Feb. 21—The town of Franklin has introduced a local law to address campgrounds.

Franklin Code Enforcement Officer Gregg Pitula said the Vacation Campgrounds Local Law was created after a resident on Oak Hill Road presented an idea of placing a campground on their property and the town realized its zoning law doesn’t address campgrounds. The resident has not presented any plans to the planning board to build a campground on the property.

“Franklin last updated its zoning law 20 years ago,” Pitula said. Campgrounds have steadily been making their way north from New York City as “glamping” getaways where people can rent yurts, tents on platforms or small cabins, in addition to traditional tent and RV campsites. The board decided it needed to bring the zoning law into the 21st century.

The law pretty much uses the state’s Department of Health regulations for campgrounds with some local regulations such as size, density and setbacks, Pitula said.

According to the proposed law, “vacation campgrounds are a special permit use consisting of a tract of land designed exclusively for overnight and short-duration vacation camping (March 1 — Nov. 15), providing lodging accommodations, facilities for tents, campers, recreational vehicles, recreation activities, administration, public health and safety.”

The minimum road frontage of a campground on a paved public highway or road is 250 feet, however, if the parcel doesn’t meet the requirement, a minimum frontage can be 60 feet if approved by the planning board. A dwelling for the caretaker, manager or property owner must be provided on the property.

Campgrounds must be screened from the view of neighboring properties and adjoining public highways and the screening material will be approved by the code enforcement officer.

The campgrounds must ensure adequate fire protection equipment on the premises and emergency vehicles must be able to reach each campsite. Each campground area should be able to be accessed by two means and an adequate turnaround for emergency vehicles should be provided on non-through streets.

A working phone should be accessible to the public for emergency calls.

A minimum of 80 feet should be placed between campsites.

The campground should have its own private water supply and its own sanitary sewage disposal system that meets state Department of Health guidelines. A shower and restroom facility would also need to be provided to campers.

Each campground’s collector street should be 18 feet wide to allow for two-way traffic. The street can be a gravel base with adequate drainage approved by the code enforcement officer. The grade of the street cannot exceed 12%. A parking lot of 14 feet by 50 feet would also need to be constructed.

The law also addresses noise and events. It said, “No excessive noise will be permitted between the hours of 10 PM and 7 AM, not to exceed 60 decibels,” and “No events/parties/gatherings or fireworks are permitted unless an event permit is granted by the Town Board in its sole discretion.”

A public hearing about the new law is scheduled to be held at the next town board meeting Tuesday, March 5. The meeting will start at 6 p.m. at the Treadwell Firehouse.

Vicky Klukkert, staff writer, can be reached at vklukkert@thedailystar.com or 607-441-7221.