New to Real Estate · NJ · Member since 2025 · 38 posts · 8 votes
I’m in the early stages of building a phased campground/RV park from the ground up in Pennsylvania, and I’m looking to connect with operators who’ve been in the trenches.
Over the past year I’ve evaluated a ton of parcels, worked through zoning conversations, utilities, terrain challenges, and the realities of sequencing infrastructure for a ground‑up outdoor hospitality project. The more I dig in, the more I realize how much nuance there is in this asset class — and how little high‑quality information exists compared to multifamily, self‑storage, or MHPs.
I’ve learned a lot from operators who are willing to share what’s worked (and what hasn’t), and I’d love to connect with more people who are actively running parks, developing them, or expanding portfolios.
If you’re an RV park owner, operator, or someone who’s built one from scratch, I’d appreciate the chance to compare notes. Happy to share what I’m building as well — always good to talk with people who understand the operational side, not just the theory.
Drop a comment or shoot me a message if you’re open to connecting.
New to Real Estate · NJ · Member since 2025 · 38 posts · 8 votes
7mo
Yep electric work can blow up a budget fast. For me the real shock has been transformer/service upgrades and demand fees. I’m currently building a ground‑up campground in PA, so I’m flagging this early: pull a utility load study, phase hookups, and keep a healthy contingency. Happy to DM more.
Yep electric work can blow up a budget fast. For me the real shock has been transformer/service upgrades and demand fees. I’m currently building a ground‑up campground in PA, so I’m flagging this early: pull a utility load study, phase hookups, and keep a healthy contingency. Happy to DM more.
Smart move on the load study - that's the kind of detail that separates pros from dreamers. The demand fees are brutal too, especially when you're trying to phase but the utility wants full infrastructure upfront. How are you handling the phasing with the utility company, or did they force you into a bigger initial commitment?
New to Real Estate · NJ · Member since 2025 · 38 posts · 8 votes
7mo
Appreciate that, the load study was the first thing I wanted to get ahead of before I get too deep into design. I’m still early in development, but I’ve been pushing the utility to treat Phase 1 as its own load instead of forcing a full‑build commitment upfront. They’ve at least been willing to outline what the step‑ups look like so I’m not blindsided later. Still a balancing act, but better than paying for the whole park’s power on day one.
Yeah, it’s definitely a niche space. I’ve read a few books—none of them match exactly what I’m aiming to build, but a couple come pretty close. Hopefully when it’s all said and done, I’ll be the one writing the next book.
Here are a few I’d recommend:
• The Glamping Investor by Garrett Brown
• How to Start, Run, and Grow an RV Park, RV Resort, or Campground Business by Jack Wendling
• Real Estate Campgrounds: How to Invest in Outdoor Hospitality with Campgrounds, RV Parks, and Glamping by Heather Blankenship
New to Real Estate · NJ · Member since 2025 · 38 posts · 8 votes
7mo
Yeah I found that book browsing on BiggerPockets bought it right away there is a lot of good information in there, and also tells the truth about the industry.
Real Estate Consultant · Ventura, CA · Member since 2026 · 3 posts · 0 votes
4w
Dillon — you nailed the biggest issue I keep seeing in outdoor hospitality: there’s a ton of nuance, but surprisingly little good information tying the physical park back to the financial model.
I work specifically with RV parks and campgrounds, and I've gotten pretty obsessive about modeling what a park actually supports — NOI, debt service/DSCR, seller financing, value-add, and eventual refi/exit scenarios.
That eventually led me to build RV PARK I.Q., an underwriting tool specifically for this asset class.
Your ground-up project is especially interesting because phasing changes everything. I’d be interested in comparing notes as you build it out. I also have a stripped-down version of RV PARK I.Q. I give away if you want to kick the tires.
Investor · Pacific Northwest · Member since 2026 · 538 posts · 306 votes
4w
The biggest thing I’d be careful about is treating an RV park like a simple real-estate development project.
It’s really three businesses stacked together:
land and entitlement
infrastructure and phased construction
hospitality operations
The failure points usually sit in the handoffs between them.
A parcel can look great until utility extension cost changes the basis. Zoning can work while wastewater or stormwater kills the sequence. Phase 1 can pencil, but if roads, power, water, septic/sewer, bathhouse, laundry, Wi-Fi, drainage, fire access, and future expansion aren’t designed as one system, you can spend Phase 2 money fixing Phase 1 decisions.
I’d be tracking every parcel against the same operating model:
Then keep every assumption tied to its source so you know which numbers are hard facts and which are still hypotheses.
The interesting part of this asset class is that the real estate is only the platform. The operating system is what determines whether the dirt becomes valuable.
I’m building a lot around real-estate acquisition and operating intelligence right now. Happy to connect and compare notes if you want to show me the Pennsylvania project and where you are in the sequence.