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Mills County board orders screening, lighting limits and four-month fixes for Ingram campground permit
Summary
After neighbors complained of lights, grading and privacy impacts, the Mills County Zoning Board of Adjustment directed a site inspection to set fence and berm requirements, restricted camper lighting, required signage and gave the operator until Sept. 1 to complete conditions.
The Mills County Zoning Board of Adjustment on (date not specified in the transcript) amended conditions on a conditional-use permit for a campground at 20424 Ingram Avenue, directing the county’s impartial zoning official to determine screening specifications, restricting camper lighting and setting a deadline to finish required mitigation measures.
The board’s actions followed extended public testimony from nearby residents who alleged the site opened before all permit conditions were met and that grading had caused drainage and privacy problems. Neighbor Bridal Mendenhall told the board the grading had damaged her property and left her ‘‘no privacy,’’ and said she had documented water in her basement and repeated nighttime lighting that disturbed her household. The applicant (identified in the transcript as the site operator) told the board he had installed a security camera, arranged trash service and planted buffer shrubs and trees as part of efforts to comply.
Staff described the county code options for achieving a six-foot screening barrier — a solid fence, an evergreen plant screen that reaches six feet within three years, an earthen berm, or a combination. After discussion, the board voted to: - send an impartial zoning official to the site to determine the height and length of a screening fence to ensure line-of-sight from campsite windows into neighbors’ windows is blocked; - require downcast/stationary lighting only (no projected camper lighting) and other stationary lighting standards to reduce glare into adjacent properties; - require signage at each campsite listing quiet hours, a contact number and emergency instructions; and - require completion of the amended conditions by Sept. 1 (approximately four months from the meeting), with staff follow-up and collaboration with the county engineer on grading/drainage concerns.
Board members and staff emphasized enforcement options if conditions are not met, including follow-up inspections, issuance of a 5-day contact letter, notices of violation and potential citation or revocation proceedings. Staff noted the grading permit for the site was reviewed through the county engineer’s office and said the engineer could revisit the grading if neighbors’ drainage complaints persist.
Operator testimony and board discussion documented discrepancies about when the site advertised availability and when payments were first taken; the applicant said advertising may have appeared on third-party platforms but that he did not accept payments before April and that early guests were not charged. The applicant also offered options such as fencing or additional screening and said he would cooperate with neighbors and staff to reach compliance.
The board’s conditions do not itself adjudicate liability for the drainage complaints; staff said the county engineer and the applicant’s engineer would need to review the grading plans and, if necessary, revise prevention measures. The board set the compliance deadline and recorded roll-call votes for the motions it passed.
The board’s actions leave open follow-up steps: the zoning official’s site determination for screening height/location, the county engineer’s review of drainage, and staff verification that the operator completes the work by the Sept. 1 deadline.
