The owner of a campground in North Carolina’s Outer Banks is suing Currituck County over a local law that it believes could put it out of business and remove it from the beach tourism market just when demand is increasing for businesses along the coast.
According to a report, 85′ and Sunny LLC, the owner of Outer Banks West KOA Campground, is the plaintiff in a lawsuit against the county over new rules which it claims would cause similar campgrounds to “cease to exist.”
In February, county commissioners adopted new rules, like the requirement of 5 miles of buffer between campgrounds and another that bans campgrounds on tracts smaller than 50 acres. The regulations also limit the number of cabins and make it mandatory to close campgrounds for 30 days.
However, the new RV ordinance is at the core of the case. The new rules modify the definition of RV, limiting vehicles over 8.5 feet wide “in the transport mode.”
The KOA has 21 park model RVs which range between 10 to 14 feet. Although the county’s ordinance states that park model RVs look more similar to manufactured homes than RVs, the lawsuit challenges this definition.
“The park model RVs clearly are not manufactured homes,” the lawsuit says, adding that the rule “creates an unfair competitive advantage for new campgrounds compared to similarly situated existing campgrounds.”
The RVs cost approximately $50,000 each, which amounts to over a million dollars “lost by virtue of the county’s actions,” the lawsuit indicates.
The suit seeks an injunction that prohibits the NC county from enforcing rules which single out the campground and a declaration stating that the rules violate North Carolina state law.
This story originally appeared on Triangle Business Journal.
I opine that the legal dispute may impact coastal tourism. Stakeholders should consider the economic and environmental effects of the new regulations.
Isn’t it cool to see Outer Banks West KOA Campground standing up for their place against those tough new rules? They’re really showing that they’re all about protecting their business and keeping the beach fun going strong for all of us visitors. Admirable stuff!