A proposed change to the planning and zoning ordinances regarding RV parks, created a packed house at a Tomball City Council meeting, Jan. 16.

Mike O’Brien, owner of the Corral RV Park in Tomball, has proposed expanding the number of slots available at the park. The problem lies within a 2008 rule that states no one may stay at an RV Park longer than 90 days. City officials said that Corral is grandfathered in and that rule doesn’t apply to the existing park, however, an expansion would change that.

Photo: Mary Karnitz sits outside her RV at the Corral RV Park in Tomball. Karnitz is afraid that unless changes are made to city rules, she could be forced from her home of four years.

O’Brien brought a proposal to the Tomball Planning and Zoning Commission Jan. 9 that would change that rule; however it failed to carry after four members were split on the issue. That left it in the hands of city council.

O’Brien explained that if the issue isn’t changed, many residents in the park would be forced to move, since many stay there six months or more.

Before the issue could be taken up by council, Councilman Preston Dodson made a motion to table the vote, but hold the public hearing, to give members more time to study the proposal.

Councilman Derek Townsend agreed.

“This has 40 pages of documents and I want to make sure we make the right decision for all,” Townsend said.

The public hearing then commenced, with many residents of the park voicing their concerns.

“These are professionals or former professionals who need a reliable place to go and Corral RV Park provides that,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien went on to talk about the proposal that would add 80 slots to the existing 160, which currently has about 129 residents.

“We’ve got a lot of good people in this park,” he said.

John Saunders, a Corral resident and former bank vice-president, explained that the park residents spend a lot of money in Tomball and provide back to the community, a theme echoed by many of the speakers.

“A lot of times these ordinances are defined out of fear,” Saunders said. (The RV park residents) know when they are not wanted and they’ll just take their money and leave.”

Dave Koschel, a retired Austin police officer went one step further.

“There are literally 100 cities in Texas that fight to get RV’ers,” he said. “We can always go somewhere else.”

Koschel’s wife Lynn told council a personal story about how the RV park helps.

“There was a man we met that came here from Alaska to see his family and his wife had a heart attack while they were here,” she said. “He lived here (at Corral) for a year-and-a-half while she recovered.”

Many of the 60-plus people in the room told council similar stories – that they were decent people who spent their money in Tomball and contributed to the community.

“Now why would the zoning commission want to take away a significant amount of income?” Jack Horton, a Corral resident asked.

The issue will be taken up by council again Jan. 30.

In other business the council received reports that the initial stages of three major projects, the Brown Road and Medical Complex Drive expansions and the M121 drainage project were all ahead of schedule.

Updates on these and other capital improvement projects will soon be available on the city’s website, as well as their Facebook page and through email lists.

Council approved plans to co-host the 2012 Oilfield Helping Hands Classic Car Show and Motorcycle Rally March 12, at the Tomball Depot Plaza.

Council then received a report on the progress of the city’s annual audit.

Nathan Krupke, a partner with Belt, Harris and Pechacek, the firm that performed the audit, says they are wrapping up the final report.

“I can report that you have nine months worth of fund balance available and that is excellent,” Krupke said.

Glenn Windsor, the Tomball finance director, said the report will be ready for council’s review before the Feb. 20 meeting.

“It will be given to council beforehand so they have time to look at it and review it,” Windsor said.

Council also completed work that designated the Tribune as Tomball’s Official Newspaper for the second straight year.

Photo by Caleb Harris

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