BRENHAM PLANNING AND ZONING BEGINS TALKS ON RV PARKS
Brenham Planning and Zoning Commissioners began discussion Monday on the possibility of allowing recreational vehicle (RV) parks inside city limits.
The Commission met in workshop to discuss allowing the development and operation of RV parks in the R-3 (Manufactured Home Residential) and B-1 (Local Business/Residential Mixed Use) zoning districts.
City Project Planner Shauna Laauwe, who began working with the city on September 9th, said the topic of discussion first came up about a year ago, when Brenham resident Paul Kendall approached the city about developing an RV park in the 1700 block of North Park Street, near Hohlt Park. Laauwe said, according to Kendall, the unnamed developer looking to come to Brenham was a “national RV park company”.
Laauwe said there could be many benefits from having RV parks in Brenham.
Proposed location of RV Park:
Laauwe said the development standards of RV parks could not only provide extra revenue for the city, but would ensure that parks are built to the city’s standards and are compatible with nearby land uses. According to Laauwe, staff recommend encouraging RV parks “on the periphery of city limits”.
Laauwe said, after looking at best practices and standards of surrounding cities, staff are recommending a development site in Brenham be a minimum of three acres, with a maximum of 20 pad sites per acre. Recommendations also set a 90 day maximum for residency, and stated that at least eight percent of the total park area would be designated for recreational use. Laauwe noted that each site would require its own specific use permit.
The item was relegated to workshop discussion, so no action was taken. However, commissioners recommended that staff perform further research and make revisions, bringing back discussion at a later date.
Development Services Director Stephanie Doland said there is not a specific timeline to get this ordinance into place, but noted that the applicant has been “very patient” as the city has done its research. She said research will continue to be done in order to put a good ordinance into place.
I can’t park my RV next to my house on my property in town, I have to rent a space in the county to store it. But we can have a rv park next door? HEY! Maybe I can rent a space there & move it in & out every 90 days it be closer & cheeper
“……unnamed developer looking to come to Brenham was a “national RV park company”.why not name both?
“on the periphery of city limits”. Means that I don’t want them in the middle of town, by the way people out there don’t want to see them either.
Are you telling me we are seriously considering an RV park near Hohlt park? Is this the proposed location? I agree, 20 lots per acre also seem like a cramped number. Help me understand how Brenham “needs” this?! #EyeSore
Within 2 weeks of the city passing an ordinance to ban metal facade homes in the city limits, legislation was introduced to the state legislature which would ban cities from regulating the exterior building materials on residential homes. It was passed quickly and easily. This was no coincidence. For the right kind of motivation our state legislature will legislate just about anything. More and more local governments are being shackled by special interest influence in Austin. It is a slippery slope which opens the door to a myriad of state mandates on Texas communities.
instead of this rv park why not repair the railroad crossing tracks in the city?
My wife and I have many years experience in the camping/RV world. One of the nicest parks we’ve found in Texas is the Fredericksburg RV Park right in the middle of Fredericksburg Tx. When you are looking for examples for your “standards”, that would be a great one to emulate.
Having worked at a camping park for many years I have seen some really beautiful RVs and more than a few that resembled rolling junk piles. Those less than beautiful rigs are going to show up and want to stay the permitted 90 days. You are going to have to allow them to stay because the developer is going to allow them even though you (the city) are against houses with metal siding because the homes are not aesthetically pleasing to many people. 20 RVs per acre might also get a little cramped because you have to also consider space needed for the tow vehicle or a tow behind vehicle as is the case with most motorhome owners. You don’t want to run the risk of making an RV park look more like an RV dealership (not that I have anything against RV dealerships).
Who is going to police the 90 day policy? Is the city going to go to the park each day to see who has overstayed the limit? If I’m the developer I’m going to be pretty lax on this because I want to keep the park as close to fully occupied as I can because that increases my revenue. How does the city deal with that when it comes up?
That being said, I have several good friends who are either full time RVers or “Winter Texans”. They have extremely nice homes (RVs) who would probably love this and would be great neighbors. It would probably be a good idea to get their feedback on this because they’ve seen it all, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
It’s not really fair to compare a permanent residence within an existing neighborhood and a distinctly different visual style with a wholly enclosed RV park and a 90-day limit. The two really aren’t related at all, are they?
Since the RV park will be inside the city limits, I’m assuming it would be fair to say it would be housed within an existing neighborhood, much like buildings with metal exteriors……
I must have missed where it states these RV parks (multiple) would be wholly enclosed…..
Who exactly enforces this 90 limit? And what is the plan of action when it isn’t enforced?
The two really are closely related, aren’t they?
Making sure I understand….you can have a huge RV park in the city limits where people can live in a camper trailer BUT you cannot have a nice house in a neighborhood with a metal exterior?
People had gripes about metal housing how is this better for the eye or property values?