Vermillion County plan commission forwards favorable recommendation for RV park rezoning
June 25, 2026 | Vermillion County, Indiana
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The Vermillion County Area Plan Commission on June 25 unanimously voted to forward a favorable recommendation to county commissioners on petition 2026-07, a rezoning request from Philip Jennings to convert a parcel at 3144 North State Road 63 in Eugene Township from rural residential (RR) to parks and recreation (PR) to allow a permanent RV park.
Jennings, the petitioner, told the commission he visited the site and said there is "no residential area at all out there and just a a plant being built," arguing the property is remote from neighbors. He and members discussed access: the site is served by a private lane that now serves two homes and will be used for construction traffic during plant work, which members said keeps typical traffic levels low.
Commission members asked technical and regulatory questions about the proposal. Staff and the applicant said an engineering firm prepared a site plan that provides a 20-foot width to accommodate an 8-foot trailer plus slide-outs and that spacing is designed to reduce the risk of fire spread. Staff said the state has a deadline to respond to the engineering plan the following day, which helped explain the applicant’s request to limit occupancy to fewer than 10 campers.
On regulatory scope, members questioned whether a state law that once limited how long a camper could remain in place would apply to this site. Participants noted the proposal would be a private campground on private property, and staff said some state campground regulations may not apply when the site is private and the occupancy is small. The commission did not adopt a legal ruling at the meeting; staff and the applicant noted the county and state review processes are separate.
Members also discussed emergency addressing and on-site sanitation. Staff (Teddy) said the county typically assigns a main address and uses site letters or numbers (for example, "A" and "B") to identify individual sites for 911 response. On toilets and showers, the commission was told each camper is expected to contain its own shower and toilet, but state rules require an onsite toilet facility, which may be a portable unit; a shower is not required.
A motion to forward a favorable recommendation to the county commissioners passed on a roll-call vote with seven votes in favor: Phil Cox (APC member) — yes; Ron Mack (APC member) — yes; Brandon Ruth (APC member) — yes; Eddie Kaiser (APC member) — yes; Bob Alexander (APC member) — yes; Brian Stevens (APC member) — yes; Joe Ellis (APC member) — yes. The commission chair called the vote unanimous. The commission was told the petition is scheduled for the Vermillion County commissioners’ July 6 meeting at 6:00 p.m. in the same room.
The commission discussed several details that staff said will be addressed with the commissioners or in subsequent plan reviews, including final site drawings and any necessary revisions to spacing or site identifiers. No formal conditions beyond forwarding the recommendation were recorded at the special session.
Jennings, the petitioner, told the commission he visited the site and said there is "no residential area at all out there and just a a plant being built," arguing the property is remote from neighbors. He and members discussed access: the site is served by a private lane that now serves two homes and will be used for construction traffic during plant work, which members said keeps typical traffic levels low.
Commission members asked technical and regulatory questions about the proposal. Staff and the applicant said an engineering firm prepared a site plan that provides a 20-foot width to accommodate an 8-foot trailer plus slide-outs and that spacing is designed to reduce the risk of fire spread. Staff said the state has a deadline to respond to the engineering plan the following day, which helped explain the applicant’s request to limit occupancy to fewer than 10 campers.
On regulatory scope, members questioned whether a state law that once limited how long a camper could remain in place would apply to this site. Participants noted the proposal would be a private campground on private property, and staff said some state campground regulations may not apply when the site is private and the occupancy is small. The commission did not adopt a legal ruling at the meeting; staff and the applicant noted the county and state review processes are separate.
Members also discussed emergency addressing and on-site sanitation. Staff (Teddy) said the county typically assigns a main address and uses site letters or numbers (for example, "A" and "B") to identify individual sites for 911 response. On toilets and showers, the commission was told each camper is expected to contain its own shower and toilet, but state rules require an onsite toilet facility, which may be a portable unit; a shower is not required.
A motion to forward a favorable recommendation to the county commissioners passed on a roll-call vote with seven votes in favor: Phil Cox (APC member) — yes; Ron Mack (APC member) — yes; Brandon Ruth (APC member) — yes; Eddie Kaiser (APC member) — yes; Bob Alexander (APC member) — yes; Brian Stevens (APC member) — yes; Joe Ellis (APC member) — yes. The commission chair called the vote unanimous. The commission was told the petition is scheduled for the Vermillion County commissioners’ July 6 meeting at 6:00 p.m. in the same room.
The commission discussed several details that staff said will be addressed with the commissioners or in subsequent plan reviews, including final site drawings and any necessary revisions to spacing or site identifiers. No formal conditions beyond forwarding the recommendation were recorded at the special session.
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