Olympia committee reviews additional RV parking spaces at Coach Post Mobile Park

The Olympia Site Plan Review Committee held a presubmission conference on Wednesday on a proposal to add 14 new RV parking spaces to the existing Coach Post Mobile Park at 3633 7th Avenue SW.

Project applicant Bryce Hanson asked the committee to modify the previous proposal to expand the existing mobile home park by 15 spaces.

Hanson is proposing to provide 14 new RV park spaces within the existing Coach Post Mobile Home Park, which currently has 54 spaces.

In the narrative, the applicant stated there would be no improvements to the mobile home park other than installing sewage-holding tanks for the 14 RV park spaces.

Olympia has no adopted code for RV camping. Hanson proposes developing the site to the standards in Thurston County Code (TCC) section 22.56.270, which he said applies to recreational vehicle parks within the Tumwater Urban Growth Area.

The layout of the park's RV parking.

The 6.5-acre site is zoned as General Commercial (GC) and is surrounded by GC properties to the east, Professional Office/Multifamily (PO/RM) to the north and south across from Kaiser Road SW, and Resident Low Impact (RLI) to the south across from US Highway 101.

According to the narrative, the proposed site for the RV park addition is situated along 7th Avenue SW and Kaiser Road SW, both classified as three-lane major collectors. The project will maintain access from 7th Avenue SW, while the existing private street network will provide access to the individual mobile homes and the newly proposed RV park spaces.

Principal Planner Nicole Floyd recommended having a clear boundary line between portions of manufactured housing with long-term use and portions of the site for temporary or short-term use.

"We need to see a plan that says how you are going to ensure that no one RV stays on those permanent parking spaces more than 180 days," Floyd said, adding that no RV can stay for more than that.

Floyd clarified they could not review for compliance with the country code that has been the standard for Tumwater Urban Growth Area because they are not Olympia's codes. She said the committee's role is to review the projects based on Olympia's codes.

Senior Engineering Plans Examiner Tiffani King commented that the sewer is one of the biggest issues in the project. She said the sewer is not available in the section of 7th Avenue. One is on Kaiser Road, but it is a dry line with no connection.

"Connecting in Kaiser Road requires more planning than just a simple extension across your frontage," King told the applicant.

King noted that the applicants are requesting holding tanks for the new sites. She clarified that Olympia is not responsible for issuing permits for septic systems. She said the final issuance of permits and approval lies with the county authorities.

“The code says that we provide input to the county but do not issue the permits. You will need to get the county involved and work with them,” King said.