PEYTON — Rezoning for a 35-acre RV campground in Peyton was not approved by the El Paso County Commission Thursday.
The board of county commissioners will have the final say on July 25th.
About a half mile of the proposed Rv campground rests the corner store at the intersection of Highway 24 and Peyton Highway.
"[The campground] could bring in more customers, they're putting their own store in there that's going to carry what I carry," said owner, Bonnie Kattau.
Kattau isn't convinced the proposed RV campground would be good for her business or the community's safety.
"You start bringing in campers, we don't know 'em, they're not part of our family and they're not going to be around for very long and I don't know what they're going to bring with them," said Kattau.
Property owner, Scott Smith, said campers would not be allowed to stay more than two weeks at a time and follow strict open fire and trash rules.
Smith said the ADA-accessible, 35-acre, 100-space RV campground would be resort-like.
"We're going to have some glamping opportunities, so there's some really cool things with some Conestoga wagons and really fancy safari tents," said Smith. "I mean we got a vision that is kind of exciting."
Many who oppose this project came to the county's planning commission meeting. Some argue its location would cause traffic and noise problems and worry about clientele.
"We fully intend on being good neighbors," said Smith. "Unfortunately, there are a lot of older campgrounds out there that really are places that become permanent housing solutions and it's unfortunate that we've been compared to those."
For Kattau, relocating is now top of mind.
"I can only imagine what I think it's going to bring and that will determine whether I sell or not and move, because I don't want the commercialism, that's why I live where I live," said Kattau.
___
Tuesday afternoon update on the Oak Ridge Fire
Officials in Pueblo County Tuesday held a press conference where they said the Oak Ridge Fire had grown to a total of 495 acres Tuesday. All evacuation orders remain the same. The fire was first reported on Saturday.
____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
