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Board tables zoning text amendments after campground-stay dispute
Summary
Lee County supervisors tabled proposed zoning-text amendments — including definitions for tourist homes, sawmills and a new campground special-use category — after debate over occupancy limits; a private campground operator urged 180-day stays, while the planning commission recommended 30 consecutive days.
County planning staff presented three zoning text amendments recommended unanimously by the planning commission: a revised definition for "tourist home" to address short-term rental platforms, making permanent sawmills a special use in A-1 districts with 100-foot setbacks, and creating a new special-use category for campgrounds with density and occupancy rules.
The planning commission said it settled on a 30-consecutive-day occupancy limit to discourage campgrounds from becoming permanent residential sites. John Meeley, who said he operates a private campground in Lee County, told supervisors the 30-day limit would drive customers to neighboring counties and asked the board to consider a 180-day allowance or other exceptions — for example when a guest holds an active building permit or when students are seeking temporary housing.
Supervisors debated enforcement complexity and whether the ordinance should include an exception tied to active building permits or a variance process. One supervisor proposed tabling the amendments to allow staff to draft clearer verbiage that would preserve the planning commission’s intent while addressing practical exceptions; the motion to table was seconded and carried.
The amendments will be returned to staff or the planning commission for redrafting; no zoning text changes were adopted at this meeting.
