Council Passes Campground Ordinance

CabinPro Park Model Camper.

Photo: backyardoutdoorstructures.com

By Jack McAdam

After hearing from members of the public on the issue again, the City Council on Nov. 12 approved an ordinance on the development of new campgrounds in Sanford. The vote was 5 to 2, with councilors Nathan Hitchcock and Jonathan Martell opposed.

The ordinance requires a 75-foot setback from adjacent properties, which includes a 50-foot visual buffer that must be at least 8 feet high. The Planning Board will have the authority to decide what exactly constitutes a good enough buffer, giving developers some flexibility to use plantings, berms or other features.

If a campground abuts a non-residential property, such as a vacant lot, field, commercial building or solar farm, the owner of that property can choose to waive the setback and buffer requirements. Such an agreement must be recorded with the York County Registry of Deeds. The specific underlying zoning of the campground property will determine the exact setback, which means the ordinance provides some variance based on location.

Setback requirements for campgrounds have been the subject of debate in the community and on the council since residents Bonnie and Michael Patterson proposed a campground with 29 RV sites, 15 cabins, multiple bathhouses and parking lots along Sand Pond in South Sanford more than a year ago. Some neighbors opposed the development, saying it would bring too much traffic into the area and endanger wildlife. An online petition opposing the development gathered 1,200 signatures. The Pattersons and others have defended the proposal as developing only three acres of a more than 100-acre parcel. The rest would feature walking trails. Others said that earlier versions of the proposed ordinance were too restrictive and could stop any new campground proposal.

A public hearing on whether the city should extend its moratorium on new campgrounds earlier in last week’s meeting drew a few comments. Both Pattersons spoke in favor of ending the moratorium, as did David Houle, manager of Apache Campground. “It’s time to come to terms with this,” Houle said.

The moratorium was enacted to give the city time to review its campground ordinance in response to the Sand Pond proposal and another Renaissance Faire campground/fairground project proposed in Springvale. The council’s action means the moratorium will expire Dec. 6 and applications for campgrounds can move forward for city review.

For more, see previous story.