The Planning and Zoning Commission made several adjustments to the RV ordinance proposed changes which were prompted by citizen complaints, primarily in Weeki Wachee Gardens. Weeki Wachee Gardens has a mix of old and new homes and is zoned residential with allowed mobile homes.
New mobile homes are built up on stilts, older mobile homes are on ground level. All new homes must be built up 14 feet to conform to flood regulations.
There are vacant lots in the area and many have hookups for RV’s. Currently RV’s are allowed to stay up to 6 months. Some residents are concerned that the RVs diminish property values, as new home owners have spent quite a lot of money in order to build to code on the river.
One resident writes, “Imagine investing hundreds of thousands of dollars to build a new home in a neighborhood, driving pilings to support your home as required by code (at a great expense) and having a camper located next door. ”
Other residents submitted complaints relating to vacant properties setup for RV use not being kept up properly and becoming eye sores, especially after a big storm as non-residents are less likely to secure their property and clean it up in a timely manner.
To fix these problems Commissioner Wayne Dukes supports changing the current time limit for RVs staying on vacant properties with allowed mobile home usage from 6 months to 30 days.
Public comment during the first public hearing for the most part urged commissioners to make the ordinance less regulatory, echoing the statements to the P & Z Commission. Commenters reflected that the issues could be fixed through code enforcement as opposed to stricter ordinance changes.
Pertaining to having visitors to a property with a residence, P & Z advised the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) to remove the line that restricts visitors to one per calendar year. Public commenters have desired other restrictions removed as well, like the requirement to seek a permit for your visitors within two working days of their arrival. The ordinance restricts visitors to a time limit of 14 days for residential properties and 30 days for agricultural, agricultural/residential or PDP(RUR) zoned properties.
In regards to living in a recreational vehicle while building a home, the P & Z commission advised the BOCC to remove the time limitation on RV occupation “for a maximum period of (1) year,” allowing RV occupation until the Certificate of Occupancy is issued.
The ordinance with the suggested modifications by Planning and Zoning will be heard at a second public hearing on Feb. 13, 2018.