Fremont County to hear Sand Box RV appeals at public hearing
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ST. ANTHONY — A dispute over an RV park near the St. Anthony Sand Dunes is heading back to county leaders on Wednesday, after neighbors filed an appeal questioning the county’s decision on land use and open space requirements.
The Fremont County Board of County Commissioners will hear appeals during a public hearing on April 29 at 6 p.m. at the county annex building in St. Anthony.
At the center of the issue is Sand Box RV Park, located on the edge of the dunes.
RELATED | Neighbors appeal Sand Box RV Park approval near St. Anthony dunes; deadline nears
Nearby residents are challenging a decision made last summer by the Fremont County Planning and Zoning Commission that allowed the RV park to add amenities, including a children’s playground, sand volleyball and pickleball courts, horseshoes, cornhole and a small on-site store.
According to public records, the appeals, filed by several nearby residents — including Brandon Zaugg, members of the Cogar family and Mitch Mendenhall — argue the project should have been treated as a commercial development rather than approved under a Class II conditional use permit.
Neighbors argue the project should have been reviewed as a commercial development, which typically requires stricter oversight, rather than approved under a Class II conditional use permit.
Residents question whether the county is enforcing open-space requirements not only at Sand Box but also at other RV Parks in the vicinity of the sand dunes.
Longtime Fremont County advocate Leanne Yancey told EastIdahoNews.com that she has a grave concern that the proper process has not been followed in the county.
“The appellants are not being given the hearing opportunity they requested and paid for. From the beginning, this development should have been processed as a large-scale development,” she said. “The RV Park now encompasses 40 acres, depending on which of multiple changing site maps you look at.”
Sand Box property owners, Peter and Lanae Davis, say the scope of the appeal is being overstated.
“The only item being appealed is the approval granted in June for additional amenities,” Lanae Davis previously told EastIdahoNews.com.
“This includes a children’s playground, sand volleyball, pickleball, horseshoes, cornhole and a small onsite store for guest supplies, snacks, OHV parts and merchandise. This approval is publicly documented and available through the Fremont County website.”
Davis emphasized that the broader RV park project itself is not under review.
“Any implication that broader aspects of the project are under appeal is incorrect,” she said. “Those matters fall outside the county’s required 10-day appeal window and were approved through proper legal process. They are not subject to appeal.”
Now, county commissioners must decide whether the project was properly classified and approve a decision that could have ripple effects on future development near the dunes, as well as how the county balances growth with the preservation of open space.
EastIdahoNews.com reached out to Fremont County officials for comment on the public hearing but did not receive a response. The story will be updated if one is received.