Sumter County adopts ordinance allowing conditional RV, boat and trailer storage in AC and GC districts

Sumter County Council adopted a zoning text change Jan. 13 to allow noncommercial boat, recreational vehicle and trailer storage as a conditional use in the Agricultural Conservation (AC) and General Commercial (GC) districts.

Helen Ruben, planning staff, told the council the amendment would amend the use table at Article 3, Exhibit 5 and add design and operational criteria for conditional-use review. "This would be solely for RV, boat, and trailer storage for noncommercial vehicles," Ruben said, adding the change responds to demand and places limits to avoid creating de facto junkyards.

The amendment sets specific standards: facilities must be separated by at least 1,000 feet from property line to property line; no site may exceed four acres; access requires a 50-foot paved drive from the public right of way; sites must provide a minimum 6-foot opaque security fence with controlled access gates; outdoor storage visible from rights of way in the Highway Corridor Protection District must be screened by fencing or vegetation; and surfaces for parking or storage must meet zoning-specified minimums (paved parking required when office space is present; gravel allowed for vehicle storage when no office is present). The amendment also bars "dead storage" of junk vehicles.

Planning staff said the planning commission recommended approval. The council opened a public hearing on the second reading; no speakers came forward and the council approved second reading by voice vote, adopting OA 2507.

The ordinance change gives the county a regulatory pathway for noncommercial storage businesses in locations closer to residential areas, with site-level conditional-use review intended to limit visual and operational impacts. The council did not record a roll-call tally; the outcome was announced by voice.