Trojan fans may soon have another place to tailgate. The Board of Adjustments approved plans for a luxury RV park on Henderson Highway. The six-acre park would be exclusively for people attending local sporting events.
“This is strictly sports related, nothing more, nothing less,” said Paul Elliott, who proposed the project. “This is not a place for people to live.”
The season-ticket-holder said he was tired of staying in hotels for every home game. The RV park will be similar to Bulldog Park, an RV park for University of Georgia fans with “a country club atmosphere” in Athens, Ga.
The members would buy a lot so they would have a vested interest in the gated community. The park would provide water, power and sewage. Fans could take a Troy University shuttle to and from Trojan games.
“It’s a fun, family atmosphere,” Elliott said.
With a sale pending on the land, Elliott told the board he was in love with the property and would keep it for personal use if the park was not approved.
When he first presented the project to the board, he was looking at land located on Montgomery Street, between Hanchey Street and Three Notch Street. The property is a former landfill and came with stipulations regarding its use. Elliott said its former use might hinder sales and he could not guarantee his construction would not disturb the buried layers of trash.
The board unanimously approved the RV park, but the project was met with some opposition from homeowners in the area. Some who use well water asked for some assurance park sewage would not contaminate it.
“Normally, we don’t get involved with sewage. That would be up to the city inspectors,” said board member Jack Norton.
In a letter Penelope Jones wrote to the board, she voiced concerns the park would lower her property value.
“It would be nothing more than a glorified parking lot for RVs,” she said.
Now that the project has been approved, Elliott said he would hire an architect and draw up plans that could be presented to the Planning Commission.
In other business, the board of adjustments:
Approved a variance requests for two home businesses;
Approved two proposed locations (next to Byron’s Upholstery, Paint and Body and on Hanchey Street near the Whaley Pecan Company) for a food truck to park on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays; and
Denied a variance request to build a carport.