5b) Discussion and Possible Action Including Direction to Staff Regarding Temporary Camping for Profit on Private Property
(Sponsors: Supervisor Williams, Supervisor McGourty, and Planning and Building Services)
I support making HIP Camping legal, but to impose limits. I am including my experience with HIP Camp that should NOT be allowed.
I am writing to ask that the board of supervisors move cautioniously working with HIP CAMP. While Hip Camping does have some benefits for the county it comes with downsides that need rules and oversight to overcome.
I lived next door to a hip camp for a few years until a few months ago. I live on Trillium Lane, the lots are all roughly 200’ by 400’ (2 acres). The owner was registered with HIP camp and actually she got positive reviews. One review talked about it as camping out in your back yard- It was a positive experience for them.
There were two campsites with a possible a third. The camp sites were about 5 feet from the property line with one site directly across from our bedroom window, about 50 feet away- there are a few trees between the site and bedroom! We could see campers easily from our bed- not sure if they could see us. There is no fence between the properties. Campers regularly walked thru the back part of our property which is out of sight from our house, but the signs of foot traffic is obvious.
We were planning to try to talk with the property owner about making changes to the site locations. But the Hip Camp (called Moon Stone, or something similar) is no longer an issue, as the owner suddenly died in her sleep a few months ago. The property in now empty and is likely to remain that way as apparently there was there was no will or known heir - another issue we have in the county— empty homes of the deceased, we have two on our short street for 2 years and 10 years out of about 14 houses.
My main point is a HIP CAMP in that location - a 2 acre lot in residential street was totally inappropriate and as a resident next door I had no options for doing anything about it.
The camping sites should be more than 3 acres, the sites have to be inspected by the county at the very minimum. There has to be specific from neighbors property. There should be no fires allowed, or only allowed In designated spots, there needs to be camp manager on site all the time, there needs to be a way neighbors can report problems and expect a response.
My name is Jade Raybin and I am a resident of Mendocino County in Albion. I am writing to ask that you prioritize an ordinance that supports low-intensity camping as part of the County’s Zoning Code Update.
As a local mother living on a remote parcel, the rising costs of living and land stewardship are noticeable. The cost of electricity and propane has increased, along with insurance rates, needed tree work and fire fuels reduction in our forested areas. Hosting campers could offer us the chance to raise the funds needed to care for this land in a sustainable way for generations to come.
Most people who host campers on their property are active land stewards with a focus on beauty and sustainability. We need your help to pass a simple, affordable, accessible ordinance that supports small-scale camping now.
Please pass an ordinance that will allow private landowners to receive simple, straightforward administrative licensing from the county so we can continue to properly care for land and improve the local economy through ecotourism.
Thank you,
Jade Raybin,
Mother, Community Member, Business Owner
Greetings Supervisors and thank you for allowing public comments regarding item 5b: temporary camping for profit on private property today.
I am commenting today to urge you to take immediate action by making allowances in zoning codes for All land owners, including Williamson Act land owners who are specifically prohibited from diversifying their income with low impact temporary camping.
I am a retired high school teacher, 25 year Williamson Act land owner, small organic farm and business owner, and caregiver in the third district of Mendocino County. We are off-grid homesteaders pivoting towards generating a sustainable income from the homestead.
Like most people, we have had a tough past couple of years sustaining ourselves in Mendocino County. I have lost my most recent job as a chemist and we have found it impossible to sustain ourselves through generating an income from farming produce alone. Being the 41st ranked poorest county in California out of 58 counties, it is rough to find employment with a suitable wage that will cover our bills as I simultaneously provide 24/7 care to my mother.
We have reached a point of desperation, where we must sell our property and move or find a way to diversify our income stream.
We discovered that agritourism can provide the diversification of income we need to survive. People will pay to camp on our property, tour our off-grid homestead, and eat from our gardens. People are all about experiences these days, and being able to provide an organic experience in the Emerald Triangle can be a win-win for land owners and Mendocino County. We will be bringing people to Mendocino County from all over the world using camping apps like Hipcamp with a global reach. Agritourism coupled with ecotourism can provide us with an actual sustainable income. We won’t have to sell our property in a panic becausee can support ourselves and generate transient occupancy taxes for the County.
Unfortunately, Mendocino County requires that All land owners initiate an $8,000.00 application for a special-use permit. This application does not guarantee an automatic acceptance, in fact all Williamson Act land owners will lose their $8,000.00, because they are prohibited from allowing camping.
This Mendocino County policy is blatant financial exclusion. Being one of the most poverty stricken county with people losing jobs, such exclusion is illogical and detrimental to everyone.
