Summer is in full swing and a once populated RV Park sits empty as the future of the Mount Baker campground remains up in the air.
While the city is soliciting expressions of interest for the site’s future use, mayor and council recently approved funding to facilitate subdivision of the property into three separate parcels that include the extension of Baker Park to 2nd St. S boundary, the entirety of the RV campground and the seniors centre.
“By creating separate parcels for each use contained within the the larger parent parcel, the subdivision would allow the City to potentially consider future land use and infrastructure options for the former RV campground and/or seniors center parcels separate from the remaining park and PRV station,” according to a staff report.
By subdividing the property, the park space can be formally dedicated on the survey plan, which comes with statutory restrictions on how parks may be used or sold that can help ensure a long-term commitment to preserving the existing park portion of the land.
The campground was closed last year after major infrastructure repairs were identified at a cost of $1.3 million. In contrast, the city received approximately $30,000 annually in fees from a third party contractor who operated the campground.
After the closure of the RV campground, city began collecting formal expressions of interest for potential future uses of the park. However, those results and council discussions from an in-camera meeting last year remain privileged under a land disposition section of the Community Charter.
As part of the latest update from the city’s downtown revitalization master planning, the Safeway/Transit site and the lower half of Mt. Baker Park are identified as “Special Plan” areas.