By Kellen Olshefski
SLN Staff
Responses to proposed amendments to the Walworth County Zoning Ordinance to allow for special event camping were met with positive feedback at a Feb. 18 public hearing.
The topic was originally brought forth by Live Nation, which operates Alpine Valley, in hopes of allowing camping at the venue during the concert season.
The proposed amendments to the county zoning ordinance would allow for a temporary campground to provide campsites in conjunction with a previously approved conditional use permit in the B-5 zoning district for special events held under specific uses.
Town of Lafayette Town Board Supervisor Joe Pappa said both the Town Board and plan commission are in favor of the zoning code amendment.
Christina Green of the Godfrey, Leibsle, Blackbourn and Howarth law firm in Elkhorn, which represents Live Nation, said the firm also believes the amendment would be beneficial. While there are state regulations imposed on special event campgrounds, Green said this would provide a means for the county to allow a conditional use permit for special event camping using the state code as a guideline.
Green said the amendment would neither make it a permitted use nor automatic, but it would make it so if someone has an existing conditional use permit for special events, the applicant could then come back and apply for a conditional use permit to both the town and the county for special event camping.
Green said if passed, it would also allow Live Nation to bring in more concerts, and in turn, more revenue for the surrounding communities.
Deborah Grube of the Walworth County Land Use and Resource Management Department said the amendment to the county’s zoning ordinance would be subject to compliance with Wisconsin Department of Health Services Chapter 178 regulations and would need review and recommendation from the Town of Lafayette.
According to Chapter 178 of the department’s regulations, a permit application for a special event campground is required at least 30 days prior to the special event. Permits issued by the department do not exceed 14 days in duration.
Requirements showing the location of the event, an estimated number of people to be accommodated, the water supply source and distribution method, the number and locations of toilet facilities and plans for servicing and maintenance, the number and location of garbage and refuse disposal sites and the methods for disposal of liquid waste. Under the regulations, campsites must also have a minimum area of 800-square-feet.
Fees for the permit depend on the number of campsites, with a $175 fee being assessed for one to 25 sites on the low end and a fee of $410 for more than 200 campsites, according to Chapter 178.
Under the amendments to Walworth County’s Zoning Ordinance, events that would be allowed to be paired with a special event campground could include drive-in movies, fairgrounds, race tracks, golf courses and country clubs, amphitheaters, music entertainment facilities, airports, schools and churches, as examples.
The fees proposed by the Walworth County Zoning Agency for the special event campground zoning permit would include a $300 fee per event, as well as a $1,000 public hearing fee.
Land Use and Resource Management Director Michael Cotter said the topic would return before the committee in March, at which time the committee could make a decision on the ordinance amendment and pass along a recommendation to the Walworth County Board of Supervisors.
Citizen-member Jim Van Dresser said with the topic returning next month, he would like to hear some input from the Walworth County Sheriff’s Department on how special event campgrounds would be policed and if there is any concern with it.
“I just want to know, or try and understand, what the risk to the county is if we approve this,” he said.
Walworth County Sheriff Kurt Picknell, in attendance at the Feb. 18 meeting, said in working with Live Nation on the plans moving towards the permitting process, the company has been “extremely open” to the agency’s concerns and suggestions. He said if the committee wanted any further information, they could certainly provide it at a later time.