I am commenting today to urge you to take immediate action by making allowances in zoning codes for All land owners, including Williamson Act land owners who are specifically prohibited from diversifying their income. The board has recently made allowances for “automatic permits” for ADU’s; and you can do the same for camping/glamping/tiny cabin allowances.
With land owners allowed to open up their property for low impact camping, Mendocino County opens the doors for us to generate tax income.
I urge you to stop with financial exclusions that prevent people from sustaining themselves through diversifying our income and providing the County with taxes generated through transient occupancy tax.
Please, step up ad give a hand to the landowners of Mendocino County. Embrace the residents and Forge a team with us. Working with the community, Mendocino can become a role model of how to recover from the poverty that persists here. Eliminate the costly fees and rewrite the zoning codes, so we can work together to bring in tourist for the benefit of all local businesses.
My name is Jackie Clark. I have lived in the Redwood Forest on the Mendocino Coast for over 42 years. I am writing today to ask for your support of incidental camping in Mendocino County. This can enable local land owners to create revenue by hosting and monitoring guests in a low impact camping situation with simple accomodations safely. This benefits the community and the County with added revenue and clean " industry. Please support a simple and affordable pathway for low intensity camping so local landowners can responsibly host travelers and vacationers, generate a sustainable income, and support our local tourism and outdoor recreational economies. Thank you. I can be contacted at 707-937-2883, moonrivernursery@yahoo.com.
I'm a resident and property owner in unincorporated Mendocino County between Willits and Laytonville. I'm writing to ask that you prioritize an ordinance that supports low-intensity camping as part of the County’s Zoning Code Update.
My friend Chas Nol and I have owned 67 acres Mendocino woodlands for over 20 years, and we recently purchased 80 additional adjacent acres. We consider ourselves privileged to be stewards of this magical property, which we use as a personal retreat and gathering place for friends and family. We’re deeply committed to protecting the land and waterways through active forestry management. We’ve recently begun offering temporary camping as a way to defray rising costs of owning and maintaining the land. We’ve found incredible fulfillment in sharing this special place with people who may otherwise never have an opportunity to experience what’s so special about Mendocino County.
We need your help to pass a simple and accessible ordinance that supports small-scale camping now. I’m urging you to consider an ordinance that will allow private landowners to receive simple, straightforward licensing from the county so we can continue to host guests responsibly and support our local tourism and outdoor recreation economies.
Thank you for your consideration of this important matter. I would be happy to discuss this further, either by email or phone.
I support making HIP Camping legal, but to impose limits. I am including my experience with HIP Camp that should NOT be allowed.
I am writing to ask that the board of supervisors move cautioniously working with HIP CAMP. While Hip Camping does have some benefits for the county it comes with downsides that need rules and oversight to overcome.
I lived next door to a hip camp for a few years until a few months ago. I live on Trillium Lane, the lots are all roughly 200’ by 400’ (2 acres). The owner was registered with HIP camp and actually she got positive reviews. One review talked about it as camping out in your back yard- It was a positive experience for them.
There were two campsites with a possible a third. The camp sites were about 5 feet from the property line with one site directly across from our bedroom window, about 50 feet away- there are a few trees between the site and bedroom! We could see campers easily from our bed- not sure if they could see us. There is no fence between the properties. Campers regularly walked thru the back part of our property which is out of sight from our house, but the signs of foot traffic is obvious.
We were planning to try to talk with the property owner about making changes to the site locations. But the Hip Camp (called Moon Stone, or something similar) is no longer an issue, as the owner suddenly died in her sleep a few months ago. The property in now empty and is likely to remain that way as apparently there was there was no will or known heir - another issue we have in the county— empty homes of the deceased, we have two on our short street for 2 years and 10 years out of about 14 houses.
My main point is a HIP CAMP in that location - a 2 acre lot in residential street was totally inappropriate and as a resident next door I had no options for doing anything about it.
The camping sites should be more than 3 acres, the sites have to be inspected by the county at the very minimum. There has to be specific from neighbors property. There should be no fires allowed, or only allowed In designated spots, there needs to be camp manager on site all the time, there needs to be a way neighbors can report problems and expect a response.
Dear Mendocino County Board of Supervisors,
My name is Jade Raybin and I am a resident of Mendocino County in Albion. I am writing to ask that you prioritize an ordinance that supports low-intensity camping as part of the County’s Zoning Code Update.
As a local mother living on a remote parcel, the rising costs of living and land stewardship are noticeable. The cost of electricity and propane has increased, along with insurance rates, needed tree work and fire fuels reduction in our forested areas. Hosting campers could offer us the chance to raise the funds needed to care for this land in a sustainable way for generations to come.
Most people who host campers on their property are active land stewards with a focus on beauty and sustainability. We need your help to pass a simple, affordable, accessible ordinance that supports small-scale camping now.
Please pass an ordinance that will allow private landowners to receive simple, straightforward administrative licensing from the county so we can continue to properly care for land and improve the local economy through ecotourism.
Thank you,
Jade Raybin,
Mother, Community Member, Business Owner
Greetings Supervisors and thank you for allowing public comments regarding item 5b: temporary camping for profit on private property today.
I am commenting today to urge you to take immediate action by making allowances in zoning codes for All land owners, including Williamson Act land owners who are specifically prohibited from diversifying their income with low impact temporary camping.
I am a retired high school teacher, 25 year Williamson Act land owner, small organic farm and business owner, and caregiver in the third district of Mendocino County. We are off-grid homesteaders pivoting towards generating a sustainable income from the homestead.
Like most people, we have had a tough past couple of years sustaining ourselves in Mendocino County. I have lost my most recent job as a chemist and we have found it impossible to sustain ourselves through generating an income from farming produce alone. Being the 41st ranked poorest county in California out of 58 counties, it is rough to find employment with a suitable wage that will cover our bills as I simultaneously provide 24/7 care to my mother.
We have reached a point of desperation, where we must sell our property and move or find a way to diversify our income stream.
We discovered that agritourism can provide the diversification of income we need to survive. People will pay to camp on our property, tour our off-grid homestead, and eat from our gardens. People are all about experiences these days, and being able to provide an organic experience in the Emerald Triangle can be a win-win for land owners and Mendocino County. We will be bringing people to Mendocino County from all over the world using camping apps like Hipcamp with a global reach. Agritourism coupled with ecotourism can provide us with an actual sustainable income. We won’t have to sell our property in a panic becausee can support ourselves and generate transient occupancy taxes for the County.
Unfortunately, Mendocino County requires that All land owners initiate an $8,000.00 application for a special-use permit. This application does not guarantee an automatic acceptance, in fact all Williamson Act land owners will lose their $8,000.00, because they are prohibited from allowing camping.
This Mendocino County policy is blatant financial exclusion. Being one of the most poverty stricken county with people losing jobs, such exclusion is illogical and detrimental to everyone.
I am commenting today to urge you to take immediate action by making allowances in zoning codes for All land owners, including Williamson Act land owners who are specifically prohibited from diversifying their income. The board has recently made allowances for “automatic permits” for ADU’s; and you can do the same for camping/glamping/tiny cabin allowances.
With land owners allowed to open up their property for low impact camping, Mendocino County opens the doors for us to generate tax income.
I urge you to stop with financial exclusions that prevent people from sustaining themselves through diversifying our income and providing the County with taxes generated through transient occupancy tax.
Please, step up ad give a hand to the landowners of Mendocino County. Embrace the residents and Forge a team with us. Working with the community, Mendocino can become a role model of how to recover from the poverty that persists here. Eliminate the costly fees and rewrite the zoning codes, so we can work together to bring in tourist for the benefit of all local businesses.
My name is Jackie Clark. I have lived in the Redwood Forest on the Mendocino Coast for over 42 years. I am writing today to ask for your support of incidental camping in Mendocino County. This can enable local land owners to create revenue by hosting and monitoring guests in a low impact camping situation with simple accomodations safely. This benefits the community and the County with added revenue and clean " industry. Please support a simple and affordable pathway for low intensity camping so local landowners can responsibly host travelers and vacationers, generate a sustainable income, and support our local tourism and outdoor recreational economies. Thank you. I can be contacted at 707-937-2883, moonrivernursery@yahoo.com.
Dear Mendocino County Board of Supervisors,
I'm a resident and property owner in unincorporated Mendocino County between Willits and Laytonville. I'm writing to ask that you prioritize an ordinance that supports low-intensity camping as part of the County’s Zoning Code Update.
My friend Chas Nol and I have owned 67 acres Mendocino woodlands for over 20 years, and we recently purchased 80 additional adjacent acres. We consider ourselves privileged to be stewards of this magical property, which we use as a personal retreat and gathering place for friends and family. We’re deeply committed to protecting the land and waterways through active forestry management. We’ve recently begun offering temporary camping as a way to defray rising costs of owning and maintaining the land. We’ve found incredible fulfillment in sharing this special place with people who may otherwise never have an opportunity to experience what’s so special about Mendocino County.
We need your help to pass a simple and accessible ordinance that supports small-scale camping now. I’m urging you to consider an ordinance that will allow private landowners to receive simple, straightforward licensing from the county so we can continue to host guests responsibly and support our local tourism and outdoor recreation economies.
Thank you for your consideration of this important matter. I would be happy to discuss this further, either by email or phone.
Regards,
Benjamin Glenn
415-613-0844