RVBusiness, March/April 2019
102 RVBusiness M A R C H A P R I L 2 0 1 9 at Citrus Valley in Clermont and Elite Resorts in Salt Springs This year Mayers company Plaza Lodge LLC is working to develop two more RV resorts and hopes to break ground on both of them by fall of this year Instead of using park models as he has in the past Mayer told RVB he plans to complement the RV sites at his newest resorts with 800 to 900 square foot two bedroom two bathroom modular units in what Mayer said will be a next generation RV resort Meanwhile the Anclote River Resort targeted for opening in the spring of 2020 will be a 340 site park next to the Anclote River in Pasco County roughly a 15 minute drive north of Tampa Mayer said he recently entered into a management agreement with a well known hotel and restaurant operator in Florida to manage both the RV resort and an onsite restaurant This resort will be aimed at everybody Mayer said Northerners fishing and outdoor enthusiasts young families and people who want to go bike riding Ultimately what Im trying to build is a destination thats appealing to a wider range than just the RV world But Mayer also sees the resort addressing the rising demand for high quality RV sites in Florida There is a big imbalance for RV sites in Florida that is growing he said More people are coming down to Florida in the wintertime adding that the rising demand for RV sites not only reflects the continuing surge in RV sales but the inability of many existing parks to meet the needs of todays consumers A 30 year old park with small sites and few amenities is not what they want he said With this in mind Mayer is also planning to build a second new RV resort on an undeveloped site in the city of Hawthorne on Little Orange Lake an 800 acre lake just east of Gainesville We have 4000 linear feet on the lake Mayer said adding that his company is partnering with another landowner to provide 377 acres for the RV resort which would also include RV sites and modular cottages Wed like to start construction in the fall of this year and hopefully open by 2020 he said But while demand for renovated parks and new RV parks is growing there is a limited amount of capital available for new park developments across the country The bottom line is getting capital for these kinds of developments in not easy said Mayer who previously ran a venture capital company Banks remain reluctant to get into this business because its a non traditional asset As a result Mayer said the people who are investing in new RV parks and resorts tend to be highnet worth individuals who are prepared to take a higher risk Those are the ones who are financing these developments he said Terry Munoz who spent 30 years Plaza Lodge LLC plans to build a new lakeside RV resort on undeveloped land in Hawthorne Fla just east of Gainesville
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