A proposed redevelopment could transform the former Carolina Beach Family Campground property in New Hanover County into a recreational vehicle park, with plans submitted for a project that would include up to 118 RV spaces on the 11.44-acre site.
Developer Burgess Corporation has applied for permits for 15 RV sites at 9641 River Road, according to county documents.
The master site plan submitted for the property outlines a larger RV park development with 118 spaces. The proposal entered review with the county’s Technical Review Committee, but work was put on hold in late June for additional review.
The property previously operated as Carolina Beach Family Campground, a campground that closed in 2020 after more than 60 years of operation.
The site is located north of Snow’s Cut, an area that already includes RV accommodations through nearby Snow’s Cut RV Retreat, which has 69 vehicle spaces along with laundry facilities, showers and a maintenance shop.
Following the campground’s closure, the property was left with debris and abandoned vehicles before remediation efforts were completed.
According to an article published by Star News Online on July 14, the site was listed for sale in 2025 for nearly $5 million before the price was reduced to just under $4 million in early 2026. Basedon the New Hanover property records, the property was last sold in 2020 for $850,000.
Before the current RV park proposal, the property listing from Intracoastal Realty identified redevelopment potential for the site. The land is zoned R-15, a designation that permits low-density development with a maximum of 2.5 units per acre. Under the existing zoning, the 11.44-acre parcel could support up to 28 homes without rezoning.
The former campground closed after county officials found violations of environmental ordinances.
A July 2020 building safety complaint investigation report stated that “numerous violations” were observed at the property, including camping units being used as habitable structures and failing septic systems that resulted in overflowing raw sewage in multiple locations.
A New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office abatement notice also cited conditions at the property, describing “an accumulation of rubbish, garbage, trash, refuse, junk and/or other abandoned materials, metals, lumber or other things that provide harborage for rats, mice, snakes and other vermin.”