Family given OK to use RV on property

City requires permit if people stay in it overnight

FAYETTEVILLE — Residents can park a recreational vehicle on their driveways, but if someone is staying in it overnight, they need a permit from the city.

The Planning Commission voted 6-3 on Monday to allow a family to sleep overnight in a recreational vehicle during occasional visits. The arrangement is considered a campsite under city code.

About 20 households signed a petition opposing the recreational vehicle’s presence in the neighborhood.

Scott and Barbara Cochran requested a permit to allow their son and his family to occasionally sleep overnight in a recreational vehicle parked at their home. The home lies on Arrowhead Street, in a neighborhood west of Razorback and Cato Springs roads on the south side of town.

Scott Cochran told the commission his son travels with his family frequently throughout the course of a year and usually stays for a couple of weeks at a time.

He said he had no intention to rent out camping spots to anyone else.

“Calling it a campground is a little funny to me, but I guess you have to call it something,” Cochran said.

Cochran said the recreational vehicle will be parked in the driveway to the side of the home, mostly out of view to the public. The vehicle has no sewer hookup, and the family will still use the main home for basic needs, he said.

Planning staff included certain conditions with approval of the permit. The vehicle will have a maximum occupancy of four guests, only one recreational vehicle will be allowed at the property and the recreational vehicle will occupy one space in the driveway with room for three more cars.

Residing in a recreational vehicle is considered camping in city code, and campsites are only allowed with a permit from the Planning Commission.

However, residents are allowed to park unoccupied recreational vehicles on a driveway on their property

without a permit, said Jessie Masters, the city’s development review manager.

Commission Chairwoman Sarah Sparkman pointed out that if no one slept in the vehicle overnight, then Cochran would be able to have it parked on his driveway anyway. She asserted that lots of people are probably using recreational vehicles for overnight stays without a permit.

Sparkman was joined by Andrew Brink, Mary Madden, Joseph Holcomb, Porter Winston and Mary McGetrick in supporting the request. Jimm Garlock, Brad Payne and Fred Gulley voted against.

The matter came to the city’s attention after neighbors complained of there being two recreational vehicles on the property. Cochran said his son’s family was moving items from an old recreational vehicle to a new one, and that the second one was there for a couple days. The family only has one now, he said.

Three residents spoke to the commission, two of whom supported Cochran having the vehicle and one in opposition.

In other business, the commission voted 9-0 on a pair of proposals related to getting the city’s parks under the proper zoning.

City-owned parks are supposed to be under an institutional zone, but staff found several under various zoning designations, Masters said. When the city wants to significantly expand a park facility, it often has to ask for a rezoning if the land isn’t under the proper zoning designation, she said.

The request totals more than 2,400 acres of land to be rezoned. The City Council will have final say on the rezoning, as well as some changes to institutional zoning in city code to allow more flexibility for development of city-owned land, Masters said.

Members of the public had questions on how the rezonings could impact their own property, but offered no statements of support nor opposition.

Madden said she was surprised to see how many different zoning designations parks in the city have, and praised the effort for the sake of consistency.