It’s bounced between county commissioners and the courts. A detractor says it’s not an RV park—it’s single family housing. It’s a little RV park that draws plenty of opposition, but it’s still moving ahead in Bonner County, Idaho.
Opposition moved quickly
By common standards, Stephen Doty’s 20-site RV park on a little over four acres is pretty tiny. But local opposers have put up plenty of fight to prevent the park from ever happening. And they must have worked fast. Before October 16, county staff had only received one comment on the proposed project. By October 30, the date of the public hearing, the county had received 28 comments.
Bonner County commissioners originally considered the project in August 2022. The next month, they signed off on an approval letter, but the matter wound up in the local district court. It took until August of this year before the district court remanded the file back to the commissioners for further consideration.
Plenty of heat at the hearing
At the most recent public hearing, opponents figuratively stood up en masse. “Calling something an RV park and saying it’s commercial, does not eliminate the fact, which you must make a determination whether the fact exists or not — are these RVs being proposed as single family dwelling units?” Norm Semanko asked. Semanko “represented” local opposition. “If the answer to that factual question is yes — and the court made this clear — then under your code, you can only allow two such dwelling units on this acreage.”
Developer Doty was quick to respond: “The idea that [Semanko’s] trying to call it by another name, using terms that I don’t use in my permit, that’s not fair,” Doty said. “That’s not accurate. I’m not applying for permits for dwelling units. I’m applying for an RV park permit to operate an RV park.”
Fire concerns doused
Doty’s proposed park exceeds county standards in many ways. Every site is 50% larger than county code requires. The required space between each RV site is doubled from 10 feet to 20 feet. And there are two exits and entrances each, also double what code requires. All of this was built in, as some locals questioned just how safe the park would be should fire break out. “If one catches, they’re all going to catch,” one woman testified. “I’m worried the whole five acres will go up.”
But Doty trotted out information from local fire protection officials. The fire chief testified at the hearing. She pointed out that Doty’s 15,000 gallon capacity water tank would be fine for handling any fire that might break out. She added that any emergency call would result in three fire districts being able to be dispatched to the site in the event of a fire. With two entrances and exits, and with a 250-foot hose, a fire truck could reach almost any part of the RV park, even if the engines stayed parked on the road.
In the end, a majority of commissioners on hand voted to approve the project. No word on when ground will be broken for a little RV park that draws plenty of opposition.
##RVT1130b
Another rv park up in that area is a good thing. Going to have to keep track of this story and book a site when it’s completed!
Thank you, Russ and Tina! Wonder why the “community” is so opposed?
For more than twenty years we’ve resided in a ‘park model RV’ in a spacious RV park (in another state), . . .”dwelling” one might say? . . .Park models are pitched-roof mobile home style manufactured homes at 399sqft, with vehicle registration plates of course.
Personally I believe this is the direction to go in for the half-million (and growing) homeless who need a place to live and not two acres of land.