Local resident asks council to consider exceptions to KOA 120-day stay limit
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Summary
A KOA campground occupant asked the council to adopt an exception process to the city's 120-day limit on campground stays to accommodate workers and professionals who temporarily reside in RVs; council members agreed to revisit prior discussions and consider case-by-case options and staff follow-up.
Steve Lawrence, who identified himself as a resident of Southern California and a business owner working in the area, asked the Springville City Council on Tuesday to consider an exception process to the city's 120-day limit for stays at the KOA campground.
Lawrence said certain temporary professionals—construction workers, traveling nurses, airline or military pilots and others—often use RVs as temporary housing for extended contracts and that a strictly enforced 120-day limit can force them to cancel contracts or leave early. "I'm here in Utah conducting business... Many times, these kinds of extended stays are for reasons that individuals are in an area in a temporary basis," he told the council.
He proposed a case-by-case exception process with enforceable conditions such as proof of an alternate residence (lease or utility bill), current vehicle registration not listing the campground, and maintenance standards to avoid property degradation. "By implementing these measures... the KOA campground can continue to contribute a reputable high quality facility," Lawrence said.
Council members and staff said the city already enforces stay restrictions at campgrounds and that Springville's ordinance sets a 120-day limit in a calendar year with required absences to reset stays. A staff member said the code requires a period away—commonly seven days—before the stay clock resets. Councilors referenced prior enforcement history, a change in ownership/management, and improvements at the campground and indicated willingness to reexamine the issue. "These suggestions that Mr. Lawrence makes are kind of interesting if we take a look at the residency there on a case by case basis," one council member said.
No formal change to the city's code or an exception policy was made at the meeting. Council members suggested staff could resurrect prior discussions and review options, and asked Mr. Lawrence and campground management to follow up with city staff if they wished to pursue a formal exception process or code amendment.
