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Luxury RV Park Getting Green Light
• The 'Ritz' on Wheels
Monday,
July 13, 2009
As part of an effort to clear the way for a Luxury RV resort where the former Aztec mobile home park lay barren on State Road 7, Margate city commissioners took a necessary step, Wednesday, toward expanding the future land use scope of the 100-plus acre Aztec property to include Recreational Vehicles.
The RV resort, scheduled to open in October/November 2010 will be home to more than 600 Class-A Recreational Vehicles, say
investors, and be run as a condominium association complete with clubhouse and pool.
Class-A Recreational Vehicles are the ultimate in luxury class RV travel and run in price from $100,000 to $1 million. Lots will sell in the RV community for between $110,000 and $300,000.
City officials are skeptical as to whether investors, who say that 50 lots have already been sold, can sell all 646 RV luxury RV spaces in today’s economy.
Commissioner Pam Donovan, although tempted by the ad valorem taxes that Luxury RV lots would bring to Margate once sold, is curious as to who pays property taxes for the lots if they don’t sell. Investors, speaking through Margate Lobbyist and Chamber of Commerce President, Jack Tobin, told commissioners that they have agreed on a number they’re going to pay the city whether they sell the properties or not – a number not availed at City Hall Wednesday night.
Margate City Planner, Ben Ziskal, doesn’t think the Luxury RV concept is the right fit for Margate and believes the city would benefit more from conventional housing built on the property.
Dennis Holste, Assistant Director of the Margate Community Redevelopment Agency, said that regardless of a Class-A vehicle restriction in the park, it’s still a 100-acre campsite any way you look at it.
The Luxury RV Park is being pushed through the city by high-powered attorney firm Ruden McClosky, which means investors have an exit plan if the project goes sour, a concern for acting Chairman of Margate’s Development Review Committee, Reddy Chitepu, who insists that deed restrictions determined for the Aztec property must run with the land to avoid capacity problems in the future should the park change ownership.
Tobin reminded officials that, if the park failed, nothing could be done with the land without the new owners coming back through the city’s process for rezoning, Comprehensive Plan amendment and review by Margate’s Development Review Committee, the Planning and Zoning Board and the City Commission.
The Luxury RV Park would be the second major project proposed for the vacant Aztec property, the first being a 700-plus unit housing project that never came to fruition after the mobile home park closed in 2007 and the housing market cooled.
In an attempt to expedite future land use approval for the Aztec property, Margate’s Planning & Zoning Board is reviewing zoning changes for the proposed Luxury RV Park on July 14 at City Hall at 7 p.m.
The City Commission will conduct their first reading of proposed changes the following night on July 15 at 6:15 p.m. The public can be heard both nights.
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