City Council approves first-ever RV campground off One Tree Hill Way

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Wilmington City Council approved an application at its Tuesday, Aug. 15, meeting to rezone a 8.7 acres of property located at 2231 One Tree Hill Way from LI, Light Industry, to MH(CD), Manufactured Housing (Conditional District), for a recreational vehicle campground.

The future RV campground is the first of its kind in city limits. The only other RV park close in proximity is in Ogden in New Hanover County.

There will be room for 50 RVs on site, along with a management office, a retail store, a bathhouse and a maintenance shed.

Guests will be allowed to stay for a maximum of 29 days.

Jeff Bouton, a realtor working on the project, says this park is a big step for the city, given council had some reservations about the project at first.

“It was a challenge for the city council and the community to buy into the embrace the idea of an RV park. I think it’s in a very optimal location for it and probably one of the only areas where we could accommodate an RV park without too much community backlash,” said Bouton.

However, one member still does have reservations.

The proposal was passed six to one, with Councilmember Kevin Spears, being the only opponent of the project.

Councilmember Spears says it’s nearly impossible to drive on the road to the RV park because it’s so narrow.

“Okay, you can’t get two cars to come down — two regular cars — to come down One Tree Hill at the same time.”

But Bouton believes it is the perfect location for the park and one where he expects tourists to spend money not just at the campground, but in the surrounding area as well.

“We expect RV guests to spend about $200 a day or at night, get downtown in the middle of the city and close towards Wrightsville Beach. And that can be a huge injection of cash into the economy without people constraining our resources,” said Bouton.