A divided Planning and Zoning Commission is leaving a decision regarding the fate of an Imperial RV park development up to the Jefferson County Council.
The commission voted 2-2 on April 23 for a request from applicant Mastodon RV Park LLC to rezone a 17-acre property at 5300 Jeanette Drive from planned mixed residential use and a single-family residential district to a planned mixed-use district and development plan.
The development plan includes 97 concrete pads for RVs, a dog park, pickleball court, pond and walking path. The developers have reserved a strip along Hwy. 61-67 near the main entrance of the property for future commercial frontage, which may include offices, retail shops and restaurants.
Commissioners Rodney Wideman and Drew Ishmael voted in favor of the petition, and Johnathan Sparks and Michael Siebert voted against.
Commissioners Jessie Scherrer, Chris Moenster and Jeffrey Spraul were absent from the meeting, and two seats are vacant, since both Danny Tuggle and Mike Huskey failed to file renewal applications before their terms expired on April 10. Both commissioners are expected to be reappointed to the board at the April 27 County Council meeting, after the Leader’s deadline.
The County Council, which has the sole authority over rezoning in unincorporated areas, will likely consider a resolution to approve or deny the RV park’s rezoning request and development plan at a meeting next month.
The site is currently home to a few abandoned mobile homes and concrete pads. Property owner Carl Bossert said he’s attempted to find an engineer to revamp the property for years, with no luck until now. Bossert’s father operated the property as a mobile home park beginning in 1970.
Bossert, a full-time carpenter, said he was inspired to open an RV park from his own work experiences.
“I found myself traveling and working on major projects states away,” he said. “I found myself staying in an RV to support my family, continuing the trade, and I learned what it’s like to stay in a good RV park that might have amenities that would suit my needs for working out of town. I think an RV park would be great for the neighborhood.”
“The park is designed to target traveling professionals, short-term residents,” added Igor Gusev, Bossert’s engineer. “These are individuals like traveling nurses, contractors and other workforce individuals who need clean, safe and semi-permanent housing while working in cities. These are individuals who work locally and spend locally. Right now, that market is bypassing Jefferson County, going into St. Charles County and Illinois, where such facilities exist.”
Concerns
County Services staff recommended denying the application. According to the staff report, the entrance to the RV park would fall on a sharp curve on Hwy. 61-67, with limited sight distance for drivers.
“Large vehicles such as RVs pulling in and out of the site frequently cause concern for safety,” the report stated.
Planner Rachel Hall said the requested zone change fails to meet the staff’s criteria, which is in accordance with the Jefferson County Master Plan.
“It certainly appears that a single-family development, multi-family development or limited commercial development would be more reasonable than either an RV park or manufactured home park,” she said. “This petition presents challenges to achieve the mixed residential intent, as the project is located along the curve on a very busy roadway in Jefferson County.”
Hall said existing RV parks in the county have been built in flood-prone areas, providing a purpose for a piece of land that can’t be used for much else. She said the transient nature of RVs is suitable for areas that tend to flood, since they can move to dry ground with relative ease. However, this property is not within the flood plain, she said.