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Planning commission debates whether campgrounds, ‘glamping’ belong in agricultural zones
Summary
Commissioners and staff debated how the draft Title 10 tables should classify campgrounds — including glamping and hip camping — and whether allowing them as a permitted use could create confusion about state permits such as CAL FIRE requirements.
Staff opened the workshop by pointing planners to the draft table and clarifying where camping appears in the code: "So it's the camping including the glamping and hip camping," (S1). Commissioners pressed whether campgrounds should be allowed by right in agricultural districts or treated differently in TPZ/TP C because of state compatibility rules.
Debate centered on whether short-term, activity-linked overnighting (for hunting or educational field trips) differs from standalone tourist camping. One commissioner noted that hunting camps, where users "are only overnighting so that you can get up in o dark 30 and go hunt again," feel qualitatively different than general recreational camping (S3). Commissioners also flagged enforcement and public expectation risks if the draft labels the use simply "permitted" without clarifying county vs. state permit obligations.
The commission asked staff to return with clearer table language that distinguishes accessory or activity‑linked overnighting from commercial campground operations and to explain whether a county permit would substitute for or sit alongside CAL FIRE or other state approvals.
