A tangled web surrounding a proposed RV park to be located next to the Days Inn hotel in Butler has netted the city council for a second time. Likewise, for the second time, the Butler planning commission gave it a thumbs up, leaving the council to make what is hoped to be the final call.
During the planning commission meeting yesterday, owner Sanjay Patel along with engineer Craig Shaw presented information indicating the previous concerns have been addressed, which was primarily sewer accommodations- the new plans include connection to the city’s wastewater system in lieu of a holding tank. However, the questions didn’t end there.
The first being enforcement of the rule that RV’s must be moved every 15 days as questioned by Mitch Oakes; to which Patel responded that a dedicated person will on site 24/7 to make sure that all rules will be followed. A discussion then ensued regarding exactly how the city would oversee that the rules are obeyed.
City Administrator Mike West, who moderated the meeting said that in general, the police and code enforcement would cover the facility the same as any other part of town. But it didn’t stop there.
Scott Mallatt again asked Mr. Patel for assurance that the 15 day rule would be obeyed to which was an affirmative “yes” however more concerns, mainly about upkeep of properties already owned by Patel came into play as those present questioned whether or not the RV park would end up with problems such as unmowed grass and trash outside of receptacles at the Days Inn; and the fate of the Super 8 hotel which currently is not in use and also owned by Patel. Concerns about squatters and other potential hazards entered the conversation as well, as the idea was floated that it could be used for short term housing, however Patel rebutted that the Super 8 is permanently closed and converting to housing “doesn’t make sense".
All that aside, moderator West reigned everyone back into the conversation at hand, the RV park. More questions were answered: Does Butler have codes regarding RV parks? Yes. If Patel is issued a conditional use permit and there are issues, could the city revoke the permit? Yes.
More came from the crowd, former council member Dale Newkirk, wife Trish and former council member Linn Nitsche who asked “Why did it take us to get him to pay attention to things (that should have been cleaned up on his existing property) before he started this project?”
Views expressed by the Newkirks included “since the city doesn’t allow mobile home parks, why would they allow an RV park?” Another was, “if Mr. Patel idled the Super 8 because business was slow, what will happen to the RV park if business is slow there too?”
At one point, the exchanges became a bit heated between the commission and those opposed, but West squelched the talk in an attempt to keep everyone on task.
In the end, it was voted by the planning commission with Carol Ann Winburn, Jim Henry, Scott Mallatt and Mitch Oakes giving a thumbs up to forwarding the project to the council. The lone no vote came from Jim Arnold.
The passage did come with recommendations: 1. Renters must show proof of insurance for animals (i.e., dogs primarily) 2. There must be a chain link fenced area for animals (dogs) 3. Doggie doo bags must be supplied by the RV park. Likewise, all previous concerns such as sewer accommodations, etc. must be resolved as well.
So again the project sits in the lap of the Butler city council who likely will address the issue in the upcoming June 19 regular session at 7 pm, upstairs at city hall.
It's possible however, the final decision may run well into the future- as of yet, completed/corrected project plans have yet to be seen or approved.
