Planning commission continues Ranger Ranch campground special‑use hearing after neighbors raise safety, water and FAA concerns

The Montrose County Planning Commission on May 2025 continued a special‑use public hearing for the Ranger Ranch proposal (SU22‑003) after residents and neighboring homeowners raised safety, fire, water and aviation concerns.

Talmadge, county planning staff, presented the application as a request for a special‑use permit covering roughly 3.7 acres within a larger ~40‑acre parcel near 6300 Road and said the application was filed in early 2022 and thus is evaluated under the regulations in effect at that time. He told commissioners that the site is outside designated flood and high wildfire hazard zones but noted public‑works comments from the earlier review flagged emergency‑access risks associated with a long dead‑end road.

Neighbors said the road and nearby conditions present unresolved safety risks. David Lee, speaking for himself and the Escarpment Overlook HOA, asked whether the park might become a commercial "fly‑in" facility because the proposed RV/campground sits adjacent to a private airstrip, calling for clearer FAA coordination and for covenants to be reconciled with the county application. "Would this park ever be used as a fly‑in park?" Lee asked, urging the commission to consider FAA notifications and setback questions.

Other speakers raised overlapping concerns: the nearest functioning fire hydrant is roughly 1,000–1,500 feet from the cul‑de‑sac, neighbors warned of increased traffic and ATV use on BLM‑bordering lands, and several questioned whether the project description and packet materials (including site and leach‑field drawings) matched the current plans. Rob Grandsons cited wildfire risk next to BLM land and asked how emergency services would respond; Paul Jacobson and others warned that marketing the site for aircraft users could increase takeoffs and landings at the private strip.

Applicant Tanya Newman described the proposal as a small campground and repeatedly clarified that she is not proposing an RV park: "It's not an RV park. No RVs," she said, indicating the plan as presented would start with five cabins and several primitive campsites and that she lives on‑site and would be available outside posted office hours. Newman said she was working with the local water provider and that a hydrant could be installed closer to the site if necessary.

Commissioners focused on three unresolved issues: (1) emergency access and the long dead‑end nature of 6300 Road; (2) late‑arriving public comments and supplemental materials that were distributed at the meeting; and (3) a technical discrepancy in the application title and definitions (zoning rules distinguish "campground" and "RV park"). Speaker 6 moved to continue SU22‑003 to the June regular meeting to allow staff time to assemble the current criteria (the application was filed in 2022), to review the newly received comments, and to clarify wording with the applicant. The motion was seconded and passed by unanimous voice/hand raise. The commission set June 16 as the cutoff for written comments to be included in the June 26 packet.

What's next: the hearing is continued to the June 26 Planning Commission meeting. Staff will supply the applicable criteria from the time of application, circulate late comments to commissioners in the June packet and work with the applicant to clarify plan materials and utility/FAA coordination; public commenters were invited to submit written input by June 16.

Provenance: Staff presentation and criteria discussion began with the public‑hearing opening (Talmadge) and the item was continued by motion later in the meeting.