East Bay Township planning commissioners will discuss updating township rules regarding camping on private property at their 6:30pm meeting Thursday. Previous discussion on the topic last year revealed a wide range of scenarios that could be impacted by the ordinance, from families camping in their own backyards and homeowners staying in an RV while building a new house to raucous parties taking place on vacant lots and owners hosting Airbnb-type campsites.

Township leaders considered updating the temporary dwelling ordinance – which regulates structures like tents, trailers, campers, and motorhomes – as part of East Bay’s zoning rewrite last year. The topic generated significant public comment and debate among township officials. East Bay’s rules currently prohibit any type of camping except a) to house itinerant farm workers during the harvest season, and b) to house campers at organized recreational camps approved by the county’s health department.

That means situations where property owners might normally assume they’re free to camp in their own backyards – letting the kids spend the night outside, having friends over for a weekend, or staying in a motorhome while renovating or building a new home – are all prohibited under East Bay’s rules. Several planning commissioners felt that ban was too far-reaching and restrictive. Even though zoning enforcement tends to be complaint-driven – Township Director of Planning & Zoning Claire Karner said she doubted anyone would crack down on kids putting up a tent – the prohibition still technically means any camping outside the narrow exemptions violates township rules.

“I think we have to figure out a way...that we can allow for the kids to go camping in their yards, the temporary use of the trailer in the driveway,” said Planning Commissioner and Trustee Mindy Walters during an August meeting on the topic. If someone loses a home in a fire, Walters said, “and needs to sleep in their trailer to make things work, I am not opposed to them using their property to live on while they redo their house.”

But some township officials and residents worried that loosening the ordinance would open a Pandora’s box of unwanted activity. Ted Wendling, a resident on East River Road, pointed to vacant land near his property he said is being used for large, raucous gatherings of campers every summer. Such parties last long into the night and have generated noise complaints from neighbors, he said. Wendling suggested that if the rules had to be updated, the number of campers allowed should be limited based on the parcel size.

Several members of the Protect Forest Lakes group believed camping should be banned in environmentally sensitive areas like the Forest Lakes Overlay District. “If you drive through a Lakes area neighborhood any time in the month of July, you will see numerous RVs and campers being occupied in driveways as extra housing, and they are typically hooked up via hose to the home septic system,” said resident Caitlin Falenski. She worried such widespread camping was putting undue pressure on septic systems and the lakes. Falenski said the township “does not have the capacity to enforce this issue now,” and that relaxing the rules would only be “codifying bad behavior.”

Other residents raised the issue of private property rights. Gail and Dave Maison own nearly eight acres on Willsey Road – rural land they said was private and shielded from view from any neighbors. The couple have had family and friends camp on their property over the years, including a young couple running a summer business at Traverse City Horse Shows. Camping is the only way they can afford to run their business, Gail Maison said, adding that having to pay for alternate summertime lodging in Traverse City would “break them.”

In recent years, the Maisons started listing their property on Hipcamp, an Airbnb-type website for camping and RV land. Gail Maison said her campers have all been “very respectful” and generated no complaints. Still, the Maisons received a letter from the township last year informing them they were in violation of the ordinance, forcing them to cancel all their upcoming bookings. “We’re not allowed to use our property the way we see fit, apparently,” Gail Maison said. “Our property doesn’t really belong to us. It belongs to the township.” She asked planning commissioners to consider more relaxed rules for rural districts versus high-density neighborhoods. “It seems like it’s not a one-size-fits-all type of ordinance,” she said.

Planning commissioners acknowledged the topic raised a variety of thorny issues that should be carefully thought through. Proposed new language last year called for expanding the rules to state that “property owners and guests may camp on their property for periods not to exceed seven (7) days consecutively or a total of 60 days in a single calendar year. Waste and wastewater shall be disposed of properly off site.” However, some officials felt 60 days was too long and suggested limiting it to 30. Others supported exploring some type of permitting process for camping.

With so many unresolved issues, planning commissioners decided last summer to table the temporary dwelling ordinance so the rest of the zoning rewrite could proceed and be completed. They agreed to take the topic back up at a later date, with the proposal back on the agenda Thursday for discussion (no action is expected this week). Karner compiled regulations from several neighboring townships for comparison. Garfield, Blair, and Paradise townships allow individuals to camp on their properties for up to a year during home construction, while Whitewater Township allows general camping for a maximum of 120 days annually. Long Lake Township allows RV camping for up to 30 days, with a temporary dwelling permit required for up to another six months contingent on water and waste approvals from the health department. Elmwood Township allows camping in the event of fire or property destruction with adequate water and septic for up to 180 days. Acme Township allows camping for a maximum consecutive seven days and 30 days in a calendar year.

Karner tells The Ticker that planning commissioners could consider several factors for East Bay, like limits on the number of calendar days for camping, a required permit for longer-term camping during home construction or recovery from a house fire, and a ban on commercial camping. It’s possible to limit camping in certain zoning districts or based on property size, but those kinds of restrictions can “start to feel arbitrary,” Karner says. One potential solution – particularly to avoid large parties or big groups of impactful campers – could be to limit the number of campers per parcel. While working to mitigate negative impacts, the general desire among township officials seems to be to “allow people enjoyment of their property and the opportunity to host out-of-town guests on a limited basis,” Karner says.