JAY CONLEY The Roanoke Times

Polly Ann and Wayne Crouch and their extended family own the trailer and the property that backs up to Craig Creek. They plan to use the home as a weekend vacation spot, but Botetourt County officials say it violates zoning ordinances.

Oriskany is a beautiful part of Botetourt County this time of year, when the fall colors radiate burnt orange and red hues.

But unless you live there -- and not many people do in the small hamlet near the Craig County border -- you likely haven't seen the new dwelling that is perplexing county zoning officials. They say it doesn't belong there, and yet they agree it's not bothering anyone and appears to be one of the more attractive structures around.

If you drive down Old Rail Road -- and you'll learn quickly on the bumpy road how it got its name -- there's a small building on wheels nestled in the trees that looks like a cross between a trailer and a log cabin.

According to its manufacturer, Superior Park Model Homes in Pelham, Ga., the structure is a recreational vehicle that can be towed by a truck and used for camping in the mountains or along the seashore. It is permanently attached to a trailer. Inside is a full kitchen with electric appliances, bathroom, bedroom and a small seating area. A screened-in-porch adjoins one end. The base price of the unit is about $28,000, according to Superior Park, and the cost can increase depending on an array of amenities that can be added, such as cedar paneling and granite countertops.

A sign to the right of the front door says the structure is registered with the Recreational Park Trailer Industry Association.

Polly Ann and Wayne Crouch and their extended family own the "dwelling" and the property that backs up to Craig Creek. They live in Chesterfield and, along with their grown children and grandchildren, want to use the home as a weekend vacation spot.

But county officials cut off their electricity earlier this year, saying the new home was placed there without a building permit and violates county zoning ordinances.

According to the family's lawyer, Rob Hagan, they thought they had cleared all the necessary hurdles when they received permission from the state health department last summer to hook the trailer up to a septic system. The family did not return a reporter's phone call inquiring about the situation.

The county discovered the trailer on the property in April when a building inspector saw it while he was out in the remote Oriskany area doing an inspection on a neighboring home.

Since then, an effort by the county to accommodate the Crouches by modifying county zoning regulations has proved to be difficult. The Botetourt County Planning Commission was stymied when it met last week over just how to classify the structure. Its 400-square-foot interior and 11-foot-wide width make it too small to be a modular home, and its appearance makes it ill-suited as a typical recreational vehicle.

"I've seen a lot of RVs," said Chris Whitely, a county planning commissioner who represents the Amsterdam District. "What I'm seeing here ... is not an RV."

The Crouches' property is in an agricultural district. The county's zoning rules permit two types of dwellings there: a manufactured home that meets federal Housing and Urban Development specifications, or a conventional stick-built home that meets the statewide building code.

"I don't know of any other structure like this anywhere else in Botetourt County," Chuck Supan, the county's planning director, told planning commissioners at a recent meeting.

Neighbors don't seem to mind the building and say it's more appealing than an array of aged mobile homes that dot other properties along the creek.

"I have no idea what it is," said William Burleson, who lives across the street. "Compared to the houses on either side, it is by far the most pleasing to look at."

Hagan had requested the county amend its definition of "recreational vehicle" to allow for the trailer, then grant a special-exception permit to allow for an RV in an agricultural district.

"This is an unusual unit," Hagan said. "But I think it's a legitimate product."

But after more than an hour of discussion at the commission meeting, members feared that creating an exception might set a zoning precedent that entices other county landowners to start placing less appealing trailers in more visible agricultural areas of the county.

In the end, Hagan withdrew the family's request to avoid it being rejected. Supan's planning office will study the matter further and in an attempt to find some type of text amendment that could allow the Crouches to keep their vacation home.

Commissioners seem willing to try to make that happen.

"For what's on Craig Creek I feel like it fits in," Fincastle member John Griffin said.