Deschutes County is spreading its wings a little bit by exploring the construction of three new sites for RV and tent camping within the county.
The only RV campsite the county operates is at the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center. That site accommodates 105 RV slots and is usually full to overflowing, especially during the county fair in August.
The commissioners have been knocking around the idea of building more RV camping sites to help with overcrowding during the height of tourism season, and attract more visitors here during the shoulder seasons.
The idea is not to create long-term, permanent housing for those seeking more affordable living spaces, but rather grow the places for tourists to land while visiting Central Oregon. However, some of the sites may allow camping up to 60 days, so that new employees to the area may stay at these parks and have some time to seek alternative housing.
Commissioner Phil Chang is a proponent for several reasons.
“There’s been a dramatic increase in recreational demand in the region. This segment of lodging has not kept up and there are very few new campgrounds in the last 40 years,” he said in an email. “We also need lower elevation campgrounds which will be available during shoulder seasons to serve the demand.”
Chang noted the county owns some amazing outdoor amenity properties that residents and guests are not able to utilize.
“This is a wasted resource. I’d like to see us develop new parks and trailheads from some of our properties. Having a campground connected to those would make this a revenue neutral opportunity or a revenue positive opportunity,” he said.
Dispersed recreational camping has also exploded in our area. More developed campgrounds can help reduce the amount and impact of dispersed camping.
In May, the county contracted with ECONorthwest, a consulting firm located both in Portland and Bend, for about $99,800 to do an analysis of five potential RV sites on county-owned land. The firm narrowed the selections to three and presented its analysis to the commissioners on Monday.
The three sites are:
- Drafter Road in La Pine. ECONorthwest made this its top choice as it has ample size, direct highway access, meets some zoning regulations and has existing infrastructure. Moreover, the site could serve as a site for temporary worker housing as La Pine allows for camping up to 60 days. There are two lots that sandwich a private lot in La Pine, which may be ideal for a public-private partnership in operating the site. The projected development cost is about $3.7 million.
- Fort Thompson Lane near Tumalo State Park has space for a 300-site RV park and tent camping spread over 7 acres. It offers an “expansive space that aligns well with a traditional campground setup,” the agency said in its report. However, a canal bisects the property, causing concerns for safety and a unified campground.
- A Crooked River Ranch site encompasses three lots on about 12 acres to accommodate 119 potential RV slips. It is located in rugged terrain and lacks utility infrastructure and also has some zoning restrictions against camping. However, it may make an ideal launching spot for tent campers to adjacent hiking trails.
It’s good to see the county step up to try to accommodate a growing influx of tourists and perhaps help some who have moved here for work to find a place to land while seeking permanent housing. The full report can be seen at https://bendbulletin.us/RVsites here.
