OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – A proposed RV park in St. Cloud has drawn strong opposition from residents of the neighboring Hanover Lakes community, who turned out in force at Monday’s Osceola County Commission meeting to voice their concerns.
The commission is set to decide next month whether to approve the project, known as the Hickory Tree Campground. The proposed 35-acre development, located east of Hickory Tree Road and south of Alligator Road, would require a zoning change from low-density residential to a planned development zoning district. If approved, the site would feature 130 RV parking spaces.
Tinisha Tolber, a Hanover Lakes resident, said she and a small group of neighbors went door-to-door informing others about the project after learning of the plans.
“We had numerous people come out of their houses asking what was going on and wanting to talk to us about it,” Tolber said. “The outpouring today just shows how many people are concerned.”
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During a community meeting in January, supporters of the project called it “well planned” and “a great asset.” However, many Hanover Lakes residents fear the RV park could increase traffic and safety risks, particularly for children in the neighborhood.
“We have a lot of children in our community who take the school bus every day,” resident Sandra Carvalho-Maroudas said. “The safety aspect of having people constantly coming and going from this RV park is extremely concerning.”
Others, like resident Jared Brown, worry that the park could eventually transition into a permanent trailer park rather than remaining a short-term facility.
“If you look around the Kissimmee and St. Cloud area, every community that starts as an RV park eventually turns into a trailer park,” Brown said. “That’s not something we pictured raising our families next to or spending our retirement years next to.”
The Osceola County Commission is scheduled to discuss the project again on March 17 at 5:30 p.m.
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