Franklin town board approves campground law
Mar. 5—The Franklin Town Board unanimously approved a new local law regulating campgrounds during its meeting March 5.
The public hearing about the law garnered no comments from residents. The law was created after a resident on Oak Hill Road presented an idea of placing a campground on their property and the town realized its zoning law doesn't address campgrounds, the Daily Star archives said. The resident has not presented any plans to the planning board to build a campground on the property.
The law is based on the state Department of Health's regulations for campgrounds with some local regulations such as size, density and setbacks, the article said. "Vacation campgrounds are a special permit use consisting of a tract of land designed exclusively for overnight and short-duration vacation camping (March 1 — Nov. 15), providing lodging accommodations, facilities for tents, campers, recreational vehicles, recreation activities, administration, public health and safety."
The minimum road frontage of a campground on a paved public highway or road is 250 feet, however, if the parcel doesn't meet the requirement, a minimum frontage can be 60 feet if approved by the planning board. A dwelling for the caretaker, manager or property owner must be provided on the property.
Campgrounds must be screened from the view of neighboring properties and adjoining public highways and the screening material will be approved by the code enforcement officer.
The campgrounds must ensure adequate fire protection equipment on the premises and emergency vehicles must be able to reach each campsite. Each campground area should be able to be accessed by two means and an adequate turnaround for emergency vehicles should be provided on non-through streets.
A working phone should be accessible to the public for emergency calls.
A minimum of 80 feet should be placed between campsites.
The campground should have its own private water supply and its own sanitary sewage disposal system that meets state Department of Health guidelines. A shower and restroom facility would also need to be provided to campers.
Each campground's collector street should be 18 feet wide to allow for two-way traffic. The street can be a gravel base with adequate drainage approved by the code enforcement officer. The grade of the street cannot exceed 12%. A parking lot of 14 feet by 50 feet would also need to be constructed.
The law also addresses noise and events. It said, "No excessive noise will be permitted between the hours of 10 PM and 7 AM, not to exceed 60 decibels," and "No events/parties/gatherings or fireworks are permitted unless an event permit is granted by the Town Board in its sole discretion."
In addition to approving the local law, the board approved investing town funds in the New York Cooperative Liquid Assets Securities System, instead of investing in Certificate of Deposits because the town can withdraw money from NYCLASS easier than from CDs.
The town passed a solar moratorium that will run out July 1, while its solar law is reviewed by the county Planning Department. The town is also working on a short-term rental property law that the town's lawyers are reviewing.
Vicky Klukkert, staff writer, can be reached at vklukkert@thedailystar.com or 607-441-7221.
