, the presenting planner, explained that camps were still shown as a permitted use in several zoning districts even though article 4 already imposed additional regulations. "Camps must provide ADA-compliant restrooms with toilets and handwashing stations with running water and soap and must be connected to the city sewer system," he said, summarizing the major new requirements for sites that host multiple campsites.

Under the amendment, camps would be designated a conditional use in AG, P-1 (office), C-1, C-2 and C-4 zones. That reclassification requires an administrative review and permits staff and the council to confirm that health, sanitation and access standards are met before operation. Steve said code enforcement could cite property owners if camps lacked required facilities and that violations would follow the usual code-enforcement and magistrate process.

Board members raised several practical questions: whether a single RV parked by a private homeowner would be treated as a camp (staff and a code reviewer noted the code defines a camp as land containing two or more campsites and that recreational vehicles are separately regulated), how temporary stays would be handled, and how accessory dwelling units and tiny homes fit into existing building-code and permitting regimes.

After discussion, the board moved and approved a recommendation that Ordinance 1,009 be forwarded to City Council for acceptance. No public comments were recorded at the meeting.

The recommendation will be forwarded to City Council for consideration.