Plan to limit RVs in Detroit draws concern, criticism from both sides

When Detroit eased its rules on recreational vehicles in 2011, it did so intending to allow people to temporarily park RVs on single-family home lots while they built a home.

But in the eight years since, property owners have used the looser rules to create mini-RV parks for themselves and family members or to rent space to other RV owners who come to vacation in Detroit in the summer.

The city of 210 people grows to 1,000 or more during busy summer weekends as people flock from all over Oregon, and the businesses in town rely on dollars from those tourists. With only three small motels, two RV parks and a limited sewer system, RVs have become an important source of housing.

So when the city’s planning commission and city council considered rolling back the rules this summer and restricting the number of RVs allowed, there was a huge uprising.

“I’m against it and I’ll go on record of saying that, only because there’s a lack of properties in Detroit,” said Scott Lunski, owner of Detroit Lake Marina. “There’s a lack of places for (visitors) to stay. With the lack of sewer system, they’re not building more hotels.”  

The city received a number of complaints about code violations by those parking recreational vehicles on properties in the city, acting on seven of them in 2018.

"We are trying to get some of the other ducks in a row like code enforcement," Mayor JIm Trett said. 

A summer recreation mecca

Detroit is an outdoor recreation lover's paradise. 

Along with the possibilities for boating, swimming and fishing on Detroit Lake, there are miles of hiking and bicycling trails and options for snowmobiling in the winter.

In the summer months, hundreds bring their recreational vehicles to Detroit and leave them for the season, many coming and going from nearby cities with regularity to spend time on the water on the weekends and for vacations.

The 2011 code change allowed two RV’s per single-family house – and more with city-issued permits.

“For some of those people I understand it’s been a tradition for years, they’ve gone up with trailers and tents and don’t understand why that has to change,” Trett said.

“Then you have people who have invested in homes and say, 'I don’t want to live in a RV park.' It goes both ways for me.”

Marion County Commissioner Kevin Cameron lives year-round in a house in Detroit and owns two other lots in town – both with septic systems, water and power – that he leases to recreational vehicle owners each year.

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Lack of housing, places to stay

The lack of a sewer system has limited growth in Detroit, as well as neighboring cities Idanha, Mill City and Gates. Marion County is spearheading the North Santiam Sewer Project, which aims to build a sewer network for the rural communities, but it is estimated to cost $59 million and could take five or more years to build. 

The stores and restaurants in Detroit, located 50 miles east of Salem, rely the rest of the year on traffic between Salem and Bend along Highway 22.

There are few places for people to stay in Detroit such as Detroit Lakeside Motel, The Lodge at Detroit Lake and The All Seasons Motel and fewer places for people to stay long-term, including Lakeview RV Park and the RV parking at Kane’s Marina.

Getting a reservation at one of the campgrounds near Detroit is difficult during the peak summer months as tourists flock to town.

"Detroit would not exist without the people who are here for recreational reasons," said Christine Rasmussen, who lives in Silverton.

Rasmussen and her three daughters own about three acres of land in Detroit.

They once thought about turning their property into an RV park, but ran into too many rules and instead decided to use it for family gatherings. They regularly have four of the family's RV's on the property where they are now building a 1,160 square foot cabin.

They've done everything possible to comply with the current rules.

"I am a firm believer that rules need to stay the same because people have invested a lot of money into their electric and water and set up," Rasmussen said. 

Some seasonal workers at Detroit businesses live in recreational vehicles in town over the summer months.

And there are no apartments in town.

“I know that a lot of people need affordable living space up there,” Lunski said. “Even the state campgrounds and the other campgrounds, there’s no long-term parking there.”

What are the proposed limits?

The proposed changes would allow one RV to be parked on each developed single-family property and would prohibit renting or leasing an RV space from April 1 through Oct. 31.

But single-family homes could have two more RV’s – for a maximum of three per property – with permits from the city.

The proposed code change would have prohibited people from renting or leasing property unless the lease was a year-round lease.

At the first public hearing in July, 15 people testified against the proposed change and none testified for it, though Trett said some supporters chose not to speak.

Randy Jackson’s family bought a property on Guy Moore Drive in Detroit in the early 1980s with the idea of building a cabin for a vacation getaway for their family.

But the lot isn’t big enough to build a septic system and with no sewer system, they can only use it as a pad for a recreational vehicle.

He sees the proposed changes as a money grab.

"The people that live there do not make that town survive," said Jackson, who lives in Salem.

Enforcing current code a struggle

The city has struggled to enforce its current code on recreational vehicles.

Detroit city recorder Christine Pavoni said the city sent letters to seven RV and tent code violators this year and five in 2018. She said the city prepared six municipal court cases about RV and tent code violators between 2014 and 2017.

It has no police and so little revenue it doesn’t contract with the Marion County Sheriff’s department for police services.

Code enforcement is a function taken on by the city staff and is based on complaints, according to city planner Lisa Brosnan.

“If you’ve got four or five RV’s on your lot, enforce your existing codes before you pass more codes,” Cameron said.

“For example, in front of my house, you can’t park on one side of the street without a permit. Who’s enforcing it? The sheriff’s not enforcing it. They would enforce a moving violation in the city. They’re not going to enforce parking.”

Trett said he has asked the city staff to track how many complaints about recreational vehicles it receives so it has data.

The proposed restrictions have been sent back to the planning commission for more work. The mayor doesn’t know if it will ever be brought back to the city council.

“It’s small town difficult,” Trett said.

Reach the reporter at bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com or Twitter.com/bpoehler