NARROWSBURG, NY — The “park-model RVs” proposed for the Camp FIMFO development in Barryville have been a focal point of regulatory scrutiny. They were also a focus for the National Park Service, as was discussed on June 13 at a special meeting of the Upper Delaware Council’s project  advisory committee. 

Camping on wheels?

Plans for Camp FIMFO, a development proposed by Northgate Resorts at the site of the storied Kittatinny Canoes in Barryville, include updates to 279 of the 342 campsites on the property. Of the updated sites, 146 will house “park-model RVs,” cabin-like structures on wheels that—technically—count as RVs, not as mobile homes or other similar structures. 

Those park-model RVs most recently attracted the attention of the National Park Service (NPS). It deemed them “permanent structures” in its review of the Camp FIMFO project, a determination that bans the project in its current form from the banks of the Upper Delaware River. 

The problems

NPS superintendent Lindsey Kurnath focused on Camp FIMFO’s park-model RVs in a presentation at the June 13 meeting. 

The meeting was called to discuss the reasons why the park service deemed elements of Camp FIMFO out of conformance with the River Management Plan (RMP). 

“At first blush and the first look, we could say that this is just going to be an RV campground,” said Kurnath. A second look revealed examples of the RMP distinguishing between an RV campground—where people bring their personal RVs in and out—and an RV park ‘intended for non-transient use’—where RVs get left permanently or semi-permanently in place. 

In the NPS’ interpretation of the RMP, what makes a structure permanent is whether it will be moved, not whether it can be. 

“We fully understand that these [park-model] RVs are capable of being towed… but these RVs are going to remain on the landscape as permanent structures after that,” Kurnath said. 

Later in the meeting, Kurnath added, “I don’t see any aspect of this proposal that involves moving the park-model RVs and actually treating them like an RV park would, where [NPS Chief of Resource Management Don Hamilton] and I pull in in our individual RVs on Friday afternoon and we leave on Sunday night. That’s not going to be the reality. These park-model RVs are going to be there, fundamentally unchanged from day to day, from year to year.”

The park-model RVs as permanent structures fell afoul of an RMP subclause that prohibits permanent structures other than tent platforms and concrete pads. The bathrooms in the park-model RVs also fell under a different subclause that prohibits individual sewer and water supplies at each campsite. 

The NPS also found that the Camp FIMFO plans significantly develop the site from the existing pattern of land use and ownership. The RMP emphasizes preserving those existing patterns. 

“The proposed changes to the intensity of use at the campsite really don’t maintain the existing character of the corridor or reinforce the existing land use patterns of the site,” said Kurnath. 

What happens now?

The NPS and the UDC will meet with the Town of Highland and the applicant to discuss the NPS’ determination. 

After that, the NPS sees two paths forward, said Kurnath. Either the NPS issues its official determination that the project doesn’t substantially conform with the RMP, or someone else in the chain withdraws the project from consideration: the UDC, the Town of Highland or the applicant. 

Kurnath has submitted her recommendation (that the project does not substantially conform) to the NPS regional director, in whom authority is vested to make the official determination. That director agreed to wait on issuing it to see if a resolution could be reached locally, said Kurnath. 

Under either alternative, Northgate Resorts can come back with a revised project that answers the issues raised by the NPS. 

“Hopefully we could come back with a project that protects the river and conforms with the guidelines to the extent that the park service thinks is necessary,” said Kurnath. 

Where does the UDC stand?

The UDC made its own analysis in the fall of 2022 and recommended to the NPS that the project did substantially conform with the RMP. Six members of the council voted in favor of that recommendation; four voted against it and one abstained. 

The UDC’s substantial conformance review document reads that the project does not involve permanent structures and that there are no independent on-site sewage disposal or water supply systems proposed for individual RV campsites. It states that the visual impact of the site will increase due to the use of park-model RVs, but that the land-use pattern will remain traditional. 

UDC members present at the meeting with Kurnath urged negotiations between the NPS and the applicant about the project. They called the disagreement between the NPS and the UDC about whether the project conforms with the RMP a precedent-setting event. 

Members of the UDC clashed with members of the public at the meeting, with members of the public speaking in favor of the NPS’ decision and members of the UDC defending their decision. 

Meeting previews

Northgate Resorts has previously submitted information to the Highland Planning Board specifically regarding the park-model RVs.

“Although the distinctive appearance of park model RVs may sometimes lead people to think they look like small manufactured homes, appearances can be deceiving,” reads one document from the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association. “PMRVs are actually titled and registered just like any other RV… they are not ‘improvements’ to campgrounds any more than a travel trailer placed and used in a campground is.”

The Highland Planning Board has not yet been briefed about the NPS’ decision, according to chair Norm Sutherland. “The board awaits the NPS determination in writing,” he said.

The next planning board meeting will occur on Wednesday, June 28.