Planning commission recommends removing size limits from ‘recreation vehicle’ definition

The Snyderville Basin Planning Commission on Jan. 14 voted 4-0 to forward a recommendation to the Summit County Council to amend Chapter 11 (definitions) of the Snyderville Basin Development Code by removing the phrases “less than 9 feet wide and 35 feet long” from the definition of “recreation vehicle” (Project 204-154).

Summit County planner Laura Kurmeier told commissioners the amendment is limited to the definition language. Kurmeier said the change was requested after Scott Roberts, owner of Park City RV Park, noted that many modern recreational vehicles exceed the specific dimensions currently in the code. Kurmeier said staff found the amendment complies with the code and recommended a positive recommendation to the county council.

Commissioners discussed potential consequences. Commissioner Matt questioned whether removing the size caps could have unintended effects on future campgrounds, because the county’s definition of “campground” can include tents and “movable or temporary sleeping quarters of any kind,” which he said could allow larger RVs to locate where smaller, lower-impact tent camping may be expected. "As soon as somebody wants to host a couple people in some tents, our definition of campground necessarily would then allow ... 50-foot long RVs to come in as well," Matt said, noting the concern was about future campground applications rather than the specific application that prompted the amendment request.

Kurmeier responded that a campground is listed as a conditional use in the Hillside Stewardship, Mountain Remote and Community Commercial zones, meaning any future campground application in those zones would return to the planning commission for public hearing and conditions of approval if impacts needed mitigation. She also said the numeric dimensions likely reflected the typical RV sizes when the code language was drafted and that modern RVs are larger.

No members of the public spoke during the hearing. After discussion, Commissioner McKenna moved to positively recommend the amendment to the county council based on the staff findings of fact and conclusions of law; the motion was seconded and passed 4-0.

The commission also handled routine business during the meeting: it approved minutes from Dec. 10, 2024 (3-0) and elected Commissioner Carmichael as chair pro tem at the start of the meeting (4-0). The code amendment recommendation now goes to the Summit County Council, which is the legislative decision maker for the Snyderville Basin Development Code.