Outlanders River Camp

Here’s a good example of how zoning ordinances impact people.

The folks who own and operate Outlanders want to create a new campground business in the county off of Rte 211. It will be located on the Southfork adjacent to the bridge at Whitehouse. To do this, they have to get some of the property’s zoning changed. The need to change it from residential/commercial to agricultural use. Campgrounds can only be located on property zoned for agricultural or woodland use. A small portion of the 80 acres of the property is already zoned agricultural.

To get the zoning changed, they had to have all the plans ready and take their plan to the Planning Commission. The commission will have a public hearing about it after they have reviewed it in their work sessions.

They are planning a phased development. Ultimately, there will be 100 sites for camping accommodations ranging from primitive camping to “high end” luxury camping cabins. The Planning Commission seemed basically pleased to entertain this venture. Based on the presentation, it would seem the Outlanders folks have done an extremely good job of considering the visual impact of the business on the county and appeared to have touched all the bases with all of the county entities (health, building, planning, etc.) required to proceed with the project. They plan to protect the scenic nature of the county by using low level lighting, hiding the site from the road by putting in trees, and keeping the signs unobtrusive.

After they get the county to approve changing their zoning from Residential/Commercial to Agricultural, the next thing they need is a special use permit to let them have a campground. The duration of the special use permit would be 30 years and pass with the property should it ever be sold.

While the current ownership has all good intentions, perhaps even to the level of creating a gold standard for campgrounds, if it is ever sold, a subsequent owner may not be so well intentioned. To that end, the Planning Commission is required to include provisions within any special use permit that will specifically set forth the conditions of the permit. Mr. Shanks cautioned the Planning Commission to think those conditions over very carefully and ensure they are clear and enforceable. Pretty good advice!

There are a lot of details remaining to be worked out (for example: how many people will be allowed to stay there? How long can they stay? What kind of special events could go on there? These details are important because right now, Outlanders is planning a nice campground, but the permit lasts for 30 years. So if somebody bought it from Outlanders, the permit would still stand. What if the new owners wanted to turn it into a migrant labor camp, or a Woodstock-type event? That's why the permit has to be very specific, so it is just for the type of thing that Outlanders wants to do. The Planning Commission will be addressing the details of the special use permit at their next Regular Session (23 October)

Old Business:

Ms. Hammel, Chairman of the By-Right Subdivision subcommittee has been working toward having its presentation for the Planning Commission by the meeting on 12 November. If anyone is interested in this action, now would be the time to look at what the subcommittee is doing. Citizens can attend their meetings every Thursday at 7 p.m. at the courthouse. See the post By Right Subdivisions in September.