An RV park project that received public opposition by many nearby residents near Peyton has cleared the first hurdle toward development with the county. 

The El Paso County Board of County Commissioners voted 4-1 on Thursday to approve the rezoning of 35 acres along North Peyton Highway from agricultural to use as a recreational vehicle park.

The property owners will need to go back before the county for approval to break ground on the project. 

Commissioner Longinos Gonzalez was the lone “no” vote. 

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The plan for Lazy Y Rocking J RV Park was originally disapproved 2-6 by the county planning commission, which cited concerns with how the project would fit the character of the mostly-rural area east of Colorado Springs.

The project, which has not yet reached the stage of submitting a site development plan, would provide spaces for RVs as well as amenities like a camp store, bathroom facilities and a playground for a maximum of 229 guests. The property owners also requested the rezoning of one small section to residential in order to build a house and operate the park on site. 

The county received more than 140 letters of opposition to the project, and dozens of nearby residents were in attendance at the Thursday decision. Opponents were concerned about the rezoning allowing other developments on the property, fire risk, noise complaints, a possible strain on public services and the possibility of crime at the park. 

“They will annoy, irritate and intrude on our quiet lifestyle, ” said Peyton resident Theresa Fields at the meeting. 

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Andrea Barlow, a principal with planning consultant NES, Inc. who presented the project, said that the owners had taken measures to address concerns of neighbors. The property owners agreed to a resolution that would restrict the uses allowed in zoning approval, including limiting residency on the property to 90 days. 

Barlow also pointed to other developments around the proposed park, including an RV storage operation, as evidence the project fit the “character” of the area enough to be in accordance with the county’s development master plan guidelines. 

Commissioner Carrie Geitner, whose district includes the proposal, said she did not want to regulate what private landowners did with their own property without cause. She said that while she felt for resident concerns, she believed the project’s zoning request did fall within guidelines. 

“Sometimes change is hard,” she said.