Deschutes County approves code change to allow RV parks as conditional use in Tumalo Commercial District

Deschutes County commissioners on Feb. 11 approved a text amendment to chapter 18.67 of county code to make recreational vehicle parks a conditional use in the Tumalo Commercial District, a move proponents said clarifies long-standing county practice and opponents said risks neighborhood impacts.

The vote followed a continued legislative hearing on file 247-25-000105-TA (also referenced in staff materials as 247-25-000106-TA), during which county staff, the applicant and residents debated whether the change would effectively allow an RV park on a specific Tumalo parcel or merely permit RV parks in limited circumstances. Audrey Stewart, associate planner with the Deschutes County Planning Division, told the board the amendment would only make RV parks a potentially eligible use in the zone; any actual RV park would still require a property-specific conditional use permit and site plan review.

Adam Smith, land use attorney for the applicant, said the amendment is intended to codify decisions the county has already made about uses that serve the traveling public. Smith argued the hearing officer and the applicant’s traffic and land‑use analyses constitute substantial evidence supporting the change and noted that the hearing officer previously recommended the item follow legislative procedures rather than a quasi‑judicial decision.

Residents who testified in opposition raised traffic, wastewater capacity, pedestrian safety and compatibility with Tumalo’s small‑town character. Linda Barbaro, a Tumalo resident, said she “doesn’t believe [RV parks] belong next door to established neighborhoods of single‑family homes” and urged commissioners to inspect potential sites before acting. Carl Findling, another opponent, cited narrow local streets, summer congestion and septic limitations.

Commissioners discussed the transportation planning rule, Tumalo Community Plan goals and prior decisions cited in the hearing officer’s recommendation. The board’s deliberations emphasized that the amendment is a policy‑level decision: it makes RV parks a potential, not an automatic, outcome. Staff and the applicant repeatedly noted that the code language as drafted requires connection to a central sewer system before any RV park could proceed on the specific property in question.

By a 2–1 vote, the board approved the text amendment. Staff will return draft findings and an ordinance for final action; if the ordinance is adopted later, any developer seeking to build an RV park on an eligible parcel will need to apply for and win a conditional use permit, complete site plan review, and demonstrate required infrastructure including central sewer connection.

Why it matters: The change clears a legal path that proponents say will allow the county to respond to an identified shortage of regulated RV parks — a shortage county studies linked to dispersed camping on public lands — while opponents worry about localized traffic and livability impacts that would be litigated and addressed at the conditional use permit stage.

Next steps: Staff will prepare findings and an ordinance for the board to adopt; any subsequent development proposal would be reviewed under CUP criteria and could be approved, modified or denied on site‑specific grounds.

Authorities cited in the hearing record included the county code chapter amended (DCC chapter 18.67), the applicant’s file (247-25-000105-TA/106-TA), the hearing officer’s September recommendation and relevant Oregon administrative rules cited in the staff report (including OAR references in the record related to transportation and zoning).