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Curry County continues appeal hearing on proposed Rogue River RV park after tribal, conservation and neighborhood objections
Summary
The Curry County Board of Commissioners continued a public hearing on appeal AP-2502 challenging Planning Commission approval AD-2431 for a proposed RV park at the Rogue River mouth after multiple tribal members, conservation groups and residents raised archaeological, cultural and process concerns; the hearing was continued to Oct. 21 at 11 a.m.
Curry County commissioners on Sept. 24 agreed to continue a public hearing on an appeal of Planning Commission approval for an RV park at the mouth of the Rogue River after hours of testimony from tribal members, conservation advocates and nearby residents.
The hearing on appeal AP-2502 (challenging approval AD-2431) drew repeated objections that the parcel is culturally and archaeologically significant and that the county's record and notice processes were inadequate. Kelsey Dunn, an attorney with Craig Law Center representing appellants, told the board, "an RV park is not allowed at the site ... because it is not a water related or a water dependent use," and said the county's findings do not satisfy the statutory and code definitions that govern shoreland and marine-activity zones.
The applicants' team said the proposal is a temporary use under Curry County Code chapter 7.04 and offered mitigation and operational details. Sherry McGrath, who has led development work on the project, said the property has been filled and "we're not digging into the fill," and added that the project would add more than 13,000 square feet of new vegetation, remove invasive plants, and remove concrete and debris from riparian areas. McGrath also said the Waterburn sanitary district has confirmed sewer capacity and that the developers will perform further infrastructure studies as needed.
Multiple tribal and community witnesses said the site lies on or adjacent to ancestral village areas and burial sites. Earl Hewitt, a Modoc and Paiute cultural resource technician, described longstanding tribal ties to the river mouth and urged the county to protect the site and consider an interpretive or cultural center. Katrina Thompson, founder of the Northwest American Indian Coalition, pressed for tribal consultation, an archaeological investigation and an extension to file additional written comments; she also said the coalition had experienced barriers to standing in prior proceedings.
Appellants' representatives and allied organizations raised procedural and enforcement concerns. A representative summarizing appellants' legal comments said only a minority of the code provisions under review were fully satisfied in the record and noted questions about riparian buffers, water supply capacity and the county's ability to monitor and enforce a long list of conditions.
The applicants' attorney, Garrett West, asked the board to construe county code provisions reasonably and offered to accommodate an inadvertent discovery plan or other permit conditions. He also urged future community engagement around cultural recognition of the site.
On staff recommendation, and after consulting availability with counsel and parties, the board agreed to continue the hearing rather than leave the record open. The board set the continuation for October 21 at 11:00 a.m., and indicated the record would remain open to allow additional written submissions. The county will also request an extension of the applicant's 150-day review period if necessary to cover the new hearing date.
Next steps: the board will reconvene Oct. 21 at 11:00 a.m. and accept additional public comments and any further evidence the parties submit. No final decision was made at the Sept. 24 meeting.
