Most residents are familiar with or have heard of
the Campground area (even if they have never found it!). The Campgrounds at Coosawattee are comprised
of 750 privately owned, deeded RV lots with power hookups and shared septic
systems. As I stated before, my first
foray into ownership within CRR was in the campground section. My lot and camper provided my family and
friends with an affordable get-away and a small (but very well appointed) home
away from home. I have to tell you, I
have many great memories of our times in the campground. Despite some things I’ve heard about certain
areas of the campground, I can say that my street was quiet, clean and I rarely
saw the owners of the other RV’s. My
little place was a great getaway and provided a peaceful and private
retreat. In fact, the family and friends
loved the area so much we quickly outgrew the tight confines of the RV and I
ended up finding a great buy on a foreclosure in the residential area.
I have to be honest, although my experience in the
campgrounds was exceptional; I have done enough exploring in the area to know
that there are areas that need some help.
The primary issues I see that haunt the campgrounds today are actually
the ghosts of the past. The last couple
of years (and revision to the building covenants) have proved to be healthy for
the campgrounds. A lot of the current issues
that residents, as well as myself, have with the area are the old, unkempt and
often abandoned properties. The other
issue lies in often shoddy construction or RV repairs that would not meet any
Architectural Review Committee or safety requirements. Fortunately (unfortunately), most of these
issues arose in years past when the monitoring of construction was not regulated. New building requirements and closer
attention paid by CRR management is slowly correcting these problems.
Aside from known flaws, the campgrounds are very
unique properties that can provide families the opportunity to enjoy our
beautiful community without full-out homeownership. They also provide a sizeable amount of our
income each year. I am a big supporter
of the campgrounds and would like to detail some of the reasons that the
campgrounds are vital to CRR’s overall health.
PROS:
· The campgrounds (by my best approximation)
consume less than 5% of the overall land mass of CRR. However, the dues generated by the campground
properties represent 10% of our overall dues revenue. There are 7500 lots in CRR – 750 of those are
in the campgrounds. Not too shabby.
· By majority, the campgrounds are utilized by
‘occasional use’ owners. These are
typically weekend visitors in spring, summer and fall. The dues generated by occasional use owners
far outweigh the use and wear and tear on amenities and infrastructure.
· These visitors may also become future
homeowners. I have heard numerous
stories from people that had purchased a lot in the campgrounds and ultimately
ended up falling in love with CRR and purchased a home.
· The campgrounds provide additional exposure for
the tent and RV rental campsites as well as the Ogden road RV Park. These are the rental sites owned, maintained
and operated by CRR.
CONS:
· Aging properties. There are many properties in the Campground
section that are showing their age or simply have not been maintained. The recent change to allow roof-over
construction is slowly fixing this problem.
Roof-overs provide protection from the elements and in general keep the
RV’s clean and looking good.
· Lack of Pride in Ownership. I think that the Great Recession may have had
a hand in some of the abandonment issues, nonetheless I have witnessed general
lack of caring. When I had my camper I
made special trips to CRR to do routine maintenance cleaning on the lot and
RV. All properties come with a great
deal of maintenance. It doesn’t matter
if you have a $250,000.00 cabin or $15,000.00 RV – they all need maintained!
· Clutter.
Let’s face it, campers don’t provide a ton of storage and when RV’s are
used as small cabins you can acquire a lot of ‘stuff’. It is important to plan ahead with additional
storage if you are a ‘stuff’ gatherer like me!
Revitalization:
My sincere hope is that the CRR management and Board
continue to make concerted efforts to focus attention on the campground’s needs
and revitalize this asset. Some things
to consider that will make a large and positive impact on the properties as a
whole:
· In house legal counsel should seek avenues for
obtaining rights to remove abandoned units and clutter from known
eyesore properties.
· Additional research efforts should be put into
place to locate owners of trouble properties and advise them of the issues with
their properties AND detailed steps that can be taken to correct issues (this
is common practice in all HOA’s).
· Put into place a Local Operating Procedure for
verifying the installation and age of all RV’s entering CRR by owners of deeded
lots. Our covenants specifically state
no units older than 15 years. I realize
that options for enforcement become limited once a unit is located on the
property, but proactive policy and installation requirements would give CRR
more legal authority if the proper steps were not taken.
My last suggestion is a controversial one, but an idea that
would make a HUGE difference with some of the older neglected properties:
· Create a temporary CRR Buyback
Program. Offer owners of neglected, or
eyesore properties a predetermined, nominal cash payout and past dues
forgiveness for their lot and camper.
Demolition and removal could then occur hassle free. There are many recyclers that would come and
take the old RV’s for free if the unit is given to them.
· This program could be operated by our current
real estate staff, would improve needed areas of the campground AND raise
property values – in turn making CRR’s investment worth more when resold.
So, these are my ideas and thoughts on this unique
asset. I have seen the campground
changing for the good over the last few years and I hope this trend
continues. It appears that most of the
vacant campground lots owned by CRR have been sold this past year. More investment and activity can only lead to
better things along the Coosawattee River.
I’d love to know your thoughts. I
know this post is a borderline ‘hot button’ topic, so please keep all comments
civil and constructive.
Till next time,
Chris
