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Planning commission reviews RV campground conditional use and 90‑day occupancy rule
Summary
Planning commissioners reviewed the conditional use permit for a long-running RV campground at 769 N. Main (permit issued to Marvin Neff in 2020), heard the owner’s representative describe compliance, and discussed whether the city’s 90-day occupancy rule, enforcement mechanisms and CUP language should be revised.
Willard planning commissioners reviewed the conditional use permit (CUP) for the RV campground at 769 North Main, a permit associated with owner Marvin Neff, at their March 6 meeting. Staff summarized an extensive history and invited the owner’s representative (identified in the meeting as "Britney") to present written materials and speak to complaints raised by neighbors.
The representative said the campground has been operated in compliance with the conditional use permit and city requirements and maintains that prior problems from earlier ownership (cited in historical records) are no longer present. She said occupancy levels are modest; staff and commissioners noted the campground contains roughly 48 sites and that the representative reported four vacant sites at the time of discussion.
Commissioners focused on the city ordinance’s 90-day-per-site limit, which staff said had been adopted after the current CUP and can create uncertainty about how to treat existing CUP holders. The owner’s representative and several commissioners argued that operational conditions (background checks for stays longer than 30 days, rules about criminal activity, and other site conditions) — not only a numeric time limit — are important to keep the campground safe and maintainable. Staff and the mayor warned against undermining the ordinance without studying land-use implications: "If we want a trailer park, let's zone it at a trailer park," the mayor said, urging a formal process for any change.
Legal counsel disclosed a conflict and recused from deliberations on the item. Commissioners and staff discussed three paths: (1) leave the CUP as-is and enforce current ordinance language; (2) amend the CUP to codify the site-specific operational controls that have worked under the current owner; or (3) pursue an ordinance change to create a different category of permitted long-term RV stays. Several commissioners asked the campground representative to submit suggested CUP conditions to help draft revisions that would preserve the current operator’s practices while protecting the community if the property transfers to a new owner.
No final action changing the CUP or the ordinance was taken; commissioners agreed to continue discussion, consider a work session with the city council, and asked staff to circulate options for ordinance language or CUP amendments.
