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Residents cite safety and runoff concerns as Planning Commission backs Highline Horse & RV Campground
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Summary
The Pennington County Planning Commission voted April 27, 2026 to recommend approval of a conditional use permit for the proposed Highline Horse & RV Campground at 24150 Highway 385, subject to 33 staff conditions and an added requirement about fire‑pit safety, after hours of public testimony about traffic, floodplain runoff and manure management.
The Pennington County Planning Commission on April 27 recommended that the county Board of Commissioners approve a conditional use permit for the proposed Highline Horse & RV Campground at 24150 Highway 385, forwarding the item for final action at the board’s May 5 meeting.
Britney Hand, planning director, told commissioners staff supports COCU26‑0006 with 33 conditions, highlighting the site plan, sanitation provisions and a proposed reorientation of RV sites to improve emergency egress. The commission added a clarification to condition 32 requiring that, if fire pits are allowed, the local fire authority’s phone number and website be provided.
The proposal drew sustained opposition from neighbors who said the site’s proximity to a sharp curve on Highway 385 known locally as “Dead Man’s Curve” creates an unacceptable safety risk for slow‑moving horse trailers and RVs. “That curve is extremely dangerous,” said Jeff Hoover, president of the Dead Broke Road Association, recounting his experience responding to fatal crashes and urging a road study or a turn lane before additional commercial activity is permitted.
Nearby resident Lisa Lehi Brown said the campground would increase noise, pests and runoff into a nearby creek and could harm property values. “This isn’t resisting change. It’s about protecting the safety and the health and the quality of life of the people who already live there,” she said.
Eric Larson, owner of Larson’s Crooked Creek RV Resort next to the site, asked the commission to deny the permit on environmental and safety grounds, citing FEMA floodplain mapping and concerns that concentrated manure and runoff could carry nutrients and bacteria into Spring Creek. “This entire property lies within a declared FEMA floodplain,” Larson said, urging the commission to weigh water‑quality risks and inadequate manure containment.
Applicant Tim McGriff, representing Highline Horse & RV Campground, said mitigation measures are planned: daily cleanup of horse pens, weekly hauling of manure by Kiefer Sanitation, an approved dump station, electricity to discourage generator use and a 66‑foot approach built to allow drivers to see both directions. “We want to be a good neighbor,” McGriff said, adding that stays would be seasonal and mostly a few days.
Commissioners pressed staff and the applicant on technical details including DOT approach permits, septic and dump‑station arrangements, animal health paperwork (Coggins requirements) and how manure would be stored and removed. Staff confirmed South Dakota Department of Transportation routing and indicated a floodplain development permit was on file for the site.
After discussion the commission approved the staff recommendation, with one commissioner voting no. The planning commission’s recommendation will be transmitted to the Pennington County Board of Commissioners, which will hold a public meeting May 5, 2026 on the proposal.
