Planning commission approves bathhouse waiver but denies no‑sewer variance for proposed RV overflow at 417 North Main

The Goodland Planning Commission on an evening meeting approved a variance to waive the bathhouse requirement for an RV campground at 417 North Main Avenue, part of the County Fairgrounds, but voted to deny the applicant’s request to avoid providing individual sewer hookups for each RV space.

Planning staff explained the application included two separate variance requests: one to omit a bathhouse normally required for sites serving more than nine spaces and a second to avoid providing individual sewer connections for each space. Staff and commissioners agreed the site’s intended use—seasonal overflow parking tied to fair and short‑term construction crews—made the bathhouse requirement less necessary. Commissioner Matt moved to approve the bathhouse variance, and Commissioner Curtis seconded; the motion passed on a voice vote.

Commissioners were more cautious about the sewer request. Multiple members noted city sewer runs along Armory Road and that neighboring parcels are connected; they expressed concern about the health and environmental risks if waste were not disposed of properly. After deliberation Commissioner Curtis moved and Commissioner Wally seconded a motion to deny the variance for not providing individual sewer hookups; that motion also passed on a voice vote.

After the sewer‑variance denial, commissioners and staff discussed alternatives that would meet the code’s sanitation intent while avoiding full sewer hookups for each site. Staff cited code language requiring sanitary stations for RV parks and suggested a shared on‑site dump station or multiple sanitary stations as a minimum solution. Commissioners suggested design options (shared stations positioned to be reachable by several sites) and asked staff to explore implementation and how it would align with the city code.

The county’s representative said the proposal was intended for temporary/overflow use rather than a year‑round commercial RV park and that the county’s lease would require lessees to arrange regular sewage pumping and be financially responsible for spills. Neighbors and a nearby landowner raised concerns about tight spacing between sites (applicant referenced 18 feet between sites versus the standard 25 feet), surfacing, and the potential for illegal dumping if on‑site sanitation were insufficient.

Next steps: staff will follow the denial of the no‑sewer variance by advising the applicant about options that comply with city code—most immediately, providing one or more sanitary dump stations or seeking a different variance request—before the project may proceed.