Monday, December 17, 2007
High-end RV park planned for Auburn
Mathan Holt has plans to bring a luxury RV condominium park to his University Station Motorcoach and RV Resort located two miles west of Auburn on Alabama Highway 14.
November 24, 2007
There is no place like home, but there is a new place for “homes on wheels” planned for Auburn.
Mathan Holt has plans to bring a luxury RV condominium park to his University Station Motorcoach and RV Resort located two miles west of Auburn on Alabama Highway 14.
Holt said having their RV here is convenient for people because it is already set up, and they save money because fuel is so high driving back and forth.
He said the resort has grown in popularity to the point he wants to make it into something permanent.
“I’m planning on building at least 500 lots in the back with all kinds of amenities,“ Holt said. “Among those I am going to have some leased lots, and also going to have some RV condominium lots so they can buy the lot and get a deed.
“This is a fairly new concept in the RV industry, but there are several of them around,“ he said.
Two luxury RV parks are in operation, or in the planning stages, in the region. One is Bull Dog near Athens, Ga., and the other is Bella Terra Resort near Gulf Shores.
Holt said a Web site for his luxury resort will be up and running by the first of the year.
“What I have started doing this year is talking to all the RV folks about the lots and asking them about what kinds of amenities they would like to have when I do this.
“I want to utilize the existing environment, the natural setting here,“ he said. “I want to work around the nice big trees and have a couple of small ponds. I plan on having walking trails and low-speed vehicle trails for people to drive around.“
Some of his plans include the shuttle bus on gamedays; restrooms and showers; a pet kennel; a fueling area; a wash, repair, service and maintenance area and a basic RV parts store.
“These folks are from Texas, California, Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Florida and all over,“ he said, “and don’t know were to get those things in this area if they need them.
“I also plan on having a covered pavilion that we are going to use as (an) entertainment venue for bluegrass, country or gospel shows and family reunions. There will be a stage, some dressing rooms and some meeting rooms for the RV people during football season. They will be able to sit around, eat and socialize in the shade, or out of the rain.“
Holt said his present resort was opened in 2000 as the Eagle’s Nest.
“At the time, there was just a little fenced in area next to the store and people just stored their RVs there for the ballgames. They kept them there during the season because they didn’t want to drive them all the way back,“ he said. “There were no hookups or anything.“
He said the park has grown each year after that.
“Some of them said it sure would be nice if we had some water and somewhere to dump our sewage, so I fixed that up for the next year. Then they said it sure would be nice to have some electricity so we could plug in our battery chargers and keep our refrigerators cold, so I fixed that.“
He said the park continues to grow.
“Over the years, I added 25, 50 or 75 spaces, and every time I add some I fill them up,“ Holt said. “And I’ve got 60 something on the waiting list for next year.“
He said this year he started a shuttle service to take campers to campus on gamedays.
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