The Mancos Board of Trustees will decide whether to allow recreational vehicle parks to operate year-round. At Wednesday night’s board meeting, the town plans to hold a mandatory public hearing on the proposal, which has received generally positive feedback from businesses and residents.
Ordinance 789 centers on three key questions: Should RV parks be allowed to operate year-round? Should campers be permitted to stay for 90 or 180 days? And should they be allowed to move to another parking site within the same park to reset their stay?
The ordinance would amend the town’s land-use code, a decision ultimately made by the board. The hearing is required and intended to gather public input.
The request originated from a business owner who asked that RV parks, including Riverwood RV Resort, be permitted to operate year-round, according to board documents. The current code allows operations only from April 1 through Nov. 30, requiring all RVs to vacate by the end of November.
Speakers at the September board meeting supported extending Riverwood RV Resort’s season. Local businesses and chamber leaders, including Mancos Valley Chamber of Commerce leader Kim Campbell, emphasized the economic benefits of year-round operations, saying longer stays would boost revenue. Campbell presented nine letters of support from businesses.
Tyler Bruce, who works at Kilgore American Indian Art, said the change would help offset the town’s slower winter months. Residents such as Tim Hunter criticized the current code as overly restrictive, arguing that no other local business faces similar operating limits.
Riverwood owner Dugan McDonald described the request as a matter of fairness and equal treatment with other businesses.
At its October meeting, the Mancos Planning and Zoning Commission raised no objection to year-round RV park operations. However, the commission discussed whether to allow 90- or 180-day stays and reached consensus that RVs should not be permitted to move to another space within the same park to reset their stay.
Proposed code changes aim to preserve the parks’ short-term, recreational purpose and prevent them from becoming permanent residential communities. New language would prohibit “permanent residency” behaviors, such as enrolling school-age children using the RV’s address, registering to vote at the address or regularly receiving mail there.
The ordinance also would ban permanent attachments, such as porches or skirting, and require park owners to maintain guest records for at least two years.
