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Board rejects Dear Dinah’s conditional-use request for Quick Road campground
Summary
Clark County's BZA voted down Dear Dinah Inc.'s conditional-use application to operate a 10-unit tiny-home campground at 500 Quick Road, citing concerns about utilities, campgrounds’ recreational intent under state law, and lack of a complete operational plan.
The Clark County Board of Zoning Appeals voted on Jan. 22 to deny a conditional-use request from Dear Dinah Inc. that would have allowed a 10-unit tiny-home campground at 500 Quick Road to operate in A-1 agricultural zoning. The motion to approve the conditional use failed on a 1–3 vote (Yes: Duffee; No: Parcels, Shaw, Frank).
Staff summarized the proposal and county review comments: the Health District indicated the applicant must work with the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) for water and sewer approvals, GIS said each home would require a unique unit number for 911 purposes, and the county Engineer flagged the need for a stormwater management report, driveway easement and potential site-visibility work. Staff also told the board that tiny homes were being treated as recreational vehicles under county definitions and therefore required placement in a campground when used as residences.
Josh Reed, representing Dear Dinah, told the board the nonprofit provides transitional housing and services to female victims of human trafficking and proposed up to two-year stays to allow time for recovery and resource development. Reed described security measures including a gated keypad and camera monitoring and said the organization planned on background checks for volunteers. Several nearby residents testified against the proposal over concerns including security, law-enforcement response times, unclear long-term funding, potential impacts on property values, and whether campgrounds were appropriate for long-term residential use.
Board members cited multiple concerns in deliberations. Member Breanne Parcels said campgrounds are intended to be recreational under Ohio law and expressed skepticism that a permanent-residency model fit the campground definition; she and others also noted that the parcel lacks municipal utilities and that ODH/Permit-to-Install requirements and soil testing had not been completed. Member Tom Duffee said the county would prefer a rezoning to create a planned development with permanent foundations rather than allowing multi-year residential use through campground zoning.
The Board’s vote denied the conditional use; staff noted applicants may pursue alternative pathways such as rezoning to a planned development if they wish to pursue permanent supportive housing.
