RIO GRANDE COUNTY – Rio Grande County Board of Commissioners approved amendments to the Campground and RV Park Code with a 2-1 vote during their meeting on April 17.

For just over five months, the Rio Grande County Land Use Department has been working with the Rio Grande County Planning and Zoning to review and recommend amendments to the Rio Grande County Board of Commissioners regarding the county’s Campground and RV Park Code.

The purpose of the review and suggested amendments was to, “identify possible concerns with the current RV Park standards regulating the location and development of RV Parks and Campgrounds within the unincorporated areas of Rio Grande County.”

Through the process, the Rio Grande County Land Use Office, Planning and Zoning and Commissioners decided that community engagement approach was the best course of action as suggested amendments were considered. The purpose of the amendments was to clarify the zoning districts within which RV parks are allowed, clarify the characteristics of an RV park verses various levels of campground types, provide opportunities for the development of all campground types including a mix of uses and to identify the level of utilities required for each campground type.

On April 17, commissioners opened a public hearing at the Rio Grande County Courthouse for the proposed amendments and allowed each person 5 minutes to speak. Several people were in attendance to learn more about the proposed amendments, to speak in favor of the changes and to voice concern about the impacts these changes may have on private property owners.

TJ Dubac, a planning consultant with Community Planning Strategies, gave a PowerPoint presentation at the beginning of the hearing to explain the process that the county went through to reach the final proposed amendments stating that, “We actually started this process almost two years ago, looking at a number of components and sections of the Land Development Code and the RV Parks was one of them. Through a lot of deliberate conversations in that process this component was tabled by both the Planning and Zoning board and the commission.”

Dubac explained that the commission opted to pick the conversation back up in November and decided to pursue the community engagement approach by hosting several public meetings. Several people that attended the April 17 hearing voiced concern about the level of advertising the county did to notify the community of those meetings.

After the PowerPoint presentation by Dubac, the hearing was open to public comment. The main concern of the public was the impacts the amendments would have on private landowners, but it was clarified by both Rio Grande County Administrator Skip Schoen and Land Use Director Dixie Diltz that the amendments only applied to commercial campgrounds and RV parks.

Several people still pointed out that the provided public hearing packet that gave details about the process and the proposed amendments did not specify whether the changes would impact private landowners or not. People voiced concern that the amendments would stop private landowners from having events such as family reunions or guests from camping on private land or impact dispersed camping outside of regulated campgrounds and RV parks.

Others that spoke in favor of the proposed changes stated that having regulations on commercial campgrounds helped alleviate overuse of public spaces and required the proper disposal of waste by requiring commercial campgrounds and RV parks to provide utilities. Some spoke about the benefit of identifying what utilities were needed to provide adequate services to guests staying in campsites and RV parks throughout the county.

After hearing from the public, the board voted to approve the proposed amendments. Commissioners Gene Glover and Tyler Ratzlaff voted in favor and Scott Deacon voted against.

The entire RV Park and Campground Code can be viewed online at riograndecounty.org/departments/land-use.

Land-Use Director Dixie Diltz is also available for more information at 719-657-4003.