Council considering first RV resort in Cape Coral

By Gabrielle Sarann

CREATED Aug. 13, 2012

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CAPE CORAL, Fla. - The sprawling RV resort is six months delayed. Tonight, developers presented it to city council. They say their biggest challenge is having the land use amended to allow such a project.

"We've been dealing with them for six months now so we're not shocked at all," said Cliff Repperger, with Avalon Engineering.

Developers gunning for a $40 million dollar RV resort in Cape Coral want answers. 
 
"We're not asking for any special compensation from the city, all we're asking the city to do is approve a use that we can bring it to the next stage," explained Repperger.
 
They presented the project called The Resort at Burnt Store Lake to city council. But engineers say their chief obstacle is getting council's approval to re-zone the 71-acre lot for mixed use. It's now part agriculture, part residential, which doesn't allow for a project of this scope to be built there. Some city leaders called it a proposal that needs more fine-tuning.
 
"I think it's a great idea and great opportunity but still it just needs to be structured in such a way to get a better control of the sprawl," said Marty McClaine, who represents District 1.
 
The plan is to transform a swath of land in the northwest part of Cape Coral into a high-end RV resort. It would be equipped with a club house, restaurant, pool and more than 300 RV spots.
 
"In our mind, it's a resort and it's a resort because it has a lots of amenities, it's an attraction for people to come," added Repperger.
 
But others say it comes down to a larger discussion of whether the city wants this here at all.
 
"If you want to allow something like this whether it's an RV park or RV resort, per se, that's the discussion,"
 
There will be two public hearings before council casts its vote. Developers are aiming to break ground December 2013.