Traffic drives past a 13 acre parcel of land for sale along Murphy Road in Bend on Sunday, Dec. 20.
Larry Kine sees the need for a luxury RV Park in Bend, Ore. Pending approvals from the city, the real estate developer will get a chance to build one along Murphy Road in the southwest part of the city, according to The Bulletin.
Kine, owner of Kine & Kine Properties, is waiting to hear back from the city on his application to develop an RV park covering 13 acres. If successful, he plans to start construction in the fall of 2021.
Interest in RVs skyrocketed this year as many Americans sought ways to vacation while avoiding both hotels and airports, potential vectors for COVID transmission. While the pandemic will eventually end, the number of RVs on the road in coming years is still expected to grow.
Kine, involved in the RV park business for close to 15 years, has previously owned Crown Villa, an upscale RV park in Bend. He has also owned an RV park in Montana and is developing one in Idaho.
“We like this business and we have seen it get steadily better and better, as baby boomers age and buy more RVs,” said Kine. “This past year, there was a spike in sales but we had already made our decision prior to the pandemic.”
The RV park planned for Murphy Road would occupy an area just west of Highway 97. Nearby businesses include a Les Schwab Tire Center, Shari’s Restaurants, Albertsons and an Arco Station.
“The Bend community needs some more RV spaces,” said Kine. “This location serves it well; it doesn’t really serve the other uses in our opinion for commercial.”
Plans for the park include covered and heated RV storage, around 185 RV sites and self-storage. Residential units are also planned for seven acres of land adjacent the RV park, although its not yet known if the units will be for sale, for rent or both. In total, the project would cover 30 acres of land.
The park will have a similar look and feel to Crown Villa, said Kine, referring to his previous high-end property.
Landscaped areas, swimming pools, workout facilities, hot tubs, pickleball and basketball courts, an off-leash dog park, lawn games, and gas firepits are some of the planned amenities.
In the off-season, the new park will be available for RV storage and month-to-month RV parking.
Kine expects final approval by March and construction to commence in the fall of 2021. The RV park could open for business by the spring of 2022, he said.
