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Planning commission discusses campground standards, stay limits and fire-safety after developer questions 32,100 sq ft requirement
Summary
City staff and commissioners reviewed a campground ordinance standard that staff said requires 32,100 square feet per campsite; participants debated whether smaller footprints, length-of-stay limits, bathroom counts and water capacity for fire safety would be acceptable.
City planning staff raised questions about the local ordinance’s campground standards after a landowner asked whether a much smaller site footprint would be adequate. Staff said the ordinance currently factors a standard of roughly 32,100 square feet per campsite in the applied calculation and reported the landowner suggested a much smaller footprint (about 1,600 square feet) could be sufficient on his property.
Commissioners and staff discussed a range of technical issues: the maximum length of stay, whether long-term occupancy by workers in large RVs would be allowed, the number of bathrooms and showers that must be provided, and the implications of denser layouts for water pressure and fire-suppression capacity. One commissioner warned about fire risk, saying campers "go up fast when they catch on fire," and asked staff to confirm that hydrants, water lines and on-site pressure would meet safety needs.
Participants noted regional comparisons: some nearby jurisdictions enforce strict periodic-move rules for long-term RV occupants, while others allow longer-term occupancy with attendant infrastructure standards. Commissioners asked staff to study alternatives that balance flexibility for operators (including higher-end campground concepts) with public-safety and maintenance standards, and to return with recommended language and technical thresholds.
The commission did not adopt ordinance revisions at this meeting; members asked for more detailed analysis on density calculations, minimum campsite footprints, bathroom counts, stay limits, and emergency-water infrastructure before making a formal change.
