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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.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n 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.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n 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.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n 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.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Commissioner Phil Chang is a proponent for several reasons.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s 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,\u201d he said in an email. \u201cWe also need lower elevation campgrounds which will be available during shoulder seasons to serve the demand.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Chang noted the county owns some amazing outdoor amenity properties that residents and guests are not able to utilize.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis is a wasted resource. I\u2019d 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,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Dispersed recreational camping has also exploded in our area. More developed campgrounds can help reduce the amount and impact of dispersed camping.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n 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.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The three sites are:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s 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<\/a> here.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n