Thor Forums

[TurnerFam]

...the idea I've had for RV Parks and even Campgrounds to have several 'pull thru Overnight no-hookup cheap sites' is a noble one, but probably not realistic. Here's why:

For every RV Park and Campground, just like in real estate, the amount of space is limited, and the amount you can charge for each space is a premium, meaning that owners are very UNLIKELY to provide space for 'cheaper' overnight stays simply because those spaces are much more profitable for those who can be charged the 'regular' overnight price for utilities, even if they don't 'need' them.
If you have an RV Park, large enough for 30 RV sites, it's doubtful that you are going to find it profitable, from a business stand-point, to create 3 sites that you can only charge a much lower price for - when you might expect that those sites should demand the same payback as the other 27 - which creates the best overall business profit for the amount of 'real estate' that you have.
It's similar to those brand new Neighborhoods you see construction companies building out. They have 20 acres to make use of. Each house sits on a 1/4 acre, giving the company to ability to build and sell and make a profit on 80 homes. If that company, though, decides that 4 of those lots will be a larger 1/2 acre each, they are essentially taking away 4 of the homes that they could build and sell and make a profit on - not a good business decision. Could those 4 'special' 1/2 lots sell for more money? Sure, but since real estate has a 'limit' to what it can be valued at, it's highly doubtful that even the higher selling price will come anywhere close to what the additional 4 1/4 acre homes would provide, profit wise.

RV Parks and Campgrounds, especially private ones, are not in the business to 'give away' sites, but want a consistent and profitable income for each site. Could some of the sites sit empty because of this? Sure, but in the overall annual look-back, you'll probably find that even with the sites being sometimes unused, the profit is still much higher than if the sites were filled each and every night, but with much lower prices.

I get that those of us who travel, and aren't staying in an area as a destination, but simply as a 'pass thru' while traveling, want a simple, easy, and economical 'parking' space for the night, but the $ for this type of setup doesn't appeal to most business folks. The real estate to do this is generally too expensive, since it generally also is located near interstates or main US roads, and the payback is just not there. Could some cities, counties, or jurisdictions decide to create these just to help bring out-of-town RVrs to their area? I suppose, but I also suppose that some of the push back is also there from local residents who can sometimes view this as a 'trashy' place, or a place for 'vagrants', or a place for those 'down on their luck', or something that just 'causes too many traffic concerns will all those big rigs...', etc.

Several years ago, in our small town in the BLue RIdge mountains of far western North Carolina, a BEAUTIFUL area!, a RV Park was proposed, on the Hiwassee river, just north of town, in an area along the river near an industrial area of town. While there is a local 'county' campground on the lake, and several rv parks in the area, the local residents did NOT like this idea. Many had raised concerns that it would become a trashy area, full of 'those folks' who don't care about keeping the area clean, or those RVrs who just want a 'cheap' place to live, or the 'traffic' that it would bring through the small downtown area, or even how it would impact the river(?). It got shot down.
Sometimes you think folks in a relatively 'touristy' and 'seasonal' town would relish the ability to cater to out-of-town RVrs who are visiting, but that apparently wasn't the idea most had, though I suppose many of those also camped at the local county park, in their RV. Strange.