PORT ANGELES — Clallam County is resetting the approach to a proposed recreational vehicle ordinance, breaking it into smaller pieces after strong public pushback and widespread confusion.
Community Development Director Bruce Emery told county commissioners the original proposal had grown too complex, amending multiple sections of county code at once — making it difficult for residents to understand what was changing and what was already law.
“But we do think that simplifying the breadth of the changes, breaking it up into separate categories, will make it easier to communicate and differentiate between the existing ordinance and the proposed ordinance, and I believe that having a better-informed public will certainly serve the process,” said Emery.
Under the revised approach, accessory dwelling unit standards required under state law would move forward as part of the county’s comprehensive plan update. A separate ordinance would address short-term rentals, including a proposal to allow park model units to be used as short-term rentals — an idea aimed at expanding economic opportunity while easing pressure on housing supply.
The most controversial issue — the 90-day RV occupancy limit — would be handled on its own as part of a new “true RV use” ordinance.
Commissioner Mark Ozias said much of the public reaction stemmed from residents not realizing what the current rules already allow or restrict.
“We’re going to have to work really hard as we continue to work through this to figure out how we can best communicate these changes to the public in a way they can understand. And I think breaking them down into components is one piece of that, and doing what you’ve tried to do a couple of times — showing this is where we are, this is where the new draft ordinance is, and this is how it would change — having that sort of simplified, as you’ve been trying to do,” said Ozias.
To improve communication, commissioners plan to host a public forum later this month, giving residents a chance to ask questions and review the changes one piece at a time.
The Planning Commission is expected to begin work on the RV portion of the ordinance in March or April, with final recommendations coming later this spring.