June 8, 2023 at 1:59 p.m.
OC zoning set to take a look at campgrounds
Moratorium a possibility
The twist is, some people with large lots, some of them on lakes, are finding it financially prudent to develop a campground rather than a residence.
Of course, a campground on multiple acres of what could be prime real estate is generating complaints and concerns from potential neighbors, and some of them have asked the county to impose a moratorium on campgrounds in the county, or at least in certain zoning districts.
"I've gotten calls on this because of some campgrounds going in," zoning committee chairman Scott Holewinski told the county zoning committee recently, explaining why he put the matter on the agenda. "I think we need to set a moratorium on it and review the campground ordinance."
Holewinski said he had heard that there were quite a few problems with campgrounds on the west side of Wisconsin. Essentially, the zoning committee chairman said, towns have made lot sizes bigger, so property owners are turning them into campgrounds because it's more cost effective for campgrounds versus residential houses.
"So when you go from a lake lot that's 20,000 square feet to five-acre lake lots, guess what's going to happen? Campgrounds are going to happen on those properties," he said. "So I got the request. I put it on the agenda for discussion."
Actually, the county ordinance requires 20 acres and 500 feet of frontage or width for a campground, but that has not allayed concerns.
Oneida County zoning director Karl Jennrich said any proposed moratorium would take the form of an ordinance amendment that would have to go to public hearing and then to the full county board, which could not happen before August. Jennrich said it has been about a decade since Oneida County has had a moratorium.
"I know we've had moratoriums, like in the town of Newbold, for multi-family developments," Jennrich said. "We do have moratorium on CAFOs [concentrated animal feeding operations]. So basically what we'd be doing is, if you were looking for a countywide moratorium, I'd have to work with counsel to develop the language to insert into the ordinance. You'd have to have a public hearing."
Just ask why
All of which begged the question - why does the county need a moratorium? - which is exactly what supervisor Mike Roach asked.
Holewinski explained that a moratorium would stop future campground development, as long as the moratorium was in place, but that anything currently in design would move forward, and the county could not stop them.
"But you could look at it in the future, and we can look at the ordinance," he said. "I mean, there's some big campgrounds going in."
Jennrich said he had received a letter from attorney Greg Harrold for the Little Rice fire department asking for a moratorium and explaining its support.
"He states that both the town of Nokomis and the town of Little Rice would support a moratorium, at least for those two towns, if not for the entire county," Jennrich said.
Roach wasn't buying it.
"So we're against campgrounds now," he said, with Holewinski explaining that the Little Rice fire department supplied fire protection to that area. Roach still wasn't convinced.
"I'm just saying our community up here used to have lots of campgrounds," he said. "Now we get lots of Airbnbs. The poor blue collar man can't even bring his kids up here to enjoy the Northwoods anymore. So I know we need campgrounds, so I'm kind of concerned that we're talking about a moratorium."
Roach said campgrounds were important.
"Right now it's like going to a Packers game," he said. "You used to be able to bring your family there. Now you got to be somebody that's a millionaire."
Holewinski said the county was not against campgrounds, and Roach said that is what he wanted to be sure of.
Supervisor Mike Timmons said he agreed with Roach but he emphasized that campgrounds need to be at the right place at the right time.
Timmons said he had gone to the Hodag Country Festival for years and camped for the week but that was different.
"That's not a campground," Timmons said. "A campground is not a field with tents and that type of thing. It has to be done properly and have the infrastructure there to accommodate all the people that they do it for."
Holewinski said a moratorium was just one option. He said the committee could also review the campground ordinance without a moratorium in place. He said again he had been receiving phone calls.
"There's some big ones going over on the west side, but I guess there's real problems on the west side of the state, too, with these big campgrounds there," he said.
But Holewinski said he was fine with not having a moratorium in place while a review was undertaken.
Supervisor Bob Almekinder said a moratorium would give the county time to look at what the county might want to do with the ordinance.
Holewinski also cautioned supervisors that there are campgrounds in the works, presumably spurring the calls for a moratorium.
"It's going to take a couple months," he said. "By the time we have a public hearing and get to the county board, it's going to be August or September. There's two on the books right now coming up."
Holewinski said the larger lot lake sizes have prompted the campground development.
"The reason for it is, the towns put such big lake lot sizes on it," he said. "It's more profitable for the landowner to turn it into a campground versus 100-foot lots."
Jennrich reviewed the zoning districts that allow campgrounds and pointed out that there was a 20-acre requirement and 500-feet of frontage or width.
That being the case, Roach wanted to know what the problem was.
Jennrich pointed out that the committee will be reviewing one of the proposed campgrounds in the near future and Holewinski advised the committee to review that proposal before making a decision on a moratorium.
No vote was taken.
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