A possible new campground in Clearwater County is moving to a public hearing after a successful first reading at council last week.

County officials say the subject land is in the Agriculture District “A” and is located 2.5 miles southwest of the James River Bridge. Daniel Stark, the land owner, currently holds title to the land of 127.76 acres.

Officials say the application is for the redesignation of approximately 5.36 acres of the subject property to the Recreation Facility District “RF” for the purpose of developing a small campground. The subject area proposed to be rezoned, however, will not be subdivided from the balance of the subject lands.

Dustin Bisson, planner for Clearwater County, says the subject land is located approximately 1.5 miles west of Highway 22 along Township Road 34-3. Officials note the proposed site would be accessed via an existing approach from Township Road 34-3, adjacent to the north property boundary.

Councillor Genny Mehlhaff asked Stark if there was going to be an alternate route to get into the campsite but Stark said due to the location of the river and the original access route not being a high traffic area there would only be the one entrance.

The subject land contains a residence, a log cabin and an ancillary building all located in the southwest portion of the property, just west of the proposed area to be redesignated. Pending the outcome of the Land Use Amendment, the applicants would like to create a small campground with a total of four camp sites along the James River in the southeast portion of the quarter section.

Bisson says the four sites being created will be available for temporary or short-term users and will not be available for long term lease with the campground operating seasonally from May to September.

Stark says the sites would be serviced with power and water and contain a two-person walled tent and outhouse with a holding tank.

Stark included some proposed rules in the package for the campground. The rules include no noise after 10pm, no ATV’s permitted and pets must be leashed at all times.

Should council approve the Land Use Amendment, County officials say the developer would need to obtain development approval for the campground. Issues such as Stormwater Management, Water Supply, Waste Water, Traffic Impact, Dust Mitigation and Landscaping Plan, among other things, would be addressed at the Development Permit stage of the process.

Officials say surrounding land uses in the area are mainly agricultural with a few residential parcels surrounding the property. The property is bordered to the south by the James River and the boundary of Mountain View County.