The proposed RV ordinance of Washington’s Callalam County Commissioners will take a few steps back, a report said.
When it comes to the drafting of the rules for the use of RVs, yurts, and camping on private land, the most important problems to be addressed are the provision of potable water and the management of gray and wastewater water on rural properties.
Commissioners appear to be moving forward after passing their ideas through the Planning Commission and holding several meetings on their own, including public hearings.
However, commissioner Mark Ozias says the County Environmental Health Department just recently provided input on a few matters, which is the reason for the Board’s decision to reduce the scope.
At some point relatively late in the process, the Commissioners learned that the Environmental Health Department had some concerns about the ordinance as it had been drafted, and the Department of Community Development decided that it was just going to be impossible to advance the ordinance. The Commissioners did not agree, so we had a discussion today and decided that what we would like to do is really focus on; What are the problems that we’re trying to solve?” he said.
One issue is the illegal RV parks on residential property. Another is defining the rules for those who wish to reside in a park model RV.
Ozias states that Commissioners recognize that there are a lot of RV owners as their other only option is to be homeless. They also acknowledge that many of those who live in RVs are in rural areas while they build their homes or simply by choice.
“Really, our concern there has to do with; How is your waste being disposed of? We felt that it made much more sense to focus on; What are the implications of that? Namely; Is there an environmental concern being raised? And if not, then, you know, if we can show that there isn’t, then why wouldn’t we give people that flexibility?”
The commissioners will forward the proposed ordinance back to Planning Commission and the Environmental Health Department with the suggestion to review the draft with the smaller scope in mind and revisit the draft shortly.
It’s intriguing to ponder how the delay in the Washington County RV ordinance might affect RV dwellers. I’m curious about finding fresh ways to handle RVs while addressing Commissioners’ concerns. There could be some interesting solutions waiting to be discovered!