Eight RV tenants who had been living full-time at a Georgia campground have been given 2 weeks by the county planning officers to leave the property, a report said.
The campground is located at the intersection of Apalachee River Road, and U.S Highway 278. They were given 14 days by county planning officers to vacate the property. The Morgan County Board of Commissioners granted the tenants an extension, while the property owner applied for a zoning modification with the county in order to allow long-term RV tenants to use the campground.
After the Morgan County Planning Commission meeting votes to approve the rezoning request from Mike Chawla, the county commissioners decided temporarily to lift the eviction order.
On Tuesday, September 7, Chawla presented before the BOC and stated that he had purchased the property in October 2020. He believed the land was grandfathered and would allow long-term RV campers to use it.
County officials noticed Chawla’s Facebook advertisement to find more permanent RV tenants and took immediate action.
Chuck Jarrell, County Planning Director, stated that “these people who are currently living down here are living there full time.”
“This campground is only for overnight stays and no longer than two weeks at a time… The reason we cleared the property was because we saw Facebook ads for additional spaces.”
Jarrell stated that Chawla was given a July deadline by the county to submit a complete application. He did not meet this deadline. Chawla claims that he was unable to retain a professional surveyor to complete the required paperwork.
County commissioners granted them additional time to complete their application before evicting current RV tenants. The county commissioners stated that no new RV tenants can set up camp until the matter has been resolved. The gracious extension was met with a stern warning.
After the Morgan County Planning Commission has made a recommendation at its November meeting, the Morgan County Board of Commissioners will reexamine the matter.