2nd reading of campground rezone approved

The Sept. 28 Board of Josephine County Commissioners’ weekly business session was short and to the point, clocking in at a mere 10 minutes.
With Grants Pass’ Anne G. Basker Auditorium as the backdrop, the meeting focused on amending the county’s Comprehensive Plan to accommodate the property housing the Grants Pass Over-Niters RV Park just north of its namesake city being rezoned from residential to commercial.
A first reading for this ordinance was held Wednesday, Sept. 14, during which it was noted that the property should have been zoned commercial to start with, but the RV park began operating prior to statewide zoning rules being implemented in the ‘70s, allowing it to fly under the radar until now.
A similar predicament was identified recently when it was discovered that Whitehorse Park, the first county park established in JoCo, was zoned for agricultural use because it also predates the zoning rules.
Tami Smith of the JoCo Planning Department recapped the process of getting the RV park rezoned: “The rural planning commission held a public hearing May 23 of this year, issuing a decision of approval, then adopting the findings of fact July 1. A public notice was sent out July 14 and we received no appeals for the application. So of course, Planning would recommend this ordinance be adopted.”
Neither attending commissioner – Board Chair Herman Baertschiger nor Commissioner Dan DeYoung – had any questions for Smith, and Baertschiger explained why: “We’ve already had a briefing over this and went over it before during the first reading, so I want the audience to understand we’re not trying to just poo-poo it.”
“We’ve already got the download on it,” Baertschiger concluded.
No citizens opted to speak during the public hearing, clearing the way for the commissioners to unanimously approve the ordinance.
The Grants Pass Over-Niters campground is now zoned rural commercial.