Treasure Cove reviving ban on boondockers
Nearly a year after backing away from a previous effort, Treasure Cove and Hotel will once again be declaring a ban on boondocking.
Signs notifying motorhome owners that overnight camping is prohibited on the property will be put up in short order, marketing manager Amanda Chandler said Wednesday. Treasure Cove wanted to get the word out in advance so travellers won’t be surprised when they get here, she added.
The show lounge expansion project is the impetus. The work to triple the lounge’s capacity to 600 seats will put a premium on parking.
“The reality is there is just not going to be enough space,” Chandler said. “There are going to be huge trucks coming out of the back and it’s going to make it really difficult for parking back there until we get the expansion completed.”
Chances are the ban will remain in place once the project is finished.
“I think we’ll probably try and continue to enforce it in the future as well,” Chandler said.
Similar signs went up last summer, drawing praise from local RV park owners, but were quickly taken down in response to a backlash from those traveling through Prince George in their motorhomes.
So-called boondocking, or overnight parking in parking lots, has long been a point of contention with RV park owners who rely heavily on summer traffic to make ends meet.
In 2006, they pushed to get city council to ban the practice. In turn, council imposed a 36-hour time limit which the owners have said is not good enough.
Treasure Cove will still allow motorhomes to be parked on their lot during the day.