TD RV Park Stirs Neighbors; Developer promises to enforce rules, provide needed service
This lot at 2514 West 10th Street could become home to a 26-space RV Park if developers receive a conditional-use permit to develop in the property which is zone high-density residential. The Dalles Planning Commission will consider the permit on Thursday, June 16.
By Tom Peterson
Mixed feelings are rising to the surface as a development group is asking for a conditional-use permit to develop a 26-space RV park at 2514 West 10th Street in The Dalles.
Opinions range from steadfast opposition to agreement peppered with concerns about traffic and future users of the park. Developers point out that an RV park has been needed in The Dalles for years.
The Dalles Planning Commission must hold a public hearing on the proposed development since the RV park is not an outright use in that area of zoning, which is designated high-density residential.
The hearing is scheduled for Thursday, June 16, at 5:30 p.m. at The Dalles City Hall, 313 Court Street.
The public will be given time to speak at the meeting or signed, written comments can be submitted prior to the hearing by email, mail, or personal delivery. Read more about submitting written comments here.
RTD Development LLC, organized by David Griffith, is requesting the permit and has submitted an application to the City’s Planning Department. Robbie McVane and Tammy McVane along with Griffith are partnering in the development of the property.
Here is a locater map of where the property sits. The RV Park would be constructed in the skinny portion of the starred property.
RTD Development purchased the 3.67-acre property from Darlene Petroff for $300,000 in June of 2021.
However, only the lower part of the property will be used for the RV park, according to Griffith who formerly ran Griffith Motors prior to its sale to Columbia Gorge Toyota and Honda three years ago.
Griffith said the inspiration for the RV Park, came, in part, from his years with the Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce, which received calls weekly from people seeking an RV spot in The Dalles.
David Griffith
“I knew we needed it,” he said Thursday, June 9. “Contractors come and go. People are always looking for places to park for a couple of days or months - and that helps in the winter, but the real backbone is the weekenders and fishermen and the good weather folks.”
Griffith said the RV Park would employ a full-time camp host who would ensure the park stayed clean and rules would be enforced.
It’s a big investment to make it go. The development of the RV Park will likely run a cost of about $500,000 and the City and other tax districts could bring in Service Development Charges that run well over $100,000.
“We're going to run it properly,” Griffith said. “The McVanes are experienced RVers and have traveled a lot and been a lot of places. They’ve seen what works and looks good. I chatted with law enforcement around the Gorge. You want to make sure you have people that are appropriate, that you and I want to live next door to. That’s always challenging because people do strange things you’re not aware of. But with a camp host who is on top of what and who is there, it should work fine. I want to make it a place that your mother and father would want to stay at if they came to town.”
He also noted that a friend informed him the topic caught fire on Facebook recently as locals voiced both concerns and notes of approval.
Click here to enlarge the image. This schematic shows the u-shaped drive and 26 RV pads in the RV Park as it enters and exits onto West 10th Street. Shower facilities and accommodations for a camp host are also displayed.
The RV park would have RV Pads, 50-, 60-, and 25-feet long, catering to full-length diesel pushers to smaller trailers. The layout for the park also allows for 10 pull-through spots where drivers with bigger rigs can loop around to exit the park without backing up. Other additions include a full bathroom and showering facility as well as a pet area.
The Office will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday with a full-time person living in the existing house on the property to facilitate camp host duties and will be on call after hours, according to the application. Quiet hours will be set for 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
“Violators will be contacted and if they do not cooperate will be asked to vacate,” the proposal states.
The neighborhood which abuts the hills to the west still supports wildlife and has a rural feel as some of the lots are several acres.
Some don’t want to see it change.
Bonnie and Teresa Oades
“We are against it,” said Teresa Oades whose mother Bonnie, lives on the abutting property to the development. “We felt better after talking to planning; however, there are still too many unknowns - safety, crime, traffic issues. And it’s also being placed in a residential area. Many owners will lose property value.”
“We’re not the only ones concerned,” said Bonnie Oades, who said she bought the property with her husband Delbert some 70 years ago when it was the only house at the end of West 13th Street. “Lots of neighbors are concerned about safety.”
Jack Kaufman and his Dodge Charger with a 5.7 liter Hemi. Jack was more interested in talking cars than in possible changes next door with the possible construction of an RV Park. He did point out, however, that Bert Hodges started an RV Park on Chenowith Creek, but it was never completed.
Neighbor Jack Kaufman said he had yet to form an opinion, but also noted that an RV Park was started by Bert Hodges on Chenowith Creek years ago, but it never came to completion. He did say, however, that a good portion of the utilities had been installed on the project before it went into a delay.
Across the street, a neighbor who wished to remain anonymous said “a person should be able to do what they want with their land,” but also noted concerns about who would park their RVs there. “I hope they’re picky about who they let in.”
