Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Rv Parks topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Batesville panel advances zoning changes to add RV parks, tighten residential lot rules
Summary
The Planning Commission reviewed draft zoning-code revisions that add recreational vehicle parks as a permitted use in the C1 district, propose a new Section 140514 for RV-park standards tied to state health rules, and revise residential-lot formulas to an 8,000-sq-ft minimum plus 2,000 sq ft per unit over three; commissioners scheduled hearings and sought engineering review.
The Batesville Planning Commission on Monday reviewed a package of zoning-code revisions that would add standards for recreational vehicle (RV) parks and change minimum lot-size formulas for residential development.
A staff presenter said the draft adds RV parks as a permitted use in the C1 commercial district and creates a new Section 140514 containing detailed requirements for parks wherever they are permitted. “I added that recreational vehicle parks have a permitted use in C1,” the presenter said, and pointed to state health-department regulations as the baseline for spacing, paving, driveway and buffer requirements.
The presenter told commissioners he had found state rules that require a health-department letter approving a park’s layout for sites with more than three spaces. “Almost the first requirement for the city was you have to get a letter confirming that they have looked at the requirements and they have approved the layout,” he said, and added that the city can require standards that are stricter than the state minimums.
Park operators who spoke at the meeting said many existing local parks were built to state standards and asked whether new rules would be applied retroactively. A park operator identified in discussion as the Creekside Park owner said his site was built to state and city code at the time of construction and asked for assurance he would not face retroactive mandates. Commissioners and staff responded that properties complying with prior rules would generally be grandfathered, but agreed that future state regulatory changes could trigger updates.
Commissioners debated how long an individual could stay in an RV park before it resembled a mobile-home park. The presenter said he had initially proposed a three-month maximum but recommended six months after stakeholders noted visiting nurses and other short-term workers would need longer stays. “I originally said three months and he said, ‘Well, occasionally they have some visiting nurses … If you made it too short, you almost force them to have to move out,’” the presenter said.
The commission also discussed operational and nuisance rules—parking, trash, and disruptive behavior—and urged that any final standard be reviewed by Damon in engineering to ensure paving thickness and internal street standards match city design requirements. Commissioners asked staff to confirm the draft language against the state regulation and the city engineer’s input before the public hearing.
On a related track, staff proposed clarifying residential rules in R2: replacing a prior 11,000-square-foot triplex threshold with an 8,000-sq-ft base plus 2,000 sq ft per unit over three to close a density loophole. The presenter said he would add wording to make it “per additional unit” to avoid misinterpretation.
Next steps: the commission voted to schedule public hearings on the draft zoning changes after staff incorporates engineering feedback and clarifies the triplex/unit language. The hearings will give the public an opportunity to comment before any final ordinance recommendation to the City Council.
