RECAP: Twentynine Palms Planning Commission, February 18, 2025
Continuing Campgrounds, RV and Mobile Home Parks in most of 29
After the City Council granted their do-over request for a slate of campground, mobile home and RV park code changes, this Tuesday the Planning Commission voted to continue allowing all these uses in the RL (Rural Living) zones covering most of the City.
For all three uses a CUP (conditional use permit) would continue to be required, a process generally regarded as daunting and expensive.
The Commission's recommendations now go back to City Council, where they could be approved, rejected or returned for further review.
Video of the 100-minute meeting is available on YouTube, and our agenda preview can be perused here.
SWEARING IN OF NEW PLANNING COMMISSIONERS, PUBLIC COMMENTS AND CONSENT CALENDAR
The meeting kicked off with City Clerk Cindy Villescas swearing in Leslie Paahana and Jim Krushat, the two Commissioners reappointed by the City Council for their third terms. Councilmembers Octavious Scott and April Ramirez, who served on the Council subcommittee that reviewed applications for these seats and recommended to Council the reappointment of Paahana and Krushat, briefly wished them both well at the outset of their fresh terms.
Brandon Burdett then spoke in general public comment, reporting the difficulties he faced gaining permit approval for a mobile home more than 10 years old. "I think it's important for new and affordable housing to be made, you know, easy in this community," he said, arguing that state law appeared to support his contention that the City should permit such a mobile home.
The Commission voted to approve the minutes for the last two meetings, on December 17, 2024, and January 21, 2025.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
3 DCA - Chapter 19.02 Authority and Chapter 19.04 General Plan
Commissioners quickly voted to approve this minor code adjustment to Planning Commission member terms of office, to enable the City to meet a yearly April 1 state deadline. At the first meeting of March, Commission terms will expire and the Commission will select its new Chair and Vice Chair under this new schedule.
4 DCA23-000004 - Mobile Home Parks and Special Occupancy Parks
Working successively through mobile home parks, RV parks and campgrounds — with generous back-and-forth between all the Commissioners and Community Development Director Keith Gardner along with City staff — the Commission reached consensus on allowable zones, minimum lot sizes, densities and other requirements for the three land uses.
Mobile Home Parks
For mobile home parks they leveraged Commissioner Alex Garcia's recent visit to several parks. "I visited six of these that were just off of Adobe, all the easily accessible ones. And though I think some of them were extremely packed and a little bit too much [density] — but if nothing on our list that has even met 10 acres I feel it could be a bit much," Garcia said.
With an eye toward increasing affordable housing options in the City, the Commission reduced their minimum lot size recommendation for mobile home parks from 10 to 2 acres, and increased maximum mobile home density from 8 per acre, to 12 per acre. They left all other recommendations unchanged.
RV Parks
Turning to RV parks, Chair Max Walker began by asking Gardener, "When is the last time anyone is put in a application to develop a recreational vehicle park?" Gardener replied, "we have not had any applications in the city for a very long time. There aren't currently any applications pending or that have been talked about."
Commissioner Jim Krushat then rattled off a long list of land uses currently allowed in RL zones — driving home the point that in his view, RV parks aren't incompatible with existing RL uses:
“[In Rural Living with a use permit] we have row field and tree crops for commercial and non-commercial purposes, cultivation of ornamental and landscaping plants, produce stands, retail, nurseries, cemeteries, churches, synagogues, temples, organizational group, camps, government facilities, hospitals, schools, private, race tracks and stadiums, public stables and horse boarding facilities, sports-oriented recreational facilities, bed and breakfasts, VHRs, campgrounds and recreational vehicle parks, communication facilities and transportation facilities all out in rural living.”
For RV parks the Commission arrived at a minimum lot size of 5 acres, down from their previous recommendation of 10 acres, and reduced the maximum density from 15 down to 12 per acre. They left their other recommendations for RV parks the same, so among other things, RV parks would continue to be allowed in RL zoning, and the City would continue to require dump stations, restrooms with showers and trash receptacles.
Campgrounds
For campgrounds, addressing first the question of whether or not campgrounds should be allowed at all in RL zoning, Commissioner Krushat weighed in in the affirmative, stating "I don't have any problem with Rural Living because we're allowing RV parks. There's no reason why we shouldn't allow a commercial campground. We already allow congregational campgrounds in Rural Living, so I have no problem with it." The other Commissioners nodded in assent.
Chair Walker reiterated that the City hadn't received a campground application in recent memory, saying "I've been on the Planning Commission for over seven years, and we've never had an application for a commercial campground within the city."
In the end they agreed to reduce the minimum lot size for campgrounds from 10 to 5 acres, maintain the density at 15 campsites per acre, and leave all other requirements the same as previously.
Public Comment
Chair Walker opened comment on this item by summarizing a letter received from Susan Peplow, "She is in general good with the the development code as we've written it, she did like to see smaller lot sizes for these things, because it makes it more commercially viable. So she is in favor of this."
Developer Scott Currey then spoke, arguing for as few restrictions on mobile home parks as possible in the interest of promoting affordable housing in the City. "It would take me $400,000 to build a $350,000 home," he said, citing the usual local practice of building single-family homes one-by-one. Regarding development viability of mobile home parks he warned:
"The density you're speaking of for mobile home parks, in my opinion, is too low. I have experience with mobile home parks. I don't think you're going to attract a mobile home park, period. But if you do, that [density] is not going to be acceptable to them. They can't pencil it out."
Resident Carlos Blandon voiced agreement with the proposed fencing requirements, saying that with "the distance and visual screening you won't be noticing the campsite, to limit your natural sky and the natural scenery. Also the fencing will [serve as a] deterrent to off-roading."
Finally Anna Stump, former Public Arts Advisory Committee Chair, reminded Commissioners that "building a trash enclosure is very expensive, they have to be ADA accessible, they have to have recycling and regular trash and green trash—it's not a small enclosure." She advised that each such trash enclosure can run into the tens of thousands of dollars, and wondered whether the present requirement of three enclosures for every 5 acres might be excessive.
In discussion the Commission decided to make the trash enclosure expense less onerous on small developments by specifying two enclosures for parcels up to 5 acres, but three per 5 acres for parcels larger than that.
The Commissioners also confirmed with staff that showers would continue to be required for all three uses.
The Commission then voted unanimously to pass its newly revised recommendations.
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