County to regulate RV parks, sub-divisions

A growing number of properties housing multiple RVs have pushed Lincoln County to update a new set of regulations regarding sub-divisions.

The proposed regulations, which will also be regulations for RV parks, have been suggested as the county looks at ways to limit the number of parked recreational vehicles on private properties.

Lincoln County Commissioner Mike Cole said the county was calling for written submissions to a proposed revision of the Lincoln County Subdivision Regulations by the end of the month to better deal with properties where more than one recreational vehicle (RV) was parked.

The issue was most prominent in north Lincoln County, Cole said.

“The concern is that we need to have some kind of control over that growth,” Cole said. “Not just have them scattered all over the place.”

Lincoln County planning department director Kristin Smith said there had been about a dozen residential properties in the last two years that were reported to have several RVs parked on them.

Neighbors in single-family homes had reported most of these. These neighbors were concerned the number of RVs parked permanently in their neighborhood would bring everyone’s property value down.

People had been buying property collectively – sometimes as many as five to six owners – and placing their RVs on the one property, not necessarily renting out each RV, Smith said.

Because of this, the county was looking at reviewing properties like these as sub-divisions.

This was in addition to two RV parks looking to add as many as 56 spaces in each park.

Changes to the subdivision regulations include a cut from 25 to 10 recreational vehicle spaces per acre, under “Design standards for Recreational Vehicle (RV) Parks.”

Other points state there should be a 25-foot setback around the perimeter of the RV park on all sides adjacent to any property not approved as an RV park, as well as a natural visual buffer that would be expected to attain a minimum height of 10 feet.

Smith said park owners and most property owners did work towards compliance, however the regulations would give the county more authorization to control the growth.

In most cases, the county had not been notified when property owners had decided to move groups of RVs onto a single property.

“Typically (the county is notified) after neighbors see a number of RVs parked on a property,” Smith said. “Then it is up to us to bring that into compliance.

“Because of the rapid development, it is causing consternation for neighbors who felt their property was being affected.”

The proposed regulations were just one set of tools the county could use to regulate the growth, Smith said.

“The planning board has spent a lot of time looking at other jurisdictions – this is a first step,” Smith said. 

Other tools included zoning for RV areas, Smith added.

“These changes are fairly modest and have been raised by the (neighboring) property owners,” Smith said, emphasizing these regulations would apply to new RV properties.

Hook U Up RV park owner Lynette Patterson said she agreed with everything she had viewed about the county regulations.

“It is designed to provide safe traffic circulation – and I definitely agree with the reference to access to spaces,” Patterson said. 

Her park just south of the Libby Dam had 37 spaces on about 20 acres.

“I couldn’t see crowding them into more spaces than that,” Patterson said.

The regulations prevented a take-over by “fly-by-nighters,” or people “who were trying to do an RV park on a shoestring.”

“It is a tough business, RV parks,” Patterson added, explaining that RV parks should be temporary and for people travelling through the area and just staying for a few days. “A lot of RV parks can end up becoming trailer parks.”

Written comments on the regulations will be accepted until 5 p.m. on July 31.

A public meeting will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 6 at 1.30 p.m. in the courthouse in Libby (512 California Ave) and will have a second meeting on Aug. 20 at the Eureka Annex building on Highway 37.

A decision will be made on Wednesday, Aug. 27 at 1.30 p.m. in Libby.

For more information on the regulations and written submissions contact Lincoln County Planning Department on 283-2460 or email ksmith@libby.org