A public hearing on an amendment to the water and sewer plan for Worcester County, Md., became a forum of sorts to discuss a sudden spate of recreational vehicle and traditional campground requests in the county, Ocean City Today reported.
The amendment was brought by attorney Hugh Cropper on behalf of Sun Communities Inc., the Michigan-based manufactured home and recreational vehicle resort operator that purchased Frontier Town in 2015 and Castaways near the Ocean City Airport in 2014.
The amendment would pave the way for Fort Whaley to add 63 more campsites to the existing 210.
Bob Mitchell, county environment services director, said the approval was conditional, based upon soil testing during the rainy season to ensure the water and sewer systems could handle the increased capacity effectively.
Commissioner Ted Elder wondered aloud how many new campsites were in the pipeline between this proposal and others at places like Frontier Town, the Bay Club and Ayres Creek.
Though no exact figure was available, the best estimate is between 700-800 new campsites.
Cropper said he had spoken with Mitch Parker, former owner of Frontier Town, on that subject, and Parker told him Worcester County was vastly underserved by campgrounds in relation to nearby markets — particularly in Cape May, New Jersey, which supports a couple of dozen independently owned campgrounds.
Yet another proposal for a campground, this one located at Ayres Creek, was not directly addressed by the commissioners, as it is only a concept at this point.
The defunct golf course is being developed into a campground by owner Todd Burbage.
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