Opposition to motor coach resort growing

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November 4, 2009

By PEGGY KING The Cordele Dispatch Wed Nov 04, 2009, 05:15 PM EST

WARWICK – Residents of the Ironwood Golf Course area of Crisp County believe a proposed development for a class A motor coach resort near their homes has little chance for success.

About 30 people shared their concerns and opposition to the proposal during a community meeting here Monday night. County Commission Chairman James Nance and Vice Chairman William Culpepper also attended.

A citizens group led by Carl Speroni organized the meeting and invited all county commissioners to attend. The citizens had planned to ask questions of the commissioners, but Nance explained at the beginning that he and Culpepper could not speak for the entire board, and that planning and zoning questions should be directed to the county’s zoning officer, Connie Sangster.

“We want to hear your concerns, but we won’t be answering a lot of questions tonight in fairness to the other board members,” Nance said.

A developer has proposed to create a motor coach resort by selling lots to owners of these coaches who would then have a place to park their vehicles when they visit in the area.

They would pay some $80,000 per lot and in return receive a concrete pad and a utility building on their lot. The developer says he will provide a clubhouse, swimming pool, spa and other amenities on the property and then also maintain the grounds. A golf course is already there as is the lake.

Class A motor coaches had been defined as recreational vehicles at least 32 feet long and no older than 15 years.

Allen Easton, a resident of the Ironwood area, said during Monday’s meeting that he has done some research on these motor coaches. Online, he found 32 foot and longer vehicles that were manufactured in the late 1990’s selling for $30,000 and less. “That’s a lot different from the $200,000 and $300,000 coaches that we were told would be coming here,” he said.

Easton’s wife, Gail, told the group that she had researched other motor coach resorts throughout the United States including one in Orange Beach, AL which had been mentioned as comparable to the one proposed for Crisp County.

Every one of these facilities is located on deep water, she said, and the areas in which they are located have amenities that are not available locally.

The Orange Beach resort, Ms. Easton said, has not been able to sell very many lots, so they are renting them for one or two nights at the time for $20 to $40 per night. “It’s much cheaper to rent, even several months at the time, than pay $80,000 to buy a lot,” she surmised.

Also, people who do buy the lots can rent them out when they’re not there, so there’s a lot of “in and out” traffic and those coaches are using the resort’s sewage facilities for dumping their waste.

“I’m concerned that we will have an albatross,” Ms. Easton said.

Speroni expressed concern about the amount of sewage that will be dumped at the proposed resort. “I fear people will stop for the night, dump their sewage and be gone the next day. I just don’t think people will spend $80,000 for a lot on property that has a golf course and lake, but nothing else to attract them.”

Several people said they have spent a lot of money to build nice homes and maintain landscaped and manicured yards, and they don’t want a recreational vehicle park coming in to spoil the community.

One lady said to the commissioners, “you will stop development in this area of the county if you allow this facility to come in because no one else will build a home here.”

Gil Newman expressed a number of concerns and received a round of applause when he finished. He questioned what will happen to the value of his and others’ property in the area should the motor coach resort proposal go forward.

He also expressed doubt that the location will appeal to highend motor home owners, and said the county should require a performance bond from the developer.

“I’m concerned about the amount of sewage that will be dumped, the increased traffic that will be generated and pollution. I don’t think the lot prices are realistic. Lake Blackshear lots have been reduced to $35,000 and still haven’t sold,” he said.

Finally, he added, “this development is not compatible with the Lake Blackshear Plantation vision that was presented when we invested in property here.”

While Nance and Culpepper could make no commitments, they commented several times, “we hear your concerns.”

Nance said, “we want to look at both sides and try to make the best informed decision we can.”

Culpepper added, “I would not want to do anything that will harm Crisp County.”

Commissioners are scheduled to make a decision concerning the request to rezone the 20 1/2 acres at the intersection of Lakeshore Way and Old Coney Rd. where developers propose to create the resort at their meeting next Tuesday, Nov. 10.

They also will conduct a public hearing concerning the actual development at that same meeting.

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