Plans for an upscale recreational vehicle vacation resort north of Brooksville, Fla., won approval from the Hernando County Planning and Zoning Commission on Monday (Jan. 12).
The rezoning, if approved by the county commission, would let Belle Parc expand from 100 to 182 lots and allow owner James Trefz to add various amenities, according to the St. Petersburg Times.
Trefz, of Brooksville Ancient Trail LLC, won’t allow RVs older than 10 years and will limit stays at the 25-acre park to six months or less. He aims to attract upscale visitors and has already made many long-term residents with modest trailers leave the park.
“We want vacation people,” he said. “We are building a vacation resort, not cheap living for some people.”
Trefz said he planned a “green” RV park and that residents would be encouraged to travel about on golf carts, which would be available for rental. A clubhouse, swimming, shuffleboard and other in-park activities are also part of the long-term plan.
Residents of the adjacent Da-Mac Estates had gathered 100 signatures on a petition opposing the expansion.
But at Monday’s hearing, Trefz asked commissioners for a few minutes to talk to the planning staff during a break to reach a compromise with neighbors, who were concerned about having RVs parked just behind their homes.
After that break, Trefz said he would cut the number of lots from 197 to 182 and promised a buffer of 90 to 110 feet behind the homes. Residents, in turn, agreed not to submit their petitions.
Trefz explained that the new lots would be larger than the 100 existing lots on his site and larger than the lots in just about any other RV park in Hernando County.
Planning director Ron Pianta said rezoning to a planned development was complex and that Trefz had a persuasive argument for the smaller lot sizes. “It should be sufficient for what he’s asked to do,” he said.
Brooksville is located near Florida’s Gulf Coast, about 30 miles north of Tampa.
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